TT Kayaking Club

“So Cool! Sounds like a nice trip.

I on the other hand found myself drooling over a new boat. (OK StoveStomper - give it too me, after my comment last week) Necky Looksha 17'glass, saweeeeet. Maybe next year.”

“thats the same boat i was checkin out at the outfitters a couple of weeks ago.

it is niiiiiiice”

“I tried out a few kayaks this weekend. Perception Eclipse 17 (airalite), Perception Eclipse 17 (rotomolded polyethylene), Perception Carolina 14.5 (airlite). I really liked the Eclipse in airalite. I think the canoe will have to do for this season. It's nice to dream, though.”

“Roam - I have the Looksha Sport in composite and love the way it handles. If I upgrade I'll go with the same hull design just move up to the glass.

Skiracer - what's airalite?”

“LOL@dhutch!
Even thought you deserve to be blasted, I will play nice. ;-)”

“SS - go ahead, I can take it. Last week I took the gear addict test in Outside's gear guide and got top honors. Decided that it's not all about the gear, to use what I have. But that shiny, sleek boat was just dying to come home with me. I CANT REFORM - I'm in gearfreak he11!!!!”

“dhutch-

I've seen it as both airolite and airalite on different websites. Described below on one web site (with hype).

As it turns out, the Perception Eclipse 17 in rotomolded plastic is only two pounds heavier.

"As beautiful as a composite boat. Incredibly durable. And exceptionally versatile. The 'lite' part of it means it's significantly lighter than rotomolded plastic. It's also light on your wallet. As in, pay a plastic boat price to get composite boat performance."”

“The Ocean Springs Yacht Club is hosting a kayak day tomorrow.
Several kayaking outfits are bringing yaks to try out and giving free kayak lessons all morning.
I'm going to take my yak and get it wet in the salty MS Sound, and maybe pick up a few pointers!
I hope I don't return home with TWO kayaks, hee hee!”

“If you do, you can send that extra yak up to me.
:D”

“i would go if it wouldn't be fathersday weekend. :(

what state is that in anyway?”

“Gem - MS, Mississippi”

“Gemini - It's only 591.5 miles from Columbia, SC to Ocean Springs!
You can make it by 9 AM central tomorrow!
I'll leave the porch light on for you! ;-)”

“naaa, not worth it if I have to be back sunday.

too many things I could've done this weekend, but can't just because of fathersday.”

“When to the 2nd annual Kayak Day at the Ocean Springs MS Yacht Club last Saturday.
About 20 people and their yaks showed up for the free yak lession that morning.
I learned a few things.
I was kinda disapointed only one local kayak dealer showed up, Wilderness Systems.
They only had a few of the shorter models at the event.
I did get to look at a few Cape Horn models.
Wasn't too impressed, didn't buy one. ;-)
That afternoon I drove over to a dealer in Bay St Louis, MS and looked at some Dagger and Perception models.
I realy liked one model until I found out it was $3800.
Yikes!
That dealer in Bay St. Louis almost had me sold on a Perception Shadow.
It's a 16.5 foot kayak designed for shorter folks and is similar to Artex's Perception Eclipse, just 6" shorter.
I may rent one and give it a good test drive.”

“That's a nice boat SS. Make sure you learn your braces and wet exits with it though, it's a narrower boat isn't it?”

“All the boats I'm looking at to replace the Catalina are narrower.”

“does anyone have the current year's canoe & kayak buyers guide that they wouldn't mind letting me borrow for a while. I will return it and pay postage both ways.

email is on profile”

“ewker, I think I may have that, I'll look.”

“I don't have it yet Ewker, but I will. since I'm not in the market this year, I wouldn't mind letting you borrow it.

Send me an email”

“Cool deal, Stovestomper. Correction, though: I have a Perception Shadow (17'6"), but it is the older model. But from what I understand, the newer model isn't that much different. Anyway, it performs great.

Best of luck in your search.”

“Thanks for the correction. I was thinking you had the Eclipse.

Is this the one you have?
The shadow is aimed toward shorter people. You are not very short as I remember. How well do you fit in it? I'm 5' 8" so I will fit, ha ha.”

“arclite or birch, has that issue not hit the stands yet? I guess I assumed that it would be out there already since summer is here. Seems like that issue should come out in Feb or March to tease you into buying a new kayak.”

“Stovestomper, here's a link to my boat:

http://www.kayaker.com/new/products/boat.asp?type=discontinued&ID=23

I guess it's actually 16'8"? My mistake.

Anyway, yes, even my model is built for "smaller paddlers". I'm 6'1", but I'm pretty lanky. It actually fits me just perfect. It just goes to show how it pays to try before you buy.”

“These are the kayaks I have been looking at to buy. Any comments from you guys.

http://www.paddling.net/buyersguide/showBoat.html?boatID=833&boattype=KayaksCharleston by Dagger

http://www.paddling.net/buyersguide/showBoat.html?boatID=154&boattype=KayaksCarolina by Perception”

“Ewker - I have last years model of the Carolina 14.5
I've paddled in the Gulf and to Cumberland Island Ga in it. It surfs well and is stable as a rock. The only time I've turned over in it was getting out of it on shore with the bow up on land. ;-)

Only things I don't like is it's 'slow' compaired to the 16-17 foot boats and the rudder foot controls are crap.

The other boat looks good but the skeg will only help going straight. Sometimes the wind will weathercock the boat and being able to adjust the rudder is great.”

“SS, if your looking to buy a new kayak I will buy that one from you.”

“Heck Ewker, it may be two years or two weeks before I buy another yak. I research these things to death and then must find the very best deal! LOL”

“SS, start shopping now!!! I am not worried about speed that much. I just want to find a good deal on one. I will have the CASH within 2 weeks to pay for a new one but rather buy a used one in good shape.”

“I have looked at the classifieds athttp://www.paddling.net. Anyone know of another good site to check out to buy a used kayak”

“I don't know when that issue hits, Ewker. I gave last year's edition to my boss.

If you're not interested in speed, why are you bothering to get a sit-inside plastic boat? I really don't understand why folks buy them unless they're paddling in Maine, Washington, or Canada. I have a Cobra Tourer. It's a reasonably fast boat and holds more gear than any sit-inside. You won't see any sit-insides over in Hawaii where the ocean is rough. Most people don't bother to learn the proper technique for exiting a cockpit, let alone bracing or a roll. I've paddled to Cumberland Island when the water temp was around 62. I have paddling pants and sealskin socks and was perfectly warm. Do people think they aren't cool looking in a sit-on-top? My boat is made in Californicater. It's great for camping trips. We're doing two nights on the Suwannee over 4th of July weekend. I can even carry a cooler with fresh meat for two days. My Cobra holds more gear, is almost as fast, and much more convenient to get in and out of than a sit-inside. I can adjust the seat, lay back on it like a bed, and rest while I just float. I can jump off and go swimming in the middle of a lake, river, or the ocean and easily get back on.

http://www.cobrakayaks.com/

I do plan on getting a composite boat in the future. I want to visit Maine and Washington, and I'd like to paddle in Baja. I'd be interested in speed and carrying capacity. I have my eye on a Kajak Sport Millenium. But I certainly don't need anything like that now.”

“As for traditional sit-ins in Florida or the south: I like the speed. The sit-ins are narrower, and therefore faster. My kayak is a very light color of grey, and that probably paid a big factor in keeping cool, but it never got uncomfortably warm inside my yak, even with a nylon spray skirt in the middle of summer and in 88 degree ocean water (aka piss warm). Because I'm very fair skinned, another bonus is it kept my legs from getting sunburned. :-) Just my 2 cents. But arclite does bring up some very good points.

Another advantage of sit on tops if it's easier to go fishing with them. I'm considering getting a sit-on-top (in addition to my Shadow) for this purpose. They even make sit-on-tops that come outfitted for fishing. You'll see people using them a lot in the mangrove marshes here in Tampa Bay. I've spoken with a few of them, and they swear by them. You can get to hard to reach areas easier, and they're quiet.”

“buying a kayak is like buying shoes.......personal style preference and comfort is what ususally determines the ultimate decision.

i like my present boat for backyaking trips and choppy waters....but i would like a sit on top next..for the gulf...as arclite and artex point out...easy to go swimming/snorkling and get back in,
I am planning on renting a sit on top for scalloping one day..season starts july 1.

its just like shoes...gotta have more than one pair!”

“ewker, I dont have the buyers guide. I thought I did but was mistaken. My vote is for the carolina. I love mine (its two years old now) and find that its the perfect size for my needs. A longer boat would be nice in the open water (much faster) but a longer boat would be a drag in the rivers we have. I think its a great compromise for my needs.

SS what dont you like about the rudder steering system on your carolina? I've not had any trouble with mine.”

“birch - The track sliders and the foot pegs bind and stick.”

“SS, I can see how that would be a big pain in the arse. I wonder if some spray silicone or something like that would help.”

“hey birch or SS, how does the rudder handle if your in real shallow water. Can you get the rudder back up without causing problems. How far does the rudder stick down when lowered?”

“Ewker - The rudder kicks up on it's own when it hits something. Maybe sticks down under the yak 6" or so.

birch - I thing the guy that installed them used too long bolts attaching them to the yak. The bolts stick inside to long and hit the sliders. I think the solution is to crawl inside the yak with my dremel tool and grind those bolts down. Not something I'm in a big hurry to do. ;-)”

“Well you could just get shorter bolts. One trip to Ace and a rachet and maybe a wrench and you should be good.”

“HPM - I thought of that, but I don't like messing with water tight bolts very much.
I'm in the boat building biz and don't like to unscrew anything watertight.
..and replacing the bolts is a two man operation, one inside, one outside. I can grind the bolt my myself. I'll need help to replace.”

“SS, sure you don't want to sell that kayak, seems like it is causing you some problems ;)”

“Just the rudder. ;-)”

“Permatex takes care of that. I'd worry about heating the bolts when grinding and causing leaking that way.

But you'd need six foot arms to reach everything anywho. Ho boy.”

“Ewker, on saturday I kayaked a way rocky creek with my rudder down (the water was thick like peanut butter and the rudder was quite helpful, though I usually reserve it for open water) and it just pops up and falls down over the rocks, I am sure long term use of it this way will wreck it. When that happens I will learn to replace my rudder lol.

SS, I know whatyou mean about messing with H2O proof hardware. I added a bow deckline to our boats and was cautious not to make any penetrations below waterline. I did however use stainless hardware and used "nyla-nuts" to keep things secure and more water tight. I also drilled the holes too small and with the roto-molded plastic of my boat being so thick (1/8 or better) I was able to thread the machine screws in for a better more secure and watertight connection.”

“if you live in an apt where and how do you store your kayak. I have no place that I can leave it.
I did see some wall brackets designed to store a kayak on its side.
Don't ya think that would be cool hanging it over the couch in the living room.”

“Most apt houses will fine you for holes in a wall or overhead.
A buddy of mine back in the old days kept his 16' white water canoe behind his couch in the living room. It just made the living room a little smaller.

Make sure you can get a long object thru and over whatever doors and stairways you have. Yaks don't 'bend' very well around corners.”

“I used to just lay mine across my living room floor. It made a great conversation piece. The night efore the Ocala NF trip this year, Pennsy even slept in it.”

“What the hell's an "efore"? Add a "b" in front of that, please.”

“Hoist it up on the ceiling? BTW, Birch and I made a couple of those hang it on the wall racks with 550 cord and vinyl coated bike hooks. You could fancy it up some by using webbing or bungee cords but I'm sure the homemade rack works just as well as the $45 version I saw in a catalogue.”

“Sass is right. I have a webbing kayak wall hanger that holds three boats, but for just one it would be pretty easy to fashion your own from cord or webbing.”

“I bought webbing straps and heavy duty hooks the straps have a tension buckle that allows me to lift and lower the boat by myself. Mine hangs from the garage rafters, but the same thing from the ceiling or wall should work. I know this probably goes without saying but use your studfinder.”