Re: [Paddlewise] Idea diving kayak?

If I were to dive out of a kayak in a serious boat that could handle ocean
conditions and paddle efficiently, I'd look at Kazkasi kayaks out of S.
Africa and imported to Florida.

http://kaskazi.co.za/kayaks/index.shtml

They make a number of fiberglass SOT's. including a diving/fishing one
called Dorado II which has a tank well and a large storage compartment
accessed by a hatch located between the lower legs. It is just under 16ft.
and about 25in wide.

  Another promising boat is Paddleyak's Kingfisher.  I looks good with  a
fine entry topped by a mild bow foil, a bit like a lifeguard spec surfski.
 Wouldn't you know it's another S. African boat.  The back has a well
designed to fit a cooler or fishing crate, so it may not be good for diving
tanks.

There are very few fiberglass SOTs outside of surfskis.  Hop-on-Top turned
into Heritage Kayaks, which I believe was later sold.  They discontinued
fiberglass kayaks, making a plastic version of their 16 ft. Nomad.  They
eventually dropped this model.  We have the fiberglass Nomad which sits the
paddler too high and has a rear hatch instead of a tank well.  It's
actually quite good in the ocean and surf as long as one is not in high
winds.

A plastic one to consider is RTM's Midway.  RTM is a French company that
bought the molds from Ocean Kayak who made the most popular fishing/diving
SOT's for years.  I have RTM's Disco which is a few inches shorter than the
Midway and has a lot of rocker.  I've taken it the ocean off Oregon and
actually had no problem keeping up with people in longer British style
fiberglass boats.  It's a mystery to me how this can be so fast.  The
Midway has a different underwater profile with sharp rales rather than
rounded with some V profiling.  It's a little small to dive from, so I
think the Midway would be better.

Bill O'Brien
Corvallis, OR

On Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 9:02 AM, Michael Orchard
<mspadorchard_at_comcast.net>wrote:

> Main point:
>
> Is there an ideal diving kayak.  One that is light wt, has a seaworthy
> hull, sit on top boat, efficient to paddle and move through the water, and
> has space to store the usual judicious amount of necessary gear:  tanks, wt
> belts, regulator, an anchor system, bc device, etc.  Plastic tub style
> boats don't cut it... and are really not all that interesting, or fun to
> paddle imho.
>
> Background of my interest:
>
> In the old days... ie early 70s, I used to dive with an inner tube, and
> use one tank in a day, and mostly snorkeling to assure the best use of that
> tank.
>
> I did come across two fellow divers who had fiberglass sots with all the
> above, and were quite good in the water... but I have yet so see something
> like that for sale anyway, esp now that I have an interest in buying such a
> product.
>
> After eventually putting diving aside due to costs and time issue, I
> eventually started paddling... ww, then sea kayaks... and now, esp since I
> have two boys who are interested in diving... would like to find a way to
> combine the two interests, and slowing getting my boys interesting in
> paddling as they dive... since the have not gotten the bug of sea paddling.
> I suspect a dual purpose boat would reallly snag them... and eventually
> turn them into paddlers, while making diving more interesting to them, and
> me. (I am not really all the interested in diving anymore.... but would do
> it with my boys.)
>
> Thanks...
>
> Mike Orchard
> Vancouver, Washington
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