Hurricane Kayaks

[Maddawg46]

I have only been kayaking for a couple of months. I have a Tarpon 140. Thinking of getting a sit inside one. I weigh 280 and am 6' 1". I was sitting in a Huricane Santee Expedition Kayak (14 ft.). Does anybody have any insights on this kayak company? It is ABS and feels real good. I had no problem getting in and it seemed to have a lot of leg room.
Are there any others I should look at? I also looked at the Wilderness Pungo 140. I like the Hurricane better.

[thecampingman]

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1931

I actually have less experience than you, but here's my thoughts on the matter. A man at a kayak store told me, "although kayaks have a very personal fit for your use, generally the longer the kayak, the better the kayak."
So my question would be, Do you really want another 14' kayak?
I have a 12' which is great for manuvering the mangrove backwater, and a 17' that I use for island hopping. (It's all flat water around here) I think I'd also like a sit-on-top for snorkeling. I'm thinking 14'.
I dunno....maybe your conditions dictate 14' to be ideal for your kayaking enviroment. But personally I'd consider exploiting having two kayaks and look at some with decidedly different characteristics

[keith]

Hurricane kayaks generally have a good reputation. However, whenever you're considering buying a new kayak, the first thing to consider is what type of kayaking you expect to be doing most of the time. Longer isn't necessarily better. Longer boats will track better (go in a straight line), but that also means they're less maneuverable. So you obviously don't want a long boat for whitewater. If you're primarily doing flat water paddling on lakes and slow rivers, then I think that 14' is a nice length. Long enough to track well, but not so long as to be cumbersome. If you plan to spend much time on the ocean, then it does make sense to go a bit longer. Two other things to consider are rocker and rudder vs. skeg. Rocker refers to how much the bow and stern are turned up, so you can see the rocker from the profile of a boat. Sea kayaks tend to have more rocker than many recreational kayaks. More rocker means less boat in contact with the water, so that means more maneuverability. The rocker on sea kayaks doesn't compromise their tracking because the boats are so long. Regarding rudder vs. skeg, that's a never-ending debate. ;-) You can read a few brief pros and cons of each on this touring kayak (http://www.kayakreview.org/touring-kayaks-and-sea-kayaks) page. Personally, I do like Wilderness Systems boats (I paddle a Tempest 170 (http://www.kayakreview.org/go/tempest170/)) and I think the Pungo 140 is a solid recreational kayak. If you're looking for something a little more in the touring category without going much longer, the Tsunami 145 (http://www.kayakreview.org/go/tsunami145/) is a solid boat. Follow the cockpit sizing tips on that same touring kayak (http://www.kayakreview.org/touring-kayaks-and-sea-kayaks) page to make sure it would be big enough since you're a big guy. Better yet, find one to sit in and then go back to the touring kayak (http://www.kayakreview.org/touring-kayaks-and-sea-kayaks) page to find the best deal. BTW, you can also see all the kayaks that are currently on sale at this Kayaks On Sale (http://www.kayakreview.org/cheap-kayaks-on-sale) page. Good luck!