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. 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? Any other recommendations are welcome!! Steve Holtzman *************************************************************************** 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 11:29 AM 5/25/01 , Steve Holtzman wrote: >Any other recommendations are welcome!! The Shadow will probably work well for her, even without the rudder. I would suggest checking out a Valley Avocet, which is my favorite boat for smaller people, Nigel Dennis Romany, or if she would like something longer a Current Designs GTS. The GTS will be all around a little bigger, but it tracks like a train. The Avocet is more maneuverable, but once the skeg is engaged it's beautiful. The Romany is in-between. Just my .02. Mark Mastalski *************************************************************************** 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 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. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Friday, May 25, 2001, at 9:29:08 AM PDT, Steve Holtzman wrote: SH> My wife has decided to move up from her SOT to a "real" kayak. We are SH> looking for a boat for her. She loves the way my CD Gulfstream looks SH> but it is too big for her (5'4" ~120 lbs). I suggested the CD SH> Slipstream, but after she read an email that she received in response SH> to her questions from CD, she has ruled that boat out (supposedly less SH> stable than the Gulfstream, doesn't track as well because of more SH> rocker, etc. Hello Steve, Has she tried a Caribou - with the retractable skeg? It's a very stable boat, and though mine is without skeg, I've been told that the skeg works very well for tightening up the tracking when that's desired. In addition to Mark's suggestions, another nice boat for not-so-large people is the Mariner Elan. Melissa For PGP Keys: mailto:pgp_key_at_yahoo.com?subject=%20PGP_Keys_2&Body=Please%20send%20keys *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Stupid of me not to think of the Mariner Coaster, another great boat. When I did IDW training last summer, it was a favorite of the trainees that did not bring their boat. Thanks for the reminder Melissa. Melissa Reese wrote: > > On Friday, May 25, 2001, at 9:29:08 AM PDT, Steve Holtzman wrote: > > SH> My wife has decided to move up from her SOT to a "real" kayak. We are > SH> looking for a boat for her. She loves the way my CD Gulfstream looks > SH> but it is too big for her (5'4" ~120 lbs). I suggested the CD > SH> Slipstream, but after she read an email that she received in response > SH> to her questions from CD, she has ruled that boat out (supposedly less > SH> stable than the Gulfstream, doesn't track as well because of more > SH> rocker, etc. > > Hello Steve, > > Has she tried a Caribou - with the retractable skeg? It's a very stable > boat, and though mine is without skeg, I've been told that the skeg works > very well for tightening up the tracking when that's desired. > > In addition to Mark's suggestions, another nice boat for not-so-large > people is the Mariner Elan. > > Melissa > -- ¤ Gabriel L Romeu ¤ http://studiofurniture.com + /diary or + /paint *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
"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. Any other recommendations are welcome!! Steve Holtzman" I'm a smaller paddler 5'4" 130 and have paddled both CD boats you mentioned. I paddle a CD Caribou S and love it, however you might have her try the Valley Avocet available in either Plastic or Glass. It is an excellent boat _at_16' tracks well, turns well, rolls well, seemes pretty quick also. Quality superb.. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Steve Holtzman" <sh_at_actglobal.net> > 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 know women her size that are comfortable in the Gulfstream. It is an issue of outfitting (padding the sides of the seat come to mind immediately with this kayak)? > 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. Don't know about the tracking, but it definitely has little stability. > > 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? Amie bought one and she likes it a lot (she's 5'4'' and 126lb). I took it out in a really heavy tailwind and it was all over the place. Wind at other points seemed ok, but not spectacular. Amie had it out in a good beam wind and used the rudder most, but not all of the time. In easier winds, she keeps the rudder up. There was a rumour last year at the Great Lakes SK symposium, from the Perception rep, that this kayak was about to be released in a skeg version. I haven't seen or heard anything about this since. If she has a problem with the rudder, this might not be the best kayak for her. A tiny friend of ours recently traded in her Caribou for a P&H Avocet (fg) and loves it. Skeg based and seems nice, though I haven't paddled it so no comment from me. Try before you buy! Mike *************************************************************************** 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 08:32 PM 5/27/01 -0400, Michael Daly wrote: >From: "Steve Holtzman" <sh_at_actglobal.net> > > > > 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 know women her size that are comfortable in the Gulfstream. It is an issue >of outfitting (padding the sides of the seat come to mind immediately with >this kayak)? I'm bigger than that and I felt like it cockpit was way too large and couldn't be fixed with padding. The problem I had was that the location of the upper thigh braces forced my legs too far apart. >There was a rumour last year at the Great Lakes SK symposium, from the >Perception >rep, that this kayak was about to be released in a skeg version. I >haven't seen or >heard anything about this since. > >If she has a problem with the rudder, this might not be the best kayak for >her. A tiny >friend of ours recently traded in her Caribou for a P&H Avocet (fg) and >loves it. Skeg >based and seems nice, though I haven't paddled it so no comment from me. They're both nice boats and both can come equipped with a skeg. However, the Avocet is made by VCP (Valley Canoe Products), not P&H. P&H makes the Capella, Sirius, and several other models. The new P&H Vela looks like an interesting boat. At 15'9" long and only 21 1/4" wide it should be pretty tippy though. >Try before you buy! That's the best advice anyone can offer. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
From: "John Fereira" <jaf30_at_cornell.edu> > P&H makes the Capella, Sirius, and several other models. The new > P&H Vela looks like an interesting boat. At 15'9" long and only 21 > 1/4" wide it should be pretty tippy though. I briefly tried this kayak last summer and found it fairly tippy. It is definitely a small person's kayak. My height certainly contributes to the tippiness, but I couldn't believe the seat height! It made me feel like I was sitting on the back deck rather than in the cockpit. If I could have remembered the name I would have recommended it. Some smaller paddlers kind of liked it and it's worth a test paddle. Mike *************************************************************************** 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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