Joan, I also have a Looksha IV in plastic, and I have paddled it a lot in rough weather, on crossings and in the surf. I really love the kayak, but it doesn't behave in even a mild crosswind with the rudder up. Of course, with the rudder down, it is just fine in the wind. The kayak has more rocker than I have seen on any other kayak, and because of that, it is also the most maneuverable 17 foot long kayak I have paddled. That double hard chine is also nice for sharp edge turning. But the price for the maneuverability is reduced tracking and increased weathercocking. I love the kayak so much that I am willing to deal with the weathercocking. When a beam wind hits me, I just flip the rudder down. By the way, that rocker makes the Looksha IV great in really rough water. It is also a very forgiving sea kayak in the surf. The maneuverability makes it great for rock gardens and caves. For long crossings, flip the rudder down and everything is fine. I'll tell you though, I hope that rudder doesn't break when the nearest land on a crossing is 10 miles and I've got a nasty beam wind. Make sure you do some good preventive maintenance on it and inspect it before each trip. Try taking advantage of the double hard chine to correct for off tracking. If your bow is going to the right, edge it to the right a little and keep paddling. The kayak will then turn to the left. The same is true for the opposite side. It is a lot easier to correct by edging the kayak rather than doing corrective strokes. Or do a little of both. Enjoy your fine kayak! Or if you want to get rid of it, I'll be glad to buy it cheap to replace my Looksha when it wears out from all of the fun I am having with it. Duane Strosaker Southern California *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Sep 03 1999 - 21:38:58 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:12 PDT