Greeting to the listserve: I tried out a few boats last weekend...particularly the Arluk III and the dagger Sitka. The finish on both boats was very good. My big thing is I am a butt first kind of guy, most of my sea kayaking done in SE AK with big rubber boots on. I liked the cockpit in the Dagger, but the Necky has some sweet lines. The Necky rep said they could work with me on the "knee braces" I considered shin scrapers. I have heard some disparaging remarks about the Necky i following seas. the Dagger is pretty new and I haven't heard much about it. I also tried the 1.9 and found it a narrower boat, but not much else was different from the III. During the paddle demonstrations, you barely get a feel for the boat beyond first impressions. Is there anyone else out there that has experience, positive or negative, with these boats? Let me hear from you. Paco degamo_at_mindspring.nospam.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/ ***************************************************************************
At 06:58 PM 5/14/98 -0500, degamo_at_mindspring.com wrote: > >I tried out a few boats last weekend...particularly the Arluk III and the >dagger Sitka... Is there anyone else out there that has experience, >positive or negative, with these boats? > >Paco, My significant other paddled an Aquaterra Sea Lion for 3 years and then was ready for an upgrade. She settled on an Arluk III after several weekends of test paddles. Then, after purchasing, we had it out on a 20 knot day. We were paddling at a right angle to the wind and she found that it weathercocked badly. She also felt some instability in 3 to 4 foot waves. I also paddled it in the same wind and concurred with the weathercocking complaint. I didn't feel an instability, though. After that experience, she returned the boat and traded for a Current Designs Solstice GTS. Far less weathercocking and she felt very secure in it. Bottom line is: Neither of us would take an Arluk III. It's too much work to keep it headed where you want when other boats are available that are far simpler to keep on a heading. Oh yes, one last note, all of this was done without using a rudder of skeg. If you prefer either, your experience may vary. 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/ ***************************************************************************
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