Your boats?
- Thread starter adkayaker
- Start date
Help Support vftt.org:
Jay H
New member
I have my first kayak, a 'glass 14' Impex Mystic I bought sometime around 2003 and last year, bought a cheap used plastic 15'6" Dagger Prospect to toss around in shallow lakes and stuff, both touring kayaks. I have a 14' boat trailer but no boat, because I inherited the trailer from the seller of my house. 
Jay
Jay
Impex is a quality brand. I started with the Montauk, but now have the Outer Island. You can roll it so easy. Going to try learning a hand roll this year.
Impex Outer Island
Valley Aquanaut LV fiberglass
P & H Easky RM -short photo kayak
Canoe-Wenonah Adirondack KV ultralight 41 pounds
Impex Outer Island
Valley Aquanaut LV fiberglass
P & H Easky RM -short photo kayak
Canoe-Wenonah Adirondack KV ultralight 41 pounds
Last edited:
Adventurous
New member
I have a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 125 and my brother and his family all have the Tsunami 120. We mainly do winding rivers - not whitewater - and have found that the 120 is a lot more responsive. It is difficult at times to maneuver the 125 in tight corners or under blowdown.
The upside of the 125 is that it has a roomier cockpit than the 120 which is great for a larger paddler. It's actually a bit large for me but hey...I got a great deal on it and they didn't have any 120's left.
The dry hatches in either model are large enough to hold gear for an overnight and both boats are very stable.
The upside of the 125 is that it has a roomier cockpit than the 120 which is great for a larger paddler. It's actually a bit large for me but hey...I got a great deal on it and they didn't have any 120's left.
The dry hatches in either model are large enough to hold gear for an overnight and both boats are very stable.
Jay H
New member
I've looked at the Force 3, like it, but I think I'd have to get more serious about kayaking to really justify the price, especially with the across-the-board price increases all kayaks went through a few years ago.
I have rolled my Mystic but only in a pool and a controlled setting. I've yet to get a roll downpat, the big part is it's so unnatural for me to purposefully tip and the mystic is pretty stable.
Jay
I have rolled my Mystic but only in a pool and a controlled setting. I've yet to get a roll downpat, the big part is it's so unnatural for me to purposefully tip and the mystic is pretty stable.
Jay
daxs
Active member
I have an Impex Force 3. In retrospect, I would probably get a smaller boat; easier for me to carry. I can get it on and off my car easily and do short carries. I have practiced dumping myself and getting back into the boat. Honestly, I am not sure I could roll the thing if it was fully loaded. I do love the way it handles though. I've done river, lake, ocean and bay kayaking. Some of it loaded for touring and other day paddles.
I have test paddled and liked the Force 4, the 3 would be better for my overall size but my wide hips can't fit in it. It surely turns easier than my Outer Island. The Force series, designed for straight tracking, are great boats for longer day paddles or trips. I would probably not want a Force boat as my only boat, preferring a smaller boat for brief evening paddles, pool sessions, etc. The new Force 3 HV looks great.
Carol,
My Aquanaut LV is fairly close to a Force 3 but shorter. The Tempest 165 would be a nice smaller boat offering a bit less speed but more manueverability.
Carol,
My Aquanaut LV is fairly close to a Force 3 but shorter. The Tempest 165 would be a nice smaller boat offering a bit less speed but more manueverability.
coldfeet
Well-known member
Well since my knee scoping was cxled today because I have poison ivy I'll chime in....
bought a used Tempest 170 plastic last year.....learned wet exiting both on purpose and not on purpose.....had fun last year with Jay and Carol on the little tupper trip.....also bought a wilderness 140 for the small streams and rivers...
will see the dr on Friday to discuss my torn tendon in left arm...need a new trail name....maybe "copay $15"....
bought a used Tempest 170 plastic last year.....learned wet exiting both on purpose and not on purpose.....had fun last year with Jay and Carol on the little tupper trip.....also bought a wilderness 140 for the small streams and rivers...
will see the dr on Friday to discuss my torn tendon in left arm...need a new trail name....maybe "copay $15"....
Jay H
New member
cbcbd
Well-known member
Test paddled the Outer Island a few years ago - what a great boat!
My first boat was a Perception Carolina 14.5.
Bought a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk and since then sold my Carolina.
Next boat? Who knows, but probably something a little easier to tour with - more storage, softer chine, skeg/rudder.
My first boat was a Perception Carolina 14.5.
Bought a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk and since then sold my Carolina.
Next boat? Who knows, but probably something a little easier to tour with - more storage, softer chine, skeg/rudder.
daxs
Active member
Maybe failingbody as a name
I would llike to buy a smaller kayak but do not have the funds. Jim and I are also thinking about canoes to go places we can't with the kayaks. Once again money is an issue. We need to decide solo or tandem canoe...
I guess we need to go to a show and paddle some boats before making that decision.
I would llike to buy a smaller kayak but do not have the funds. Jim and I are also thinking about canoes to go places we can't with the kayaks. Once again money is an issue. We need to decide solo or tandem canoe...
I guess we need to go to a show and paddle some boats before making that decision.
Amicus
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2005
- Messages
- 1,145
- Reaction score
- 112
1. Perception Dancer XT "slalom" kayak. It was a gift 20 years ago from a kind person who knew as much about kayaks as I did then - zero - but somehow intuited what I would like. It has served me well since then and from its appearance, it may outlast me. Good plastic! It was designed for whitewater and has no storage space, but I've used it in all sorts of conditions including multi-day river campers, stashing my gear with comrades in a canoe.
2. We-no-nah 17 Jensen, Kevlar Ultra-Light. 38 pounds and fast - not suited to rock-scraping.
2. We-no-nah 17 Jensen, Kevlar Ultra-Light. 38 pounds and fast - not suited to rock-scraping.
19 foot Expedition wood strip seakayak, 18 foot wood strip sea kayak, and 19 foot White Guide pattern wood strip canoe.
The two kayaks are variations of Nick Schade's Guillemot, the long one is higher volume with more storage and the shorter one more of day tripper. Both handle waves well. Nick designed his boats for easy rolling and therefore primary stability is less than lot of commercial boats.
The white guide hull pattern is a classic design taken off early native american hulls. A fairly fast hull for a large utility canoe (beats a tupperware Old Town any day). High bow and stern can be a PITA in certain winds. The trade off for faster hull is less stability. Great boat for multiday trips.
I built all three and thay are quite durable, although they do need yearly varnishing or the epoxy get cloudy (my canoe has suffered this fate).
The two kayaks are variations of Nick Schade's Guillemot, the long one is higher volume with more storage and the shorter one more of day tripper. Both handle waves well. Nick designed his boats for easy rolling and therefore primary stability is less than lot of commercial boats.
The white guide hull pattern is a classic design taken off early native american hulls. A fairly fast hull for a large utility canoe (beats a tupperware Old Town any day). High bow and stern can be a PITA in certain winds. The trade off for faster hull is less stability. Great boat for multiday trips.
I built all three and thay are quite durable, although they do need yearly varnishing or the epoxy get cloudy (my canoe has suffered this fate).
Jason Berard
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 1,321
- Reaction score
- 213
Two home made skin-on-frame kayaks my Dad made, and a Perception Sea Lion. And a Mad River Guide Boat style canoe with oars.
coldfeet
Well-known member
Very funny Jay..
Daxs...not so funny
Indian Chris uses a smaller canoe when we go on the narrow rivers....that's why i bought the 14....I'd go for 2 smaller canoes...maybe uncle Sam will be good to you today...hey what rhymes with Daxs?....Tax!
I saw an old teacher friend and he has an old Swedish wooden canoe that is probably 50 years old....it needs a lot of work or $ to have it redone....I was going to ask him if he wanted to work on it....it might be a total waste or a great antique boat.....
Daxs...not so funny
Indian Chris uses a smaller canoe when we go on the narrow rivers....that's why i bought the 14....I'd go for 2 smaller canoes...maybe uncle Sam will be good to you today...hey what rhymes with Daxs?....Tax!
I saw an old teacher friend and he has an old Swedish wooden canoe that is probably 50 years old....it needs a lot of work or $ to have it redone....I was going to ask him if he wanted to work on it....it might be a total waste or a great antique boat.....
daxs
Active member
tax return went to pay an expensive medical bill not covered by my insurance.. At least my nuclear stress test was normal.
I was just kidding about the name. I should talk. I am always hurt from running too much.
At least my nuclear stress test was normal.I was just kidding about the name. I should talk. I am always hurt from running too much.
Jay H
New member
tax return went to pay an expensive medical bill not covered by my insurance..
Can anything Nuclear be considered Normal????????
Jay
ALGonquin Bob
Well-known member
Have had a few canoes, including the infamous 75-pound Coleman beast that I used on ONE canoe trip, then never again. Borrowed a FG tandem for a year or 2, acquired a used 13-foot solo Mohawk that I paddled on my 7-day solo voyage around the Adirondacks in the 90s (not that light, and only comfortably stable with a heavy pack on board), then bought my present canoe - a 15-foot "TufWeave" Wenonah Solitude that I paddled in the 90-Miler in '01. I still do the occasional trip in the Wenonah, but most of my paddling the past 3 years has been in the 17' Boreal Alvik touring kayak that I bought from a friend. I LOVE that boat! Have done lots of paddling in it, and several trips, as well as paddling it in the '06 90-Miler. Also have a 15-ft. FG Evergreen square stern canoe w/3HP that I don't use anymore and want to sell......
RickB.
Active member
That's bad news, particularly at the beginning of the paddling season. Best of luck with that.
An Impex Currituck is my everyday ocean boat. Don't know if it rolls well and, with my flexibility, lack thereof, never will
. I do know I can wet exit it easily, even in the surf.I also paddle (and have as a guest boat) an Eddyline Nighthawk, dubbed the Hesperus due to an unfortunate event, and have a Tsunami 14' for fresh water and guests. Sue paddles a Dagger 13' day tourer. Also two 10' X 30" Heritage Featherlite guest/fishing/beer boats that one can almost stand up in.
If anyone would like to paddle out of Kittery Point (mellow) and/or use one of my boats there, please let me know.
The Impex Currituck has a bit higher deck for me, a shorter person, so is more diffciult for my roll but several paddlers I know roll it well. It is a very nice Impex boat-goes fast.
If you are near Kittery, do you paddle Casco Bay? Is the boat traffic there a real negative or are there ways of exploring the islands and avoiding the shipping lanes?
