- TS 5′ 10″, 165-pound male. Day trips in winds less than 10 knots, small waves, boat and ship wakes for surfing.
- RS 6′ 2″, 185-pound male. Day trip in winds to 35 knots, seas 2 feet, confused chop with 6- to 8-foot ocean swell.
- MH 5′ 10″, 190-pound male. 4-day trip, swell to 5 feet with clapotis and wind waves. Rock gardens and surge channels. 60 pounds of gear.
“The Looksha is one of the cleanest looking plastic boats on the market. Faux-granite plastic mixture seems to ease the ‘Tupperware’ look that many plastic boats suffer from” (TS). Like the Looksha II (SK August 96) it has a double chine.
The Looksha balances well for a solo carry. The 65-pound weight of the Looksha was not too difficult for our reviewers to manage. For a two-person carry the toggle placement is too far in from the ends for easy handling.
The placement of the stern toggle is required by the rudder, but the inboard placement of the bow toggle also causes the bow to “bump into your leg while you carry it” (RS). RS and TS thought placement of the grip at the tip of the bow would be an improvement.
The Looksha’s deck layout is “functional”(TS). Our reviewers especially liked the recessed deck fittings. The cockpit is “a nice size for easy entry and exit” (MH). RS would like a “snugger fit and a slightly lower deck” and both he and TS note the need for some custom padding.
The seat is comfortable and long enough to provide some good thigh support. The back rest was comfortable but is “quite high, sticking well above the cockpit, making laying back for a screw roll impossible” (RS).
There is an option for a lower seat back. The thigh bracing was usable but did not offer a secure grip: “They could stick out farther and offer more purchase” (RS) or be padded out by the owner.
The webbing/ladder lock slider system for the rudder pedals “is infinitely adjustable and works reasonably well though it does require a little patience to get it perfectly trued” (TS).
As with most rudder pedals the system has a “fair bit of give” (TS) when the rudder is retracted. The rudder seems “pretty indestructible” to TS, while RS thinks it could be a bit “beefier.” When deployed it works smoothly and drops back down after riding over obstructions.
On the water the Looksha IV “has a very comfortable stability range. Without being a barge, the initial and secondary stability are good” (TS). “Stable enough to fish from, yet it felt nimble and very responsive”(MH). “Stable enough for most beginners but it turned like a dream when I got it up on edge” (RS).
Although the Looksha has a rudder, our reviewers preferred paddling with it retracted. “Putting this baby up on edge was my favorite thing about the Looksha. It cranks surprisingly quick turns for a 17-foot touring kayak, pivoting like a shorty play boat” (RS).
“It was a blast in the rock gardens. Super maneuverable and fun” (MH). The Looksha also tracked well with the rudder retracted. Its quick response to carved turns makes it easy to hold a course.
Only MH noted the Looksha, without a gear load aboard, had slight tendency to weathercock in moderate winds, easily corrected by edging the boat. In the strong winds RS encountered “it handles as you might suspect: like most kayaks it was a struggle to keep on course in gusts of 30-plus knots.”
The Looksha has a dry ride in moderate conditions as its bow “has a moderate tendency to rise up over small chop. In bigger water the ride got much wetter” (RS). “It was dry until I got crazy in the rocks” (MH).While not exceptionally fast the Looksha “does accelerate and hold its speed well”(TS).
“I was able to sprint and catch swells easily” (MH). The Looksha handles well for surfing wind waves and boat wakes. “The boat’s maneuverability made it easy to [ride] wind waves without falling off into a broach” (RS). “Course correction on shorter steeper boat wakes was a breeze with the rudder in action” (TS). “Bow tends to plunge in large steeper waves. Side surfs smoothly for controlled broaches” (RS).
There is enough room for a week’s worth of gear in the bulkheaded compartments. The hatches consist of an unattached neoprene cover and a tethered plastic lid. None of the reviewers reported any leakage after rolling or rough-water paddling.
The bulkheads are made of foam glued in place. With a load aboard the Looksha IV had additional stability and kept its “excellent” (MH) handling qualities.”A very likable kayak. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted the advantages of cost, recyclability and impact resistance of a plastic boat that doesn’t compromise on greater touring performance” (TS).
“Beginners should be satisfied with its relative stability and solid cruising characteristics. This is a maneuverable and responsive kayak for skilled paddlers to play around in on day trips, and it’ll haul plenty of gear. All things considered, the Looksha is a good all-around touring boat” (RS).
“Often when testing kayaks I find myself wishing I were in something else. I didn’t want to get out of this thing. The best plastic kayak I’ve ever paddled” (MH).
Designer Response
First I would like to thank the anonymous testers for what I consider a very complimentary review. I would like to respond to some of their comments. Ideally we would like to fit a boat perfectly to everybody, but that is impossible, especially for ones designed for high production.
Our concern is that some paddlers, especially new ones, are afraid of being trapped in the boat, hence the loose fit. To get tighter fits it’s relatively easy to glue a layer of foam and shape it for the perfect customized fit Looksha IV was originally produced with a lower back rest, but the majority of our customers preferred a higher one.
The refit is easy, just ask your dealer. The placing of the handles is due to my concern of picking up some loose kelp or sea weed on the bow and not being able to get rid of it. After you use the Looksha a few times you will find that the best way to carry it is by holding it by the bow.
Your hand fits perfectly. When it comes to using a rudder or not, there is no doubt in my mind that it is more fun to play in the boat without the rudder. But what we are making is a touring boat, and sometimes you have to be plugging ahead in nasty conditions hour after hour and using a rudder can make things easier.
Mike Neckar
Options and Pricing (1996 design)
- Standard Construction: Rotomolded, Super Linear Polymer, Metthalocene catalyst technology.
- Standard Features: Hatches, deck lines, bulkheads, seat and back rest.
- Approximate Weight: 65 pounds
- Price: Plastic: $1320 with rudder, 1150 without rudder.
Fiberglass: $2100. Kevlar: $2495 Kevlar. (MSRP in US dollars)