We’re pleased to present our second triennial Readers Choice awards. We’ve made a few changes since our inaugural awards in 2005, including a few new categories and a wider variety of kayak awards. We also went from paper ballots included with the magazine to electronic voting through our website. That brought us a record number of responses and much faster and more accurate tabulation of the results.
After we determined our winners, we brought each piece of kayaking equipment in for a brief review. Some of the gear we’ve reviewed in previous issues of Sea Kayaker, some we tried for the first time. With all of the winners, it was easy to see why they were selected. Our readers and web viewers know good gear.
Congratulations to all of the manufacturers who won the newest Readers Choice awards and thanks to all of you who took the time to participate in our survey.
Best Day/Weekend Touring Kayak
Tempest by Wilderness Systems
The Tempest 170 is the middle child of a family of three Tempests that includes a 165 and a 180 (all available in plastic or “Pro” composite versions). The Tempest 170 is 17’ long and 22” wide. The designers intended the Tempest line to be well suited to paddlers from the “entry-level enthusiast up to the advanced paddler looking for a seaworthy rough-conditions boat.” The cockpit offers solid connection with the boat through adjustable thigh braces with a good hook to them, snug hip bracing, a seat that can be adjusted to provide good leg support, solid foot braces and a back band that sits low where it doesn’t restrict the paddler’s range of motion. The deck around the cockpit is well clear of paddling and low in the back to provide clearance for laybacks. The stability of the Tempest 170 is very good and the secondary stability is excellent, providing solid support for edging. The Tempest moves along nicely at a cruising pace: I could sustain 4.5 knots with ease. A retractable skeg tunes the Tempest for windy conditions.
The Tempest 170 has three cargo compartments sealed with KajakSport hatches. It has more than enough room for a weekend’s worth of gear. On those outings where you’re just out for the day, the fit and maneuverability of the Tempest 170 make it a pleasure to paddle.
$3,200 (fiberglass) or $1,600 (plastic) or $3,750 (Kevlar)
Wilderness Systems
www.wildernesssystems.com
Best Roughwater Playboat
Romany by Nigel Dennis Kayaks
Designed in 1993, the Romany was meant for kayaking in rough water. At 16 feet long with moderately raked bow and stern, it has a fairly short waterline for good maneuverability. On flat water it topped out at 5 knots, a respectable speed for a boat of its length, and slipped along at nearly 4 knots with little effort.
The Romany has good initial stability that even novice paddlers should find comforting, and the secondary stability is very solid for aggressive kayakers who’ll edge the boat for quick maneuvering. The keyhole cockpit has good clearance for getting in and out and the molded thigh-brace flanges make for good control of the kayak. The cockpit sits low around the waist and has a very solid connection to the boat, with great freedom of movement from the hips up. The low aft deck is perfect for doing a full layback.
With the skeg retracted, the Romany tracks well and carves tight turns when edged. The bulkhead aft of the seat is placed at the aft edge of the coaming for easy and complete emptying of the cockpit after a wet exit. The impression I had of the Romany was that it was a kayak that had no idiosyncrasies I’d have to get used to. It was ready for whatever I’d paddle it into.
The Romany is available in two alternate configurations: The Romany S for larger paddlers and the Romany LV for smaller paddlers.
$3,395
Nigel Dennis Kayaks
www.seakayakinguk.com
Best Sit-on-Top Kayak
Tarpon 120 by Wilderness Systems
The Tarpon 120 is one of five kayaks in the line of Tarpon sit-on-top kayaks ranging in length from 10’ to 16’. The 120 is 12’ long and 28” wide. It is available in rotomolded plastic at 60 pounds or in thermoformed plastic (pictured here) at 43 pounds. Both versions have a list capacity of 350 pounds. With my 210 pounds aboard I still had ½” of “freeboard” showing in the scuppers, so I was happily seated in a dry cockpit. The seat was quite comfortable and the foot braces were solid. The stability of the Tarpon 120 is very good, making a good platform for fishing or photography. Some SOTs are wide enough to stand up in, but the Tarpon 120 isn’t wide enough for that. The tradeoff for higher stability, of course, is a wider beam and the 28” beam of the Tarpon 120 isn’t so wide that it got in the way of paddling. Underway the Tarpon tracked well, and, as I expected, was quite maneuverable. It was hard to get the Tarpon pushed up to nearly 5 knots, but it’s not a boat meant for speed: most kayakers fish with a rod and reel, not a harpoon. It coasts along easily at 3.5 to 4 knots. The cargo well in the stern (or tank well if you’re a SCUBA diver) has good storage capacity and a hatch forward of the seat provides access to small items in a recess in the deck.
$1,450 (Ultralite) or $850 (rotomolded plastic)
Wilderness Systems
www.wildernesssystems.com
Best Extended Touring Kayak
Explorer by Nigel Dennis Kayaks
The Explorer is the Romany’s younger sister. At 17’ 8” long and 21 ½” wide it is 20” longer but no wider. The longer hull gives the Explorer 20 percent more volume for cargo and a bit more speed. With a top end of 6.25 knots, I found it a half knot faster than the Romany. The Explorer has more footroom and legroom for larger paddlers but the keyhole cockpit has the same secure fit as the Romany and the same ease of entry and exit. The aft deck is similarly low to provide full clearance for a head-to-the-deck layback; it’s an excellent boat for rolling.
The stability profile is very good—the initial and the secondary stability inspire confidence. I could get the coaming dipped in the water and still feel solid support. With an edged turn the Explorer is quite maneuverable and still tracks well, even with its skeg retracted. The three cargo compartments are accessed through round VCP hatch covers: 10” covers for the fore and aft compartments and 7 ½” for the day compartment.
The Explorer has the capacity for carrying a lot of gear but it doesn’t have the feel of a large boat. Without a load of camping equipment aboard, it’s a lively kayak that makes day paddling a pleasure.
$2,999
Nigel Dennis Kayaks
www.seakayakinguk.com
Best Open Water Racing Kayak
18X by Epic Kayaks
It’s easy to see why our readers liked the 18X for open water racing. It’s fast. I could sprint at 7.3 knots and even get a peek at 7.5 knots on my GPS. At my top speed the 18X still felt “slippery” and could take more power. It didn’t go noticeably out of trim or start throwing a big wake.
The 18X doesn’t give up on the comforts and functions of a touring kayak in pursuit of speed. It has pretty good initial stability without the twitchiness often associated with fast hulls. The secondary stability is solid enough for confident edging.
There is plenty of room for a comfortable and secure fit in the cockpit, and I could get locked into thigh braces for edging or bring my knees to the center of the cockpit opening to add leg drive and hip rotation to the stroke. The 18’ long 18X naturally tracks well and even responds to edging with a broad but useful carved turn. A pivoting section of the stern keeps the rudder yoke and cables safer and tidily concealed under a small hatch.
The seat has enough contour to be comfortable and the absence of padding makes hip rotation practical. There is plenty of space for cargo aboard—the stern compartment is low but long—and generous hatch openings to ease packing. All of my capsize drills—wet exits, rolls, reenter and roll, cowboy scramble—went well. If you have the paddling power and technique, the 18X will be a good way to put them to use and get you places very quickly.
$3,995 (Ultra) or $2,995 (Performance)
Epic Kayaks
www.epickayaks.com
Best Woman’s Touring Kayak
Eliza by Necky Kayaks
The Eliza was specifically designed to provide women with an appropriately sized kayak that would have a comfortable cockpit. With a 15’ 3” length and a 21” beam, the Eliza is meant to fit paddlers up to about 150 pounds. With a fairly short waterline, the Eliza doesn’t have a high top end speed (though the 5.5 knots I was able to hit after I squeezed my 200-plus-pound frame into the cockpit is quite respectable) but it is important to make a distinction between a fast kayak and an easily driven kayak. No one paddles a touring kayak at its top speed for long. Most of the time we paddle at a pace that is comfortable or that allows us to keep up with our paddling companions. By making the Eliza comparatively short and narrow, Necky reduced its wetted surface, the principal factor in determining resistance at low speeds. The result is a kayak that takes less effort to propel at cruising speeds. By keeping the decks low, the Eliza designers kept windage to a minimum to ease the handling of the kayak in a blow. To better fit female paddlers, the Eliza’s cockpit was made shorter and wider than is typical. The seat is quite long and provides good support under the thighs.
With the Eliza, smaller paddlers—particularly women—have a boat that fits well and won’t leave them struggling to keep up with their companions.
The Eliza also comes in a rotomolded plastic (SK Dec. ‘07). It is a half inch longer and an inch wider than the composite version and equipped with a rudder instead of a skeg.
$2,599 (composite) or $1,349 (polymer)
Necky Kayaks
www.neckykayaks.com
Best Take-Apart Kayak
Khatsalano by Feathercraft
Feathercraft once again wins the award for the best folder, but it is the Khatsalano, instead of the K1 Expedition, that brought in the most votes. The construction of the Khatsalano is similar: aluminum tubing longitudinals supported by polyethylene frames and covered with Duratec hull and Polytec fabric deck.
The Khatsalano is a compact boat. The decks are low and the footroom limited, but that keeps the windage low. The Khatsalano tracks well and is very maneuverable when edged. The initial stability isn’t so twitchy that you can’t enjoy taking a break, and secondary stability is solid when you’re edging. It has a good turn of speed with an easy 4-knot cruising speed and a top end close to 6 knots. The snug fit in the cockpit makes rolling the Khatsalano a breeze. The aluminum tubes that serve as thigh braces cross over the meat of the thighs and are quite comfortable in spite of their small diameter. The hull has an enjoyable flexibility in waves that softens the impact of rough water and offers a connection with the water absent in rigid-hulled kayaks.
The Khatsalano is appropriately recommended by the manufacturer for intermediate to advanced paddlers. The extra stability that might make a beginner more comfortable has been traded for better performance that kayakers with good paddling skills will appreciate.
$5,501.69 or $5,694.73 (Khatsalano-S)
Feathercraft
www.feathercraft.com
Best Kit Sea Kayak
Chesapeake 17 by Chesapeake Light Craft
The Chesapeake 17 is a single-chined stitch-and-glue kayak with an arched deck and a keyhole cockpit. We reviewed the Chesapeake 17 in our June 1999 issue, two years after the boat was introduced to the market. The kayak is made of 4 mm okoume plywood and sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy. The weight of a Chesapeake 17 is going to vary according to the builder but should finish up around 45 pounds, quite light for a large kayak designed for paddlers from 180 to 250 pounds. There is plenty of room for big paddlers in the cockpit and for plenty of cruising gear in the cargo compartments. With its 17’ length and 24” beam the Chesapeake 17, according to one of our reviewers, “feels big but it is nimble enough to be a fun performer.” Another reviewer “enjoyed paddling the Chesapeake and found I covered long distances easily. It was fun playing around in rough, confused waters.” The kit includes written instructions, a 60-minute DVD on the building process, pre-cut plywood parts, deck rigging, foot braces, epoxy and fiberglass, seat, and back band. At a price under $800, the Chesapeake 17 is an affordable way to get on the water in a versatile touring kayak.
$790
Chesapeake Light Craft
www.clcboats.com
Best Inflatable Kayak
Helios by Innova Kayaks
If the rule about boat size is true—the bigger the boat, the less often it gets used—the Helios is in for a lot of use. It is compact enough when deflated to be easily carried in the trunk of a car and small and light enough when inflated to be hauled to and paddled in places few other vessels could go. Audrey Sutherland proved that small inflatable kayaks like the Helios are capable of long coastal voyages, but I suspect most Helios owners like it for the short outings: fishing small lakes, touring along the coast and drifting down lazy rivers.
The Helios is sturdily built but it fits in a small backpack and its 24-pound weight is easy to carry. It goes from folded up to afloat in not much more than five minutes. The 10’ 2” Helios is very maneuverable and while its stern can be outfitted with a rudder, it’s not really needed. It can improve tracking, but I’d leave it off until conditions required its use to keep on course.
The Helios is a very comfortable boat to be in. The stability is great and the inflated air chambers are as comfortable as any living room sofa. There’s an inflatable cushion anchored by a strap to the bottom of the boat that serves as a foot brace. Remove the foot brace and you can slide forward and lie down in the cockpit. Add a quiet pond on a warm afternoon and you have the makings for a relaxing escape from the daily grind.
$849
Innova Kayaks
www.innovakayak.com
Best Double Kayak
Passat by Seaward Kayaks
We reviewed the Passat in 1999, and it was a hit with the reviewers: “The Passat is a rewarding boat to paddle. It had none of the bulky feel of many other doubles. It is a very comfortable boat to paddle in rough water and is a well thought-out and sensibly equipped double.” “This kayak will kick the pants off of other doubles.”
The 22’ Passat is long and lean. Its 26” beam is narrow in comparison to other doubles, where a beam of 28” to 30” is typical. The narrower beam gives the Passat a bit less stability than wider doubles, but it still has a feeling of stability greater than that of most singles. The narrow beam creates good clearance for paddling—especially for the stern paddler who sits just at the widest part of the kayak—and feels very much like paddling a single. The distance between the cockpits keeps paddles from clashing. On the Passat G3 (pictured) the cockpits are even farther apart, making room for a bulkheaded cargo or kid compartment in the middle of the kayak. The Passat will make good headway in sloppy water and a pair of strong paddlers can get the Passat moving at 6.5 knots. Loping along at a more relaxed pace, it is easy to sustain 5 knots. The Passat is a capable kayak that will, as one of our reviewers put it, “tempt a pair of motivated paddlers to perfect tandem rolls, braces and other advanced kayaking skills.”
$4,850 or $5,085 (Passat G3)
Seaward Kayaks
www.seawardkayaks.com
Best Racing Paddle
Mid Wing by Epic Kayaks
Epic’s Mid Wing is a repeat winner, having tied for first place in 2005 in the “Best High-End Paddle.” The Mid Wing is beautifully made. The weave of the carbon fiber blades is neatly laid and the shaft catches sunlight like polished tiger’s eye. The shaft is slightly oval in the area of the grips and very comfortable in the hands. Like all wing paddles, the Mid Wing requires a different paddling technique: a high stroke with the shaft approaching vertical and a lateral movement of the blade through the water. It is fairly easy to get the Mid Wing blades into the water cleanly and when you do the water almost feels thicker, like warm honey. With the Mid Wing’s solid purchase in the water, you need to use good torso rotation and even hip drive to put it to good use.
The ferrule allows the blades to be set to any degree of feather and the shaft length to be adjusted over a ten-centimeter range. The carrying case provided with the paddle has a tethered wrench in it to help loosen the ferrule if your hands are too wet to get a good grip on it.
The Mid Wing has found favor among cruising kayakers. Freya Hoffmeister used one on her record-setting circumnavigation of New Zealand’s South Island. She lost the paddle during a very rough landing but it was later recovered by Paul Caffyn (SK, Oct. ‘08). Paul must have liked the paddle because he took it with him to Greenland.
$449
Epic Kayaks
www.epickayaks.com
Best Traditional Paddle
Klatwa by Feathercraft
The majority of the survey responses to traditional paddle were to homemade Greenland paddles, but the most votes for a single manufactured traditional paddle were cast for Feathercraft’s Klatwa. It’s a tricky thing to market a paddle that is typically the province of home builders. It has to avoid having potential buyers reckon they could make it themselves, and it has to perform exceptionally well. The Klatwa does well on both counts. The tapered inner laminate of ash, the splined blade edges and the fiberglass (carbon) ferrule all encourage the kayaker to pull out his credit card rather than his spokeshave. The red-cedar blades are shaped to a fine edge that is only practical because of the ash reinforcing splines. The blades are thin and light, and while those aren’t the qualities I look for in a paddle for Greenland-style rolling, they are very well suited for paddling. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well the Klatwa moved a kayak. The blades have an immaculate entry and exit. Using the Greenland stroke—driving the paddle edgewise in and out of the water—generates plenty of power. It was an extraordinary thing to be paddling at full power with little more than a slight whisper of noise. The water was hardly stirred. The Klatwa may have the look of a traditional paddle but it performs like a Stealth jet.
$318.42
Feathercraft
www.feathercraft.com
Best Everyday Paddle
Camano by Werner Paddles
The Camano is a repeat winner for our best everyday paddle category. The Camano is a classic, now approaching the end of its second decade on the market. It is designed for a relaxed low-angle stroke. The Camano’s dihedral shape keeps the paddle stable in the water and gives the blade strength with a minimal amount of materials. Its asymmetrical shape keeps the blade well-balanced for a low-angle stroke. TheCamano1.jpg medium-sized blade and soft touch at the catch is easy on the arms and shoulders, so for those paddlers with joint problems the Camano will help ease the strain of paddling. It can provide the power cruiser’s need for the long haul without the impact and strain. A 220 cm Camano weighs in at just over 27 ounces, a weight that won’t wear you out.
Werner’s ferrule allows the blades to be set in increments of 15 degrees from unfeathered to 90 degrees. The ferrule is locked and unlocked with a simple push button, so you won’t need to struggle with an over-tightened threaded collar.
If you like to kayak at a relaxed pace and take in the scenery, the Camano’s light touch in your hands will let you enjoy the ride.
$265 (straight shaft) or $340 (neutral bent shaft)
Werner Paddles
www.wernerpaddles.com
Best Performance Touring Paddle
Ikelos by Werner Paddles
Werner Paddles markets their Ikelos as: “an aggressive High Angle design for well conditioned and experienced paddlers who want a durable paddle with a powerful catch and smooth linking strokes.” The Ikelos is certainly all of that. Its foam-cored blade has a rounded ridge on the power face and a smooth curved back face. The blade goes cleanly into the water not only with a high-angle stroke, but even if you relax a bit and use a lower angle on the paddle. Once planted, the 710-sq cm blade has a good purchase on the water—not quite at the level of a wing paddle, but I could certainly feel the pull across my back.
The blade braces well. It has plenty of area for support and the faces slide easily across the water. Because the low brace is a commonly used technique for maintaining stability while under way, it’s good that the Ikelos offers so little drag with its back face in a low brace position. Sculling is slick and effective with the Ikelos: It generates thrust while offering little resistance to moving edgewise through the water.
The ferrule offers feathering adjustments in increments of 15 degrees. My normal angle of feather is about 65 degrees, but I had no trouble adapting to 60 degrees. The bent shaft version we tried weighed in at 26.5 ounces (straight shaft is 2.5 ounces lighter). It was light in the hands but not lightweight when it came to power and versatility.
$380 (straight shaft) or $455 (neutral bent shaft)
Werner Paddles
www.wernerpaddles.com
Best Wetsuit
Farmer John by NRS
The Farmer John wetsuit from Northwest River Supply (NRS) is another repeat Readers Choice winner. The Farmer John is a versatile piece of immersion wear and NRS’s most popular wetsuit. The 3-mm neoprene has fabric facings inside and out and titanium added to the adhesive between layers to reflect heat back to the wearer. The armholes are cut large to prevent chafe and the ankles have zippers to make the Farmer John easier to pull on over large feet and seal over neoprene booties. The seams are glued and sewn on the outside only so the inside is smooth. The long front zipper is backed with a neoprene flap to retard water seeping through the zip. Reinforced knees and seat resist wear where the pressure on the suit is the highest. The reinforcement at the knees doesn’t extend into the area where most thigh braces are so there’s not extra bulk where you need a closer fit. At $115, you get a good margin of safety for paddling cold water at an economical price.
$115
NRS
www.nrsweb.com
Best Drysuit
Meridian by Kokatat
Kokotat designed the Meridian as a drysuit for paddlers. The waist has an overskirt that covers the spray skirt to create a more effective seal for keeping water out of the kayak. The seat and knees are reinforced to provide durability for the parts of the suit that are in contact with the cockpit. The latex gaskets at the neck and wrists are protected by stretch fabric punch-through cuffs. The Gore-Tex fabric’s breathability is an essential quality in a drysuit that keeps perspiration from saturating the insulating layers worn under the suit. The seams are all sealed with tape fused to the fabric. The Meridian has one pocket just below the neck, a good place to keep your car keys. The Meridian is available with options for relief zips (front or drop seat) and Gore-Tex socks instead of latex ankle gaskets (pictured).
A well-built drysuit like the Meridian doesn’t come cheap, but the protection and comfort make it worth the price.