Hey Arclite! Kayak ?

“I did a test drive of a 18' Cobra Expedition 23.5" wide sit on top kayak this weekend.
Dang thing would NOT turn except with the use of the rudder. Went straight forward very fast.

Which sit on top do you have?”

“why dont you buy one and bring it to the family trip in Sept to Md?”

“Haven't been here for a while, Stove. I have the Cobra Tourer. It's 15'-9".

Often, the compromise is between maneuverability and tracking. The Tourer tracks very well but does have a bit of a weather helm. Straight-line performance into headwinds is awesome. Crosswinds cause the bow to turn up into the wind. This can be corrected with a rudder. I don’t like rudders so I change my paddling stroke in crosswinds. If I ever get a fiberglass boat, I’ll opt for a skeg and not a rudder.

I have taken it on the Juniper Spring Run. This is a trip that is not recommended for novice canoeists because it’s very twisty. The Tourer turns reasonably well, but it does have a long waterline and hard chines. The hard chines make it very stable initially, but the secondary stability is nil. That means that it’s difficult to edge the boat to help with turning.

The Tourer is made more for wide rivers, lakes, and oceans where tracking is the important thing. It has a low profile for good performance in wind, and it has lots of storage capacity. Those are the things I was looking for in a boat that would handle trips on the Suwannee River and to coastal islands.”