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Anyone have experience or advice with these types of kayaks?
I think I’m in the market for a hard shell sit in boat this summer. I’m quite constrained on space, particularly for storage. So it’ll need to be no more than 10-11 feet long.
I live on the coast so it has to be able to handle calm water coastal use, but from looking around that does open up so more river capable options. I’d be keen for something ok to run grade 1 and 2 stuff, doesn’t need to be any more than that for me, just some extra fun when touring a river.
I looked at the Dagger Axis which seems to tick a few boxes. Whatever it is I’d want to try one first.
I appreciate it’ll be compromised but I’ve only room for one, a proper Sea Kayak will never fit, a proper white water kayak will never get used.
Any advice welcome.
If you can stretch to 12'6" have a look at a dagger stratos (the 12'6" version obvs)
We have 2x Piranha Fusions. They were recommended by our instructor at Plas Y Brenin. Really good Jack-of-all trades boats. About 10 foot long depending on which size and seem to match your criteria exactly.
The Axis is ok but it's a bit.....recreational. By that I mean wide, stable and predictable. No rocker, cant surf and no use on any moving water.
As mentioned above the Stratos 12 is pretty awesome though longer and much more of a paddlers boat. More compact sea kayak than anything but has been taken down grade 4 and great in surf.
One to look at if you do a bit of sea and a bit of moving water is the Wavesport Ethos 9/10. It's still got the skeg and hatch of the Axis but a much looser hull with semi planning rails for proper grade 3 ability.
Similar to the Fusion but better lines and build quality
We’ll both the Ethos 10 and Stratos both look pretty awesome.
The Stratos probably won’t fit into storage but is probably the more appropriate boat.
The Ethos definitely will fit but is perhaps a bit to WW focused. Wonder how the Ethos would handle small Surf? I’m on the Scottish east coast facing due south across a Firth of Forth so it’s definitely small Surf.
I think I might need to make a cardboard cut out, I still have a Piano cut out I used recently trying to figure out if I can get an acoustic into the house.
Depending on your budget, but have you considered a folding kayak? (Not inflatable types)
Google, and you'll see a huge selection
Hey up @epicyclo
I have seen them, but I think I’m after something that’ll take a bit more rock interaction than a folder. I’m already the owner of two Packrafts so have ultra portability covered, wouldn’t fancy much time at sea other than dead calm bays.
That one in the link looks awfy like an Oru Kayak with a few minor differences. Including the price.
Thought about modular too but don’t like the look of them (I have a Point 65 Tequila SOT), the way they join the sit inside sea kayak looks a bit weak to me.
The crossover option seems a good balance to me, compromised everywhere but capable of a bit of everything.
In an ideal world I’d have a proper Sea Kayak and an Open Canoe. But that’d require storage space that doesn’t exist.
piemonster
The crossover option seems a good balance to me, compromised everywhere but capable of a bit of everything.
It probably is. I used to do a lot of paddling in Oz, and the boat that got used the most was an 11' KW surf ski which saw more use than my 20' racing surf ski or my NordKapp. Being easy to chuck on top of a car made it an easy pick for a spontaneous paddle.
Much slower but I still got to offshore islands on it (eg Franklands, Fitzroy, Green Islands and a few more) in NQ. It was good at picking up a wave though, and that's a great energy saver on a long haul.
Well my stratos 14s is about to get sold in favour of a ethos/katana/fusion depending on what I can find second hand.
Nigel Dennis in Holyhead makes some fabulous sea kayaks that come into 2 or 3 sections. Easily go inside a hatchback car. Composite and stiff, a proper sea kayak.
I think I might wait a wee while before ordering an NDK Kayak with the option of sectional sitting around +£1k on top of an already fairly premium price tag. 😲
I also don’t fancy one when scraping my way down a bony River Tay....
One can dream, maybe next year when I’ve a bit more paddling experience.
I think the Ethos is a good shout. It fits in the house no bother, fits inside the van so I can dodge the roof rack issue for now. Will cope with sheltered inshore pottering around the local coastline along with easy/moderate rivers and Lochs. Selling the Point 65 will make a decent dent in the outlay too keeping costs down.
I can scratch the proper Sea Kayak itch with rental and possibly club/course outings.
I really want a Jackson karma RG but there are none second hand and they are £1300 new...
Pretty sure I’ve just seen you’re boat on Facebook
Green one?
Just found the Jackson traverse as well, another tidy looking boat but definitely more WW end of the crossover.
Yeh the green one
You’re quite a way ahead of me in getting a new canoe, so I’d be interested to hear what you get and how you get on with it
Problem with Jackson is they are US made and with the leisure craft tax plus dollar / £ exchange rate it just makes them unrealistically priced. I don't know many shops/distributors that are seriously bringing in US boats these days. Hence no Liquid Logic Remix XP (awesome boat) in the UK.
There are a VERY few 2019 Ethos 10 Black Outs available (changing to White Out for 2020, more expensive) at a good price - drop me an email sales@brighton-canoes.co.uk on Monday
Better than the price on the website?
Problem with Jackson is they are US made and with the leisure craft tax plus dollar / £ exchange rate it just makes them unrealistically priced
For Jacksons always worth trying Squarerock to see if there any ex demo boats.
For the leisure tax tariff I know someone who swore profusely after putting off the purchase of a rockstar for a couple of months just for that to kick in.
Still see a surprising number of new ones down lee valley although thats always had abnormal representation of jacksons.
After owning a heavy old 17ft Perception Sealion, I have reached the same conclusion as the OP about a smaller capable boat making more sense. Does anyone have any experience of the Venture Islay 12?
Well I’ve just ordered a Drysuit, so unless I’ve got the sizing wrong the Kayak will definitely have to wait.
Nostrils - haven’t paddled the 12 but we have 2 14s in the family. One is lv and both are surprisingly capable little kayaks. Would recommend a test paddle.
Well I’ve just ordered a Drysuit
LOLs
It was inevitable
Plus the memory if falling out of a canoe and into the Tay on the same day as the Beast of the East arrived is still fairly fresh.
Well don’t forget to do the comfort zip up after taking a comfort break and then take a swim in the dart in January...
Hopefully got a buyer for the stratos so time to start looking for a replacement.
Well don’t forget to do the comfort zip up after taking a comfort break and then take a swim in the dart in January…
😂
I think I’ll probably go in with the Ethos in a few months time assuming I fit ok and something doesn’t knock me off that track. I do have some more experience to gain but I’ve options for addressing that. I think I’ll want to train up with radio use as well, I have used them through Coastal Rowing and attended a talk with the local RNLI station but nothing more than that. It’s mostly leisure boaters with the odd fishing boat but heading east I do have to pass an active Port, albeit a small one.
I’ll sort out the car with a decent rack, that’ll open up rental options of Open Canoes and Sea Kayaks.