Fastest boat...

[TFP]

Looking for a kayak between a sea/touring kayak and recreational. For reasons of where our group normally kayaks, I'm thinking in terms of a 15 footer. I love the Necky Chatham 16 but fear it may be too long. The Venture (P&H) Kyle, at 15' is nice but pricey. For the occasional jaunt for work-out purposes, do I have any additional choices?

Many thanks - nice to be here.

[Big Smoke]

Current Designs Vision 150 light and nimble + multi purpose.

[TFP]

Current Designs Vision 150 light and nimble + multi purpose.

Thanks Big Smoke. I actually checked those out. I would up buying the Necky Chatham 17 back in late September. The cockpit fit me better. For me, it has been a great choice. Took it out again yesterday in fact and had a blast with it.

Appreciate your great input; thanks!

[thecampingman]

I just bought one too. I have a 12' Current Designs Kestrel, but wanted something with a little more distance.
What do you use the retractable skeg for?
Here's my situation, I'm flat water kayaking in the area around Ft. Myers which is protected by islands. One jaunt from island to island is 6 miles. Tried it in the Kestrel and with just waves under a foot it was really slow going. I can normally push the Kestrel to a little over 4mph, but with waves it's more like 2mph. My question is what does the skeg do? Keep the waves from pushing me sideways? I'll probably figure something out, but any tips would be news to me. (I just bought it yesterday and havn't had it in the water) the guy I bought it form says to turn you need to "bank" it into the turns by leaning the kayak toward the turn. Is that what you do?
Like I mentioned, any tips or comments would be greatly appreciated.

[TFP]

I just bought one too. I have a 12' Current Designs Kestrel, but wanted something with a little more distance.
What do you use the retractable skeg for?
Here's my situation, I'm flat water kayaking in the area around Ft. Myers which is protected by islands. One jaunt from island to island is 6 miles. Tried it in the Kestrel and with just waves under a foot it was really slow going. I can normally push the Kestrel to a little over 4mph, but with waves it's more like 2mph. My question is what does the skeg do? Keep the waves from pushing me sideways? I'll probably figure something out, but any tips would be news to me. (I just bought it yesterday and havn't had it in the water) the guy I bought it form says to turn you need to "bank" it into the turns by leaning the kayak toward the turn. Is that what you do?
Like I mentioned, any tips or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Camping man,

Like you, my wife and I both have a 12 footer. Ours are Old Town Dirigo 120's. But for open water paddling, the Chatham 17 is my favorite choice. For choppy water or days with medium to heavy winds the fully deployed skeg is great to keep the boat in a straight line. Turning takes a little more work but the skeg retracts just as fast as it goes into action. For quicker turns I learned 'lean turning'. Rely on the paddle on the side of the boat you're turning to but basically it is just that, lean into the turn. The skeg should be up when you do that. I have also experimented with it and it can be utilized well in half-deployment and so on. And, yes, with it fully down you won't find the waves moving you from side to side. The boat tracks extremely well. I use a relatively aggressive paddle, the Werner Cyprus, and with a high angle stroke the Chatham just 'glides'!! Enjoy!

[thecampingman]

TFP; Thanks for the reply. I think I'm getting the knack of leaning to steer the Necky. Thanks for your info about the "high angle paddle". Which I'm understanding to be a "bigger" paddle. I'd like to try one with the Necky just to see how much faster I can get it going. Maybe when I get my back and neck muscles in a little better condition. I'm going today to get a little backpacker's tent and a sleeping bag. I'm going island hopping!
TCM

[TFP]

TFP; Thanks for the reply. I think I'm getting the knack of leaning to steer the Necky. Thanks for your info about the "high angle paddle". Which I'm understanding to be a "bigger" paddle. I'd like to try one with the Necky just to see how much faster I can get it going. Maybe when I get my back and neck muscles in a little better condition. I'm going today to get a little backpacker's tent and a sleeping bag. I'm going island hopping!
TCM

Check out the Werner line here: http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/touring/performance_core/

You can also use their 'fit guide' to see what paddle best suits you: http://www.wernerpaddles.com/fit_guide/index.php Their online TV spots are great too. Have fun hopping!

[michel100]

Where's the best place to keep the paddle float? I keep mine in my tankwell if I'm in deep water, in my truck if I'm in shallow water. I know that's bad.
What about sit insides? Where do you keep it then?Also, should it be tethered to the kayak???

[Dion]

you might want to check out the epix 18x it is a pretty fast boat


(http://www.thekayaklife.com)

[thecampingman]

you might want to check out the epix 18x it is a pretty fast boat


(http://www.thekayaklife.com)

Holy smokes! It's got to be the fastest kayak that has hatches! I just got to try out the Epic line at the Paddlefest. In speed the 18x is right next to their entry level sit on top racer the V-8. The V-8's a lot of fun. Fast as heck and relatively stable, but there's no place for even so much as a water bottle. Though the 2012 model does have a bottle holder.

A good way to increase speed without adding effort is an Epic winged paddle. It seems to put all your effort into forward motion. But it works well in really shallow water as well. I compared one to my Aqua Bound GPX carbon fiber paddle and bought the Epic winged paddle. I'm no expert but the improvement was obvious to a relative novice like myself.

UPDATE: My wife found a kayak for sale in the local "Shopper" newspaper. All the ad said was a 20' SurfSki. I didn't know what a SurfSki was so I looked it up online. It's Epic's racing lineup! I'd tried one out at the paddlefest. It's a 19" wide sit-on-top. I guess all the racers are sit-on-top. All I managed to do was to keep it upright in lightly choppy water. The manufacturer's representative said I'd have done better if I'd increased my speed. I suppose they're like riding a bicycle, pretty unstable at slow speed. The website says they're capable of waves up to 6'. My skillset isn't there yet. but every year I get a little better.

In two years I've gone from:

Current Design 12' Kestrel. Really stable yet fast & manuverable entry level kayak

Necky Chatham 17' It's a really good kayak for open water with waves.

Seda Glider 19' A big touring kayak with lots of volume, and a good 20% faster than the Necky.

SurfSki by Epic 20' (I'm going to check it out today) If you go to kayak races, the winners are on Epic's SurfSki kayak. You sacrifice storage & stability to be able to fly across the water like skipping a stone, but I'm just about ready for it.

This thread was titled "Fastest Kayak" so those are the fastest in their category.

It kind of suprises me how I've gone in two years from novice kayaks to racing kayaks.

[TFP]

One of our group was fixated on that boat. We checked it out. It is just enough smaller in cockpit dimensions than my Necky, to cause entry and exit problems. Then we saw the price tag - $3300. YIKES! But id DID look fast, even sitting on the sales floor.

[thecampingman]

One of our group was fixated on that boat. We checked it out. It is just enough smaller in cockpit dimensions than my Necky, to cause entry and exit problems. Then we saw the price tag - $3300. YIKES! But id DID look fast, even sitting on the sales floor.

They're all about that price. Fiberglass touring kayaks are all a little over $3,000. I was kind of suprised the Epic wasn't higher 'cause of it's reputation.

That's why I've taken to picking up old beater kayaks and fixing them up. My Seda Glider is around 17 years old. Last summer I re-gelcoated the hull, buffed out the deck with polishing compound. Then stuck my head down inside and patched up the stress points with more fiberglass. With my head swooning from the fumes my wife came into the garage to see how I was doing. I told her "You know, $3,000 new don't seem like a bad price at all!"

I like fiberglass kayaks. You can fix 'em. Kevlar & carbon fiber is lighter but harder to fix. Plus on a kayak with a 450# payload what's the point of shaving a few pounds? And the lighter ones are actually more fragile. Epic's now going with a fiberglass/kevlar/carbon fiber hybrid. By the weight of them I'd guess it's just enough exotic materials that they can use it in advertising copy.

The plastic kayaks are susceptible to UV rays. They flex a little in the water and when you're lashing them down. You have to be careful not to mash them. Plus any damage wheather from UV rays or an accident is pretty much fatal.