Sunday, August 2, 2009

Post Review - "The Coffin"

Needless to say, after 15 days ii fell in love with my kayak, named it the "coffin" as a joke until I could figure out a better name and it just stuck,  never bothered to figure out a new one.

Went with a fiberglass 17 foot north sea with a rudder, rear and front hatch.  This thing was spectacular and rode the waves like a missile, at no point did I feel as though it was out of control, even in large waves and gale force winds.   I wouldn't get the third day hatch though, just takes up space and you are limited to how you can pack kayak.

For this trip I would recommend fiberglass or composite, plastic  is just too heavy, you are going to have to be lifting out of the water a couple times a day, lighter the better and you will appreciate the difference.  

While I paddled with the rudder up a bit, I preferred steering with feet,  especially in high winds, recommend having a rudder even if not going to use it all the time. 

If renting, double check that the seals from the cockpit to the hatches are properly sealed, silicone them good if they are leaking, mine wasn't too bad but my nephews basically had no silicone seal and any water made it's way into the hatches. Could be dangerous if capsized and the hatches fill with water.   The hatches on mine didn't let water in once. 

Bring a set of ropes and marine bumpers, lot of cement walls and while I rented mine, treated like it was my own, didn't want scratches and the bumpers really helped.  I tied mine to deck rigging when needed,  next time will use carabiners to make them easier to attach.  I stowed them on rear deck near rudder, out of the way and never noticed they were there. 

Recommend a paddle leash, didn't drop paddle but found that it made a great kayak anchor. Pull up to dock, lie paddle on dock and leash would hold kayak there, beats tying up all the time, works well on rock islands as well.

Get a good seat, mine was a little older kayak because I needed the extra space, they didn't have newer high capacity ones available at the time of my trip.   Pick up a padded cushion, I used my towel folded a bunch of times for extra support, was needed.

Had lots of day storage in the cockpit, in front of feet and behind seat, allowed me to carry extra stuff so I didn't have to get out and find it all the time, my umbrella and rain gear was stowed beside the seats, very convenient.

No comments:

Post a Comment