For
paddlers who want the most speed to travel the most miles or for the best aerobic workout
here are a few kayaks that I think you will really enjoy paddling.
SOLSTICE
GTS – 17’7” long, 22” wide, good initial and secondary stability. Very
comfortable with molded thigh braces. Straight tracking. Rudder. A beautiful boat. One of
our most popular sea kayaks.
NORDKAPP
JUBILEE – very fast, great acceleration. Not so good initial stability (but
you’ll get used to it). Secondary stability is just fine (once you get used to it).
17’8” long, 21” wide. HM model has modified hull, HS model has a
skeg. OUTSTANDING.
LOOKSHA
III and II – very fast and faster. 19’6” long and 21” wide, and
20’ long x 20” wide respectively. Only 45 lbs. In Kevlar. Both have low initial
stability and high secondary stability on the III, medium on the II. The Looksha II is the
fastest boat I have ever paddled. Rudder helpful.
EXTREME
– long, lean and mean. 18’10” long, 21 ½” wide. An excellent long
distance touring kayak that eats up the miles. 48 lbs. In Kevlar, 54 lbs. In glass Rudder.
SEDA
GLIDER – wins races at 19 feet long, 22” wide. It climbs over waves and
maintains forward speed easily. The Glider is priced lower than the others. Rudder
optional.
SURGE
– 17’7 ¾” long, 22 ¾” wide, only 37 lbs. Clean and simple, fast and
stable. Excellent initial and secondary stability. Green, blue, white, red, yellow
– only.
18’
SUNDOWNER canoe in Kevlar weighs 42 lbs and measures 35” wide. Bucket seats and bow
slider are standard. The 18 will carry 2 paddlers and a month’s worth of food and
supplies.
CARIBOU
“S” is a modified Greenland design with a narrow, hard chine hull. She measures
17’8” long, 21 ¾” wide and weighs 50 lbs in glass, 45 in Kevlar.
The performance of each of the above kayaks is so outstanding it may be the last kayak you
will ever buy.
~ ON PADDLES ~
I prefer a short paddle with a big blade for better acceleration and
more power. 213cm to 220cm seems to work best on narrow, fast kayaks. If you can afford a
graphite paddle go for it but Werner and Epic make some very light fiberglass paddles that
cost about 45% less than graphite. Wing racing paddles are excellent for touring also.
Epic makes the Excalibur II in graphite (21oz).
~AND PFD’s~
Lotus and Kokatat make lightweight, low profile comfortable life
jackets (PFD’s). They don’t rub your chin, they have large arm openings for ease
of twisting your torso for the best paddle stroke. New feature from Extrasport –
super comfortable PFD adjustment straps.
So if you want the most excitement in kayaking, come on down and check out our HOT kayaks,
and check out our new compass – only 40 bucks and it fits all kayaks.
See you on the water.
