Re: [Paddlewise] Hunting for New Boat

From: Paul Murtaugh <murtaugh_at_stat.orst.edu>
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 13:36:41 -0800 (PST)
On Mon, 7 Jan 2002, Marinell wrote:

> I saw a Viking made by Kajak Sport (Finland) that looks good and will test
> drive it Thursday.
> 
> Has anyone had any good/bad experiences with this boat?  Can you tell me a
> little more about handling than I see in the internet ads?

I have a Viking Expedition and love it.  My other boat is 
an Eddyline Nighthawk (also a great one), so that's all I
can compare it to knowledgeably.  (I won't talk about the
Necky Narpa that was the first boat I owned :).

The Viking is sporty and manoeuverable, but not to the same
extent as the Nighthawk.  The Viking has better initial
stability and it tracks better than the Nighthawk.  It doesn't
turn on a dime the way the Nighthawk does, but it carves
beautifully when you put it on edge.  It's easy to roll (easier
than the Nighthawk) and it surfs like a champ.  It's a
beautiful boat to look at!  It weathercocks more than the
Nighthawk, but the skeg solves the problem.

The Viking received great reviews in a recent issue of Sea 
Kayaker magazine (85:15).  Of course, all this gushing means 
nothing if the boat doesn't fit you or if you don't like the 
way it handles.

Good luck!

-Paul



***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************
Received on Mon Jan 07 2002 - 17:09:52 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:48 PDT