[Paddlewise] Mirage to Pittarak

Dennis: welcome to Paddlewise, more contributions from OZ will be great.
Mirage boats have been mentioned a couple of times recently. What's the
thinking in changing to a Pittarak from a Mirage 19?
PT, Melbourne, OZ.


Hi Peter

Thanks for responding to my introduction. The name Mirage certainly
gathers a lot of interest every time it is mentioned. I owned a Mirage 19
for a number of years and must have paddled many thousands of kilometers
in it in all conditions so I am very familiar with the boat. I found it
an exellent kayak to enter into the sport. It is very stable, quite fast,
tracks very well and my wife felt very comfortable in it the very first
time she tried it. I used a sail with it which I found was very good for
reaching and I could point quite high into the wind because of its
superior tracking ability. I learnt to eskimo roll in it but had a lot of
trouble staying in the cockpit while doing so. The main problem was that
I am not a big fella, about 165cms tall and weigh about 66kilos wringing
wet and the boat has a large cockpit so I couldn't lock my knees under
the deck successfully. I was always happy with the Mirage in all other
aspects and was sorry to see it go when I sold it. When I bought my
Pittarak I felt my skill levels increased rapidly because the new boat is
shorter and with the cockpit much smaller it fits like a glove. My eskimo
roll improved along with edging and lean turning without the use of the
rudder. The feeling I get with the Pittarak is like putting on a pair of
high performance tailor made running shoes. In all other boats I feel
like I am sitting in a boat controlling it but in the Pittarak I feel it
is an extension of my body and I have complete control over every
movement it makes. I use it mostly without the rudder but I do find it
handy in a large following sea. I have been caught out twice when the
weather has changed for the worse in big seas and coped well especially
when the boat was loaded.

I think because of my size and weight a 19 feet long boat is too big for
me. Even though the Pittarak has a small cockpit, my tall friend, Peter O
who also owns one also feels very comfortable in it.

I can see myself in the Pittarak for many years to come.

Regards Dennis

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