There have been about 50 respondents to the "My Boat" survey. I'm starting to compile the information now. If there are any other lurkers out there who want to delurk temporarily to tell us what you paddle, now is the time (I know there's a few in the SF Bay Area, at least, who haven't chimed in). Thanks, Keith Kaste *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, 23 Feb 1998, Keith Kaste wrote: > If there are any other lurkers out there who want to delurk temporarily > to tell us what you paddle, now is the time. OK, you smoked me out. I paddle what I gather most people on this list would consider dogs. 1) NW Kayaks Cadence. Big, slow, stable freighter. I carry way too much gear and I don't like to worry about dumping. I have probably cheated death without knowing it. You may now give me a lecture on developing rolling and bracing skills. 2) NW Kayaks Seascape II. Double version of same with center hatch. Same reasons plus desire to take two small children along. 3) This might interest some of you: a small glass double (really a 1.5) homebuilt locally by a stranger whose name I have forgotten. He called it a "twingle," small enough for one person to paddle with a passenger. The rear cockpit is well forward compared to most other doubles for better control. I use this one the most because I usually have to take one child along to get out of the house. An adult in the forward cockpit causes the bow to submarine. It is one of only 5 ever built (I was told) and gets a lot of questions wherever I take it, which has included the Broken Group and Gulf Islands for a week at a time. Don't ask me the weight, length, or beam of any of these. I'm a clod, I don't know. They're big & heavy. I don't leave the shore if there is any risk of bad conditions, especially with a small child sleeping on the forward hatch. (We have done self-rescue pool practice, at least.) Richard Strickland, a kayaking dad Seattle, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Okay, here is an amended list of my boats, plus a new category... My future boats. Currently own... Sea kayak: P&H Capella, British made roto-molded. 16.5' long, 22" beam, retractable skeg. Very high performance boat, with excellent secondary stability, carves turns, and surfs well for a 16 footer. Very comfortable cockpit with thigh braces as a standard option. Has smallish cargo capacity however, and exhibits some weather cocking without the skeg. Turns just fine when leaned though, even when the skeg is down. Whitewater: Pyranha Razor, 8'8" playboat. Looks like a toy kayak, but plays and surfs like a maniac. It's faster (IMHO) than an RPM, and is a very forgiving yet high performance surfer. Also has very "slicey" ends for squirts and cartwheels. I always smile from ear to ear when paddling this boat. Pyranha Mountain 300, 10' creek boat. My first boat, great for learning, with lots of room for gear on overnight trips. I don't creek in it much, creeks are not my cup of tea. Dagger Outburst, 10'5" all around playboat. Great for big water, but also a very fun forgiving boat for the beginner/intermediate. Surfs really well on longer less steep waves, and is fast for its length. Recently sold boats... Valhalla Viking surf ski. 19' long, 19" wide. Speedy and big ocean swell surfing demon. But not many ocean swells in Puget Sound, and I never really used it as a workout boat. High on my wish list... Pyranha Storm, the latest, greatest 7'9" playboat to come from my favorite kayak manufacturer. The lack of a center pillar is a big plus versus American made kayaks. A sea kayak that I want to build sometime soon. It will be designed as a cross between a Mariner Coaster, and a Necky Rip. Flat bottom, hard chines, anti-purl bow... I want a high performance boat for playing and surfing on 2-4 day trips. Pygmy Coho, their new 17' high performance touring design. Not that high on the list, but probably a worthy endeavor. Hrm, I guess that abou wraps it up. Didn't think I would finish so soon... Kevin /--------------------------------------------\ /---------------------------\ |Something there is that doesn't love a wall | Kevin Whilden | |That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it | kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu | |And spills the upper boulders in the sun | Dept. of Geologic Science | |And makes gaps that even two can pass abreast| University of Washington | | -- Robert Frost |(206)543-1975(w) 632-5140(h)| \--------------------------------------------/ \---------------------------/ On Mon, 23 Feb 1998, Keith Kaste wrote: > There have been about 50 respondents to the "My Boat" survey. I'm > starting to compile the information now. If there are any other lurkers > out there who want to delurk temporarily to tell us what you paddle, now > is the time (I know there's a few in the SF Bay Area, at least, who > haven't chimed in). > > Thanks, > > > Keith Kaste > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
OK, just this once. I have a Mariner II with a custome seat replacing the sliding seat. I have had this boat 11 years now, and have taken some nice trips in it, one to Russia via the Bering Straits. For that trip I managed to cram 36 days worth of supplies into the boat-- with only a sleeping pad on the stern deck. I still use this boat for trips, because it's fast and seaworthy and has quite a bit more capacity than my newer Romany Expedition. This is more maneuverable than the Mariner, but weathercocks more, so that the skeg is sometimes welcome, and is a little slower. It is a little easier to roll than the Mariner (the Mariner is also quite easy to roll). It is the boat I take on shorter trips, where I'm more likely to be exploring all the nooks and crannies along the shore, or where I'm more likely to experience strong currents or other rough conditions. Dave Carlson Keith Kaste wrote: > > There have been about 50 respondents to the "My Boat" survey. I'm > starting to compile the information now. If there are any other lurkers > out there who want to delurk temporarily to tell us what you paddle, now > is the time (I know there's a few in the SF Bay Area, at least, who > haven't chimed in). > > Thanks, > > Keith Kaste > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Not sure if this is part of the thread a while back. But here's a repeat of my responce.Favorite boat, eh?? I am a kayak dealer, guide and instructor. I have been paddling over 20 years both whitewater and touring. I can choose from our rental/demo *fleet* of up to 40 sea kayaks and I try and paddle *every* boat I can for database(friends boats, symposiums,etc.) I own 3 personal craft and they are.............#1....The New Eddyline FALCON 18. The nicest boat I have ever paddled. It's sea kindliness is awesome..........#2.....Kevlar Arctic Hawk (Wilderness Systems) This 32 lb. hatchless model is a replica of a 1900's West Greenland boat built for a 200+ lb. person. Awesome in everything but *heavy* seas..........#3.......Skin/ Frame 1800's West Greenland replica built at a Superior Kayak workshop. Mark Rodgers helped design this vessel to be anatomically correct for ME. It's 19 feet long and 20 inch beam. One of the most traditionally shaped boats he has built. She's tender to say the least, but a BLAST!.......#4........ Eddyline Classic Sea Star. Older low deck model, no rudder, lots of gear, real fast, real stable. An old friend. Now for surf I have an *old*<read beater> kevlar squirt boat called the DEMON. It's from the early squirt days (early '80's) when the transition from *race* boat (slalom) to *squirt* boat hadn't quite been complete. It has hard chines and a beaver tail. A joy in big stuff. Some of the new *playboats* are great for surf but I'm stuck on this old beater! There you go. Steve Scherrer Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe www.aldercreek.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
> If there are any other > lurkers out there who want to delurk temporarily to tell us what you > paddle, now is the time <<de-lurking>> Boat #1 Current Design Storm -17' plastic, "fish form" hull - that means it has a really narrow bow and stern and a farily to very wide cockpit area about 24". Considerd by many to be a high volume boat, but doesn't have a lot extra of room in the bulkheads. Boat #2 Current design Libra - 22' fiberglass Double. Also a "fish form" hull, but this baby is REALLY wide, I think the beam specs are like 30". I use this with my 7 year old son - he loves it Boat #3 Necky Kyook - 16+' plastic. Sweet boat, big cockpit, but a little short to make great speed. It is a wonderfull boat to play in, with good secondary stability. Boat #4 (not actually mine but I paddled it almost excusivly last season) Dagger Magellan - 17' plastic. Probably one of the best handling plastic boats I have been in, with a decent amount of cargo area... and the cockpit is large enough for most "Ample" people. Boat #5 (again not actually mine but I paddled it a lot last season on longer trips) Current Design Expedition - 19' fiberglass, BIG BOAT! You can put the HOUSE in this sucker. It has a fairly round hull at the cockpit so it a little sensitive when empty (even for me at 265lbs), but put some gear in the hatches and it get quite comfortable. It doesn't turn quickly - surprize, surprize - but if you want to take a lot of stuff somewhere this boat will do it. The boat(s) that I WANT... Dagger Sitka, 18' Fiberglass. like the CD Expedition its a BIG boat, but both initial and secondary stabilty seem fantastic, my biggest fear with this boat is the "techie" rudder. I like the idea, but if it ever fails I don't know if it could be easily repaired... VCP Skerry XL or possibly the Aquilla. More boats in the 18' range with room in the cockpit for ME. These british boats are roomy, can carry a load, and what little I have paddled them seem to carve a turn "like you read about". I only paddled the aquilla for about 10 minutes one day, but what I saw, and felt, I liked. <<re-lurking>> Gregg Bolton gsb_at_ime.net http://w3.ime.net/~gsb *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 06:42 PM 2/23/98 -0800, David Carlson wrote: >OK, just this once. I have a Mariner II with a custome seat replacing >the sliding seat. I have had this boat 11 years now, and have taken >some nice trips in it, one to Russia via the Bering Straits. David, How about just twice. I, and probably several others on PaddleWise, would love to hear your story of the Bering Straits trip. Could you contribute just once more? Bill Ridlon Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
You have convinced me. Didn't take much, did it? A report is in the works. Dave outdoors_at_biddeford.com wrote: > > At 06:42 PM 2/23/98 -0800, David Carlson wrote: > >OK, just this once. I have a Mariner II with a custome seat replacing > >the sliding seat. I have had this boat 11 years now, and have taken > >some nice trips in it, one to Russia via the Bering Straits. > > David, > How about just twice. I, and probably several others on PaddleWise, > would love to hear your story of the Bering Straits trip. Could you > contribute just once more? > > Bill Ridlon > Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
OK, I'll speak up. I'm paddling a plastic Looksha IV and I really like it. I'm a first season paddler so the double hard chines gave me some spooky moments until I learned to trust the boat and my own meager, at this point, skills. While shopping around and trying a couple of other plastic boats the Looksha was the most fun to paddle and got good recommendations from all the local paddle shops, even those that didn't carry Necky. After reading the February Sea Kayaker article on cockpit outfitting I added some closed cell foam for hip and knee braces and a PD backband. It has made a world of difference. I had the boat out on Puget Sound Saturday in some pretty stiff winds (up to 25-30 mph gusts) and it felt much more secure and responsive. Larry Pfisterer Puyallup WA Keith Kaste wrote: > There have been about 50 respondents to the "My Boat" survey. I'm > starting to compile the information now. If there are any other lurkers > out there who want to delurk temporarily to tell us what you paddle, now > is the time (I know there's a few in the SF Bay Area, at least, who > haven't chimed in). > > Thanks, > > Keith Kaste > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Another lurker unveiled! After my first season of sea kayaking I purchased a plastic Seda Gypsy about 2&1/2 years ago. I've been pretty happy with it - its a fun little boat (14'8" by slightly over 23" beam). Its quite maneuverable, and surprisingly fast for a sub-15" foot boat. Initially, it felt a little tippy, as the boats I was previously renting had higher initial stability (Necky Kyook & Narpa), but I adapted to it over a short while. Love the low-maintainance of a plastic boat, but have also been thinking about getting a FG boat for sometime now. I'm mostly interested in a short boat (15-16 foot)for play in the bay and on the coast, and designed for performance without a rudder. Boats on my short-list are: 1. the FG version of the Gypsy Paddled this a few times as a rental. It paddles and maneuvers quite well for a relatively wide boat (24"). Price is great, and due to its stability it can always become a spare boat for introducing friends to paddling. 2. Eddyline Falcon - 16 I've only had one short opportunity to paddle the Falcon, but was favorably impressed. I expected it to be tippy due to the deep V hull and narrower beam, but found it quite comfortable. I look foward to other opportunities to paddle this, but none of the dealers seem to have this in their rental fleet, or in stock in the sales fleet for demo. Would love to hear from people paddling this or the new Falcon-18. Other than the increased length are there new design characteristics and changes in paddling performance? 3. Mariner Express (16' x 22 1/2") or the new lower volume Elan (16'1" x 21 1/2") Never paddled either, but I've heard very good things about Mariner kayaks, and these are in my desired length range. Unfortunately, without local dealers, its hard to get a chance to demo these without going up to Seattle (maybe this summer or the TASK symposium in Sept). (I know I should also consider the Coaster, but for some reason I don't really feel drawn to it. Maybe its just aesthetics, it's likely I'd grow to love it.) For beginner whitewater classes last summer purchased a Prijon Cyclone. Tracks well and good speed for a river boat (10'6"). Probably will be a good river running boat as my skills develop, but certain not a "hot" playboat (and that probably will suit my needs for a while). Whenever I mention interest in a new kayak, my wife says "but, you already have two", and I have to explain the difference between sea and river kayaks, and that there is a REAL need for a FG sea kayak. Happy paddling, Norm Strutin Oakland, CA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>OK, just this once. I have a Mariner II with a custome seat replacing >the sliding seat. I have had this boat 11 years now, and have taken >some nice trips in it, one to Russia via the Bering Straits. For >that trip I managed to cram 36 days worth of supplies into the boat-- >with only a sleeping pad on the stern deck. I still use this boat >for trips, because it's fast and seaworthy and has quite a bit more >capacity than my newer > >Romany Expedition. This is more maneuverable than the Mariner, but >weathercocks more, so that the skeg is sometimes welcome, and is a >little slower. It is a little easier to roll than the Mariner (the >Mariner is also quite easy to roll). It is >the boat I take on shorter trips, where I'm more likely to be exploring >all the nooks and crannies along the shore, or where I'm more likely >to experience strong currents or other rough conditions. > >Dave Carlson > >Keith Kaste wrote: >> >> There have been about 50 respondents to the "My Boat" survey. I'm I have a couple of boats, but the one I use the most is a Q Craft Freedom - 5.4m, 24kg glass tourer. Good coastal and estuary boat, 3 hatches, medium sized cockpit. The same model has been used for the Tasman crossing and similar long journeys. (There's a photo etc at http://www.qcraft.com.au if you want to see some Australian boats.) It is similar in general specs to one of the Solstice GT models from memory. Weathercocks a bit if unloaded but is deceptively fast and stable enough for day-dreaming in. Very good in large rolling swells and cuts through chop quite nicely. It does handle much better with about 20kg of weight onboard. The rudder is operated by toe-pads on top of the fixed footrests which is very useful, as if I'm reduced to using the rudder it means I'm feeling either pretty stuffed or particularly lazy and don't want to have to cope with moveable footrests. It's getting a bit old and banged up now but I haven't found anything to replace it with yet. Looks superb... Dave. -- dgw_at_camtech.net.au - David G. Wallace - Dr D, space alien. "Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain". There was a long silence. "I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything." *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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