Re: [Paddlewise] Boat recommendation needed

At 09:29 AM 5/25/01 -0700, Steve Holtzman wrote:
>My wife has decided to move up from her SOT to a "real" kayak. We are
>looking for a boat for her. She loves the way my CD Gulfstream looks but it
>is too big for her (5'4" ~120 lbs). I suggested the CD Slipstream, but after
>she read an email that she received in response to her questions from CD,
>she has ruled that boat out (supposedly less stable than the Gulfstream,
>doesn't track as well because of more rocker, etc.

I've paddle a Slipstream on a few occasions and found it to be one of 
tippiest boats I've paddled but I thought it tracked rather well for a 
shorter touring boat.  You might have her give a CD Caribou a try.  It 
might need a little
padding but it's certainly not as roomy as the Gulfstream and it's a 
really, really nice boat (I think it looks good too, but I have a fondness 
for hard chined boats).



>We have rented a Perception Shadow in fiberglass for her to try this
>weekend, but she doesn't like the rudder on it. Has anybody paddled this
>boat without a rudder and if so what do you think?

I rented a plastic Shadow for two days. Although I never had it in much of 
a wind I thought it tracked just fine.  It had a rudder but I never used it.



>Any other recommendations are welcome!!

How about a Romany 16?   One of the funnest low volume boats I've ever 
paddled is a Seaward Luna.  It's got a lot more stability than the 
Slipstream, and probably a tad more than the Shadow, but it doesn't feel 
beamy at all.

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