Keith Wrage wrote: > I'm 6'8", 250 lbs and paddle what most would consider an entry level boat > (plastic to boot!) - a Current Designs Storm. Hey, watch it - them's fighting words! ;-) Actually, I've had an "older" style Storm for about 5 years now and it is still one of my favorite high volume sea kayaks. For those of us heavy enough for it, it was a great design. It tracked well even without a rudder, yet it would carve a great turn if you could put it on edge. It had good secondary stability, rolled well, and had a low back deck. For a XXL paddler it was almost a sports car compared to most of the other stiff-tracking high volume kayaks out there. It still had plenty of volume, however, so even a heavy paddler could continue paddling with some water in it after a self rescue in rough water. It also makes a great boat for a "normal" sized friend of mine who uses it when leading 2 week trips in Baja, because he can carry a ton of gear and yet it will still handle well for him (his other kayaks refuse to carve a turn when loaded that heavily). Unfortunately, when I saw the "new improved" Storm at a show last fall, it looked like a completely different boat. As I stood there looking at it in disbelief, the rep proudly announced it was a completely new boat - they had taken a foot and a half of rocker out. I asked why, and he said they did that so it will be faster. As I began to cry, I explained that I liked the old Storm because it was one of the few big-guy boats that was maneuverable. He told me that I really wasn't going to like the new one. I asked if they had any other big-guy boats, glass or plastic, that would not be stiff-tracking designs. He told me I better buy one of the older Storms while they were still around. Going back into the garage to work on my next boat, Frank -- *************************************** home page: http://murpho.home.comcast.net *************************************************************************** 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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