In case anyone else was interested, I figured I'd post to the group. For those who aren't -- my humblest apologies! Jim Tynan Pike Road AL ============= Dana I'm the proud owner of a '97 green on white Solstice ST. Been paddling it for two years and am still extremely happy with it for a variety of reasons! But first ... Prior to the Solstice, I owned a '97 Current Designs Gulfstream. Absolutely beautiful boat -- cosmetically and from a handling standpoint, but I was never comfortable in the cockpit. Seemed as though it was too wide and too high. Tracking and stability were superb, and the skeg rather than rudder option was preferred by me. But the oversized cockpit feel [it was basically designed by the short and wide-bodied god of kayaking, Derek H.] just never felt right! Had it not been for that, I would still be paddling it today, but alas I finally traded it in for the Solstice. Yeah, the Solstice comes with a rudder, but so what?!? To hell with the purists!!! In fact, there have been a couple of times -- when the weather deteriated so bad in the Gulf of Mexico where I usually paddle -- I was very glad I had it! But in spite of that, the Solstice ST has proved to be the perfect boat for me! It's incredibly comfortable and damned near an ideal fit. [I'm 5'10" and 200 pounds.] It tracks and turns splendidly -- with our without wind and without a rudder -- and it's quite fast! It also has ample room for gear. {I frequently use it for three-plus day campouts with tent and bag.] And it's incredibly stable and, at the same time, easy to roll. As far as it's construction is concerned, I have all the faith in the world in a Current Designs boats -- durable, clean, rugged, long-lasting, etc. And that includes the Solstice! Of course, as we all know, nothing is ever PERFECT!!! Some downsides to the Solstice, IMHO, include: non-recessed deck fittings [now recessed -- started in '98], holds/hatches that are not watertight, hatches that are not flush mounted [especially in the rear and just because I think the flush-mounted ones look much nicer, e.g., the Eddyline Falcon] and the rudder can be a challenge to deploy at times [and that could be a result of my bungee modifications, but the fact is I've deployed a handful of others that were much easier to deploy]. Other than those few detractors, the Solstice is an absolutely solid boat in all weather/water conditions. It may not be the fastest or sharpest turning out there, but it's damend close, and I believe, if the boat fits you physically, you will not be disappointed! If you're interested in a few pics, check out http://home.att.net/~kayakbound Good luck and may the paddlin' gods be with you!!! Jim Tynan Pike Road AL *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Oct 06 1999 - 09:41:35 PDT
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