Hello, I'm a new paddler and new lurker on this list. I thought I would jump in with a question and a plea for advice. Of course, it's about boats. I'm about ready to buy my first one (after private lessons and easy day paddles). I've decided 90% of what I'm going to do will be day trips and weekenders in lakes, big flat rivers (in Florida you don't get whitewater without help from the Army Corps of Engineers) and saltwater flats area (Mosquito Lagoon. The other 10% will be divided evenly between day trips off the beach in calm weather and driving around to my friends' houses to show off. I've narrowed my search to two boats the Perception Carolina and the Prijon Seayak. I'm leaning heavy (instructor told me to practice those) towards the Seayak. While I would like a rudder, I won't buy one for a couple of months. I don't want to get dependent on it and want to force myself to practice the leans. It also saves me a couple hundred dollars (which I can use to buy cool paddle clothes). So, does anyone have experience with these boats? I'm a pretty big guy (6'2" and over 240#...please don't make me say how much over), but both boats fit well when I tried them out. The Carolina better than the Seayak, but I'm confident the Seayak would be more comfortable with slight adjustment to the thigh braces and the seat. Of course, a 1/2 hour paddle does not a full day in high wind in the salt flats with a couple of Redfish (hopefully!) make, but it was still comfortable. Is there something about these boats I don't know (do they disintergrate in 30 days?)? Should I be looking at something else? I like the idea of a plastic boat (price and oyster durability), but does plastic become a hindrance after developing some skill? Thanks for any and all advice. Dan Horowitz danh_at_gdi.net *************************************************************************** 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 Wed, 17 Mar 1999, Dan Horowitz wrote: [snip] > Is there something about these boats I don't know (do they disintergrate > in 30 days?)? Should I be looking at something else? I like the idea of > a plastic boat (price and oyster durability), but does plastic become a > hindrance after developing some skill? > > Thanks for any and all advice. > > Dan Horowitz > danh_at_gdi.net i think prijon makes some really good boats. i have the yukon expedition, and really like it. no affiliation, just a hppy customer. mark #------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com----http://www.diac.com/~zen/mark ---- # mark zen o, o__ o_/| o_. po box 474 </ [\/ [\_| [\_\ ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~ http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler [index to club websites i administer] Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page -- Fortune: "In a world without fences, who needs 'Gates'" -- Scott McNealy "In a world without walls, who needs 'Windows'" -- Dave Livigni *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
> -----Original Message----- > From: Dan Horowitz [mailto:danh_at_gdi.net] > > Is there something about these boats I don't know (do they > disintergrate in > 30 days?)? Should I be looking at something else? I like the idea of a > plastic boat (price and oyster durability), but does plastic become a > hindrance after developing some skill? > Nope, they won't disintegrate after 30 days, but it would probably be a good idea to store them somewhere out of the sun. That hot Florida sun might also do some funny things to your kayak if you leave it sitting on your roof rack for an extended period of time. You might want to use something like the Yakima "Stacker" so that you can carry the kayak on its side rather than the bottom - less deformation that way. Paddling a plastic kayak is not a hindrance (IMO). I have a fibreglass yak and a plastic yak. Both get banged about and dragged up on rocky shores - the gelcoat gets chipped and scratched, but can easily be repaired. The plastic yak gets scratched and worn and cannot be easily repaired. My guess is that the fibreglass yak will outlive the plastic one. Buy a plastic boat to start (gotta save some money for all the kayaking accessories<g>). Then in a year or two when it (the first kayak) starts telling you that it's lonely and wants another kayak to share the shed space with you can make the choice between plastic, fibreglass, wood, or even "skin". Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Dan Horowitz wrote: > > I've narrowed my search to two boats the Perception Carolina and the Prijon > Seayak. > > I'm a pretty big guy > (6'2" and over 240#...please don't make me say how much over), but both > boats fit well when I tried them out. The Carolina better than the Seayak, > but I'm confident the Seayak would be more comfortable with slight > adjustment to the thigh braces and the seat. Prijon rates the Seayak for people up to 240#, so you're loading it pretty heavy. I know people who weigh half what you do (literally) who enjoy their Seayaks, so my suspicion is that it's too small for you. The issue is not whether your butt fits in the cockpit, but whether the boat sits at the right height in the water. I don't have the specs on the Carolina handy. I think it might be a little bigger. > > Is there something about these boats I don't know (do they disintergrate in > 30 days?)? More like about 8 years of frequent use. Don't worry about the durability of plastic boats. The Prijon boats are a different plastic, and a little more durable, but Perception plastic is fine for your purposes. Steve -- Test Scoring & Reporting Services Sometimes, you never can University of Georgia always tell what you Athens, GA 30602-5593 least expect the most. *************************************************************************** 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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