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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com. *************************************************************************** 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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