When I tried both of the boats I was cramped in the 165 but fit well in the
170. I believe the cockpit depth had alot to do with that since it's and
inch more in the 170. The length of the cockpit on the 170 is a little
longer as well by a half inch. The seat and thigh braces are highly
adjustable as well so that will help.

As for the day hatches they worked well for me in both regular touring and
in the surf. I watched the designer do eddyline stern squirts in his kayak
where the entire back half of the boat was submerged vertically and they
stayed on just fine.

In any case if there's a boat that you like and everything fits just fine
except the length of the legs, you can always remove the foot braces and
lower the rail.

Courtney


According to their web site, they both have the same size cockpit.
However, it's 34x18, which is somewhat bigger than most (CD Solstice
XL = 31x16 and that's one of the biggest kayaks made!).



Well, with any luck, I'll be able to try one of these on the water next
weekend. But even so, the deck height was very low and the seat appeared
to be all the way back, so I suspect this boat would cramp a bit. I have
rather long legs, so that may be part of the problem.

One issue I have with the quality of the boat (and it may be a non-issue)
is the hatch covers - they look rather weak to me, and seem they could be
easily pulled off when you don't want them off...