Re: [Paddlewise] New Member

On Thu, Sep 19, 2002 at 08:19:03AM -0700, Shawn Baker wrote:

> "Roger Lumb" <lumb_at_email.wcu.edu> wrote:

>> I have done quite a bit of time in a canoe and have been in 
>> recreational kayaks but I want to get into sea kayaking along the
>> Atlantic coast...southeastern barrier islands and eventually Maine.  I
>> am 5' 7", 135 lb and have looked at alot of sea kayaks.

> I think at your size, the Seayak would be a bit too big.

I can't comment on this kayak, as I have no direct experience with it.

> Wes mentioned some excellent boats--for the money/size/design, I think
> the Eddyline Night Hawk is a wonderful boat.  It's 16' x 22" or 23", if
> I remember correctly.  Carbonlite is a little more expensive than
> plastic, but cheaper and almost as stiff as fiberglass.  It's a tough
> polycarbonate, but is easy to repair in the unlikely event you need to
> repair it.

I'm not a huge fan of the Night Hawk (to be perfectly correct, since
Eddyline very much revised their line for 2002, it's the Night Hawk
16 -- the Night Hawk 17.5 is the "other" Night Hawk, and the damned
thing is big enough to probably make Wes happy).  I've tried it, the
Night Hawk 16, and have never cared for its handling characteristics.
The best way I can describe it is as a "tub".  But, different strokes
for different folks.  And I don't mean to insult the Night Hawk owners.

Now before anyone thinks I hate Eddyline boats, there are three in my
family.  Mine is a kevlar Falcon 18, the other two are Merlin LTs.  My
wife is 5'2" and paddles the Merlin LT just because she finds it the
most comfortable boat of the many she's tried.  I would like to see her
in the longer Merlin XT, as I think it's suited to a wider range of
paddling.  With luck, she'll give one another try this weekend.

My recommendation for our new member would be that Eddyline Merlin XT
I just mentioned.  From family experience, I know that the size of the
boat out to fit him perfectly.  I've also found people who come from
rec boats to take to the Merlins a little more quickly (in terms of
coming to like and feel comfortable in them) than with many other
touring kajaks.  And even though it's got a 23" beam, I wouldn't put
it into the "high initial stability -- damned near impossible to put
on edge" category at all.

Another nice think about the Eddylines is the Carbonlite material.
It's not quite composite territory, but it's in many ways close.  It's
within a few bound of most composite boats of the same size and shape.
Weighs WAY less than rotomolded plastic boats of the same size and
shape.  Looks nice, is durable, is easier to fix than glass composite.

The retail on the Carbonlite Merlin XT is around $1800, but I can
almost guarantee that with a little looking or calling about, you can
pick up a brand new one at end of season prices for a good bit less
(and I'm not talking a beat to shit, end of season, demo either).

But, that's just my opinion.  That and about $3 will get you a halfway
decent latte somewhere.

-.- jwd
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