Ken wrote:

Wade,

I like the Poseidon as well, it's a good solid craft ... unfortunately
it just doesn't inspire me that much. I was gonna buy a Poseidon for
my third kayak but the Pintail is faster, turns better, is at least as
good in rough water, surfs great and ... I have way more fun in it
than the Poseidon. At my size, the Pintail isn't exactly roomy but
neither is my low volume Outer Island. The Pintail has just always
made this "Come play with me!" impression on me.

That's the allure of the Pintail

When you paddled the Pintail ... what didn't you like about it?

I'm smaller than you (6', 175#) and have owned a Pintail for a couple of years. It's my go-to boat for
rough water and rock play. It's a great boat and I wouldn't be without one. However, there are only two
downsides to it, performance-wise:

- It's SLOW. It paddles fine up to 4 knots or so, then hits a wall...hard. This is especially noticeable
on flat water, but on rough water, it keeps up with faster boats pretty well. I also have an Anas Acuta
(same length, rocker, etc.) and it doesn't exhibit this behavior to the same degree. If the Pintail is
slower than the Poseidon, the latter must be a real pig!

- With the skeg up, the bow hunts around like a bird dog in a corn field. The running joke is that on a
given trip, Pintail owners paddle twice as far, since their boats never go in a straight line. ;-) I
find I end up paddling with the skeg 1/4 down, except when playing in the rough stuff. This seems to be
common among Pintail owners who prefer not to have to correct the boat's course constantly.

There are two distinct versions of the Pintail, aside from the ocean cockpit/kehole cockpit options.
Older boats have flat aft decks and a very rounded hull. Newer boats have arched aft decks and fuller,
squarer bilges. The Pintail "afficionados" I paddle with seem to prefer the older boats, as do I, but at
your weight and height, the newer version may suit you better..

--
Regards

Brian