I have a friend who is getting ready to buy his first kayak. He is 250+ lbs so there are not a lot of kayaks out there to fit him. He has narrowed his choices to the Necky Pinta and the Easy-Rider Tatoosh (sp). He is leaning toward the Pinta since he can demo one at a dealer (410 mile round trip). I am totally unfamiliar with either of these models. He would appreciate any information anyone might have that would help him make his decision. Mark J. Arnold *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 08:51 PM 2/24/01 EST, MJAkayaker_at_aol.com wrote: >I have a friend who is getting ready to buy his first kayak. He is 250+ lbs >so there are not a lot of kayaks out there to fit him. He has narrowed his >choices to the Necky Pinta and the Easy-Rider Tatoosh (sp). He is leaning >toward the Pinta since he can demo one at a dealer (410 mile round trip). I >am totally unfamiliar with either of these models. He would appreciate any >information anyone might have that would help him make his decision. First, I'd suggest looking some more. The selection of boats for people his size, and larger, (300+) like me, isn't large, but there are others out there. Have him take a look at my boats for big guys and gals site -- URL is below. If he's only 250 lbs., the Pinta will probably be on the big side for him -- maybe even pushing way too big. I don't know much about the EasyRider, but they do have a reputation for uneven quality control, and some say that their rudder system really intrudes on foot room. -- Wes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wes Boyd's Kayak Place http://www2.dmci.net/wesboyd/kayak.htm Kayaks for Big Guys (And Gals) | Trip Reports | Places To Go | Boats & Gear --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Has he ever tried the HV GT from Current designs or the HV Telkwa from Rainforest designs, etc. There are lots of different boats out there. Check them out. KS. -----Original Message----- From: Wes Boyd [SMTP:boydwe_at_dmci.net] Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 1:56 PM To: MJAkayaker_at_aol.com; Paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Pinta / Tatoosh Info At 08:51 PM 2/24/01 EST, MJAkayaker_at_aol.com wrote: >I have a friend who is getting ready to buy his first kayak. He is 250+ lbs >so there are not a lot of kayaks out there to fit him. He has narrowed his >choices to the Necky Pinta and the Easy-Rider Tatoosh (sp). He is leaning >toward the Pinta since he can demo one at a dealer (410 mile round trip). I >am totally unfamiliar with either of these models. He would appreciate any >information anyone might have that would help him make his decision. First, I'd suggest looking some more. The selection of boats for people his size, and larger, (300+) like me, isn't large, but there are others out there. Have him take a look at my boats for big guys and gals site -- URL is below. If he's only 250 lbs., the Pinta will probably be on the big side for him -- maybe even pushing way too big. I don't know much about the EasyRider, but they do have a reputation for uneven quality control, and some say that their rudder system really intrudes on foot room. -- Wes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wes Boyd's Kayak Place http://www2.dmci.net/wesboyd/kayak.htm Kayaks for Big Guys (And Gals) | Trip Reports | Places To Go | Boats & Gear --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I can give some info on the Pinta... Even for someone of his size, it may be too big. I am about the same, and my problem with most kayaks is not the cockpit or the seat per se, but those damned built-in thigh braces. Instead of offering a place to brace, they actually pin my whole leg flat. The Pinta is big enough that it's braces don't do that very badly, but the result is that I rattle around in the cockpit enough (since the whole cockpit is on the same scale) that it's a pretty loose fit. The real solution is to get a smaller boat and cut the damned braces out of it, which allows me to brace on the underside of the coaming the way God intended it. Unfortunately, that makes it really hard to test out boats. Apart from all this, I paddled a Pinta for two days and quite enjoyed it. However, it it quite enormous, and without being loaded down is sensitive to weathercocking and a bitch to do re-entry with because the freeboard is so high. FWIW, the Cape Horn fits me VERY well, for no good reason that I can determine. He may want to check it out as well. KeS ----- Original Message ----- From: <MJAkayaker_at_aol.com> To: <Paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 17:51 Subject: [Paddlewise] Pinta / Tatoosh Info > I have a friend who is getting ready to buy his first kayak. He is 250+ lbs > so there are not a lot of kayaks out there to fit him. He has narrowed his > choices to the Necky Pinta and the Easy-Rider Tatoosh (sp). He is leaning > toward the Pinta since he can demo one at a dealer (410 mile round trip). I > am totally unfamiliar with either of these models. He would appreciate any > information anyone might have that would help him make his decision. > > Mark J. Arnold > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed > here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire > responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. > Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net > Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 2/25/01 2:01:32 AM, MJAkayaker_at_aol.com writes: << I have a friend who is getting ready to buy his first kayak. He is 250+ lbs so there are not a lot of kayaks out there to fit him. >> Hi Mark, As Wes, Kirby and Kevin have said, there are a lot of choices out there for the 250#'ers, but there's a big difference between the needs of someone who weighs 250# and is 6'2" tall and another paddler who is 5'6" tall at that same weight. Certainly the average kayak is built for a lighter paddler, but that same kayak is also designed to carry another 150# of gear as well. My 240#, 6'1" frame fits nicely into many boats that are advertised for paddlers that weigh 180# or less, and no I don't carry a shoe horn to stuff myself in to the boats, I just don't need to pad out the smaller boats as much. Most full-sized boats are much to big for me and feel like barges on the water. So my suggestion is the same as for any paddler, find a boat that feels basically comfortable without paddling and then chose one with stability / performance that matches your friend's intended use. Paddler weight is not as large a limiting factor as many people believe. Many boats designed for "large" paddlers are just too big for any kind of aggressive paddling but are fine for calmer, more mellow paddling. High Volume almost always equates to high windage and / or increased stability. Take a look at the boats the Greenlanders use for rolling, many are nearly awash in conditions and so are not affected by winds very much at all. Jed *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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