club kayak for smaller people?

[Maarten Z]

Looking for a club kayak for smaller & lighter people (think 1m65, 50kg), should be suitable to take out on the open water...
Currently our club is looking at Perception Carolina 14 and the likes, but I'm hoping for a slightly more sportive design as I'm afraid they will have a lot of issues keeping up. It is also really wide at 62cm.
Should still be suitable for taking beginners though (club kayak).
No composite of course.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[norb]

Im 1m 69 cm and I paddling 18 foots Taran.
Funny but in Taran I don't feel smaller :)
Norbert

[Irish Sea]

Hi,
we've been quite happy with Valley Avocets in PE for smaller paddlers ranging from beginner to intermediate. Unfortunately this one is discontinued now I think.
The Northshore Atlantic LV would be another good candidate or maybe a Wilderness Systems Zephyr 155.

If you want a bit shorter, a bit more stable and a good bit more affordable have a look at the Dagger Stratos 14.5 S. Not a full blooded sea kayak maybe but handles well, has a skeg, proper decklines, bulkheads, good outfitting and on top of all that is great fun in the surf. Should be able to keep up with longer sea kayaks at a "normal" group touring pace.

[norb]

For beginners I can highly recommended Delphin 150 , great boat

[AllanC]

There's also the like of the North Shore Aspects, which if they're anywhere near as good as the Atlantic will be really nice boats to paddle. I've posted on another thread about how much I like the Valley Sirona, and the smaller sizes of that could be worth looking into.
Allan C.

[Allan Olesen]

If you want a bit shorter, a bit more stable and a good bit more affordable have a look at the Dagger Stratos 14.5 S. Not a full blooded sea kayak maybe but handles well, has a skeg, proper decklines, bulkheads, good outfitting and on top of all that is great fun in the surf. Should be able to keep up with longer sea kayaks at a "normal" group touring pace.

I love the Stratos. It turns better than any other sea kayak I have tried. But if this kayak is intended for beginners, I would be careful. In a Stratos, beginners may be able to keep the same speed as the group, but they may not be able to keep the same direction as the group.

We have two Stratos 14.5 L in my club. When we take beginners on a tour in the harbour and tell them to paddle 300 meter across the harbour, the two persons fortunate enough to pick the Stratos kayaks will usually arrive a lot later than the rest, having visited every location in the harbour while frantically attempting to keep a straight line.

Lowering the skeg helps a bit, but in my mind the skeg should only be used to compensate for wind, not to make the kayak less willing to turn.

[swagstaff]

Surely its ok to use whatever the kayak is fitted with to make paddling it easier. So if putting the Skeg down a little makes it easier to paddle in a straight line then please do so.

[swagstaff]

North shore Aspect LV or Atlantic LV or Epic V5

[nickcrowhurst]

http://cnckayaks.com/project/shrike-lv/
Nick.

[charleston14]

How about a Scorpio LV

[Allan Olesen]

Surely its ok to use whatever the kayak is fitted with to make paddling it easier. So if putting the Skeg down a little makes it easier to paddle in a straight line then please do so.

I am not sure you have thought of all the implications. What if the wind is coming at an angle from the front? If you lower the skeg to stabilize the kayak, the wind will blow the front of the kayak downwind. So the beginner wil end up with a choice between having the skeg up and being all over the place, and having the skeg down and be constantly forced downwind.

And that is why I say that a skeg should only be necessary for wind compensation.

[swagstaff]

Hi Allan , I have not only thought of the implications but also experimented a lot with teaching the use of the skeg. If you put the skeg down just a small amount it will assist with the tracking but without having too many other consequences. With river kayaks on open water we often used to attach a small branch to the end loop at the back to help people who were struggling to go in a straight line and break little bits off as they got better.
My concern is that people arent put off by being frustrated with their inability to get it to go in a straight line. Many people hate to keep the others waiting so I feel its important not to put them in this position as well.
best wishes stuart