Re: [Paddlewise] RE:Mariner Max for sale

> Actually, the Max's length should be 17'-0" unless Gary modified it 
> somehow.
> There is another feature of this particular Max, that Gary may be too 
> modest
> to mention. It has been pictured on the cover of Sea Kayaker magazine at
> least three times. (Aug. 1999, April 2000, and Dec. 2001. If you buy this
> kayak please contact me as the new owner.
>
> Matt Broze
> www.marinerkayaks.com

So, Mariner kayaks _are_ photogenic after all. :-)

I bet that kayak has some good memories behind it.

Matt, I was blowing up a side shot of my Nordkapp HS on the photocopier at 
work on my break, then cut a scaled inch along the length of the kayak 
picture and glued the upper and lower half back together to get a 
representation of what a lowered Nordkapp would look like. I also (because 
the long bow nose gets too thin) took off 5 inches off the end of the bow 
(to scale). Everyone says the bow overhang is for looks only. If I even do 
this full scale to a real Nordkapp, can you think of any negative 
consequences for handling.

Also, I notice you raised and lowered some of you Mariner designs for 
shorter torsoed paddlers and taller, respectively. What are some of the 
design/handling aspects that one should be aware of when contemplating these 
kind of changes. Doug Alderson has a factory lowered Slipstream for his 
shorter torso. Seems to behave well. He doesn't pack it with a lot of gear.

Also, if I were to acquire a Mariner model, which would best suit a shorter 
paddler wanting trips for a week, surf and impact zone play, but good speed 
for touring. Stability isn't a concern (as in don't need something wide for 
confidence)?

I like your web site; I wish you had a more up-to-date site with better 
pictures, owner pictures and stories, etc. I suppose if you scaled back 
operations and only just started making kayaks again, a hot website wasn't 
ever on the agenda.

Last question if you have a few minutes: you test a lot of kayaks for 
turning times. You must have a consistent lean so comparisons are 
meaningful. How does this rocker factor relate to weathercocking/leecocking 
potential. How to you assess these aspects with such static tests for your 
statistics? IMaybe you don't. Is there a way you know ahead of time from a 
short observation which kayaks will perform in a non-neutral manner? Thanks 
Matt.

Doug Lloyd 
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