Paul,

Thanks for the input!

About a month ago I asked about the EPIC kayaks and received excellent
feedback. Later the dealer was able to order a few different sizes but that
did not work. The problem was that I could not get into the 16 or the 18
footer EPIC.

I am new to this too. Been kayaking for about 5 years every weekend rain or
shine. Explored almost 80% of lakes in northern Cali, surfed in my sit on
top at San Mateo beaches and the Stinson beach. Done some exploring in the
ocean and the caves in the Fort Brag area. Picked up an Epic wing paddle
last year and normally sustain a 5-6MPH on a lake and do 10+ miles every
weekend (and hence looking for a faster boat). I just want to be able to do
this as the winter approaches without sitting in water for a few hours and
hence a sit in boat. Been looking for one for the past couple of years and
could not find one that I can get in and out quickly. Except for the two
that I mentioned.

Both boats had so much legroom that I did not touch the walls. Capella was
the easiest to get in and out of. Solstice had sharp edges and had more hip
room.





"Paul Stivers" wrote in message
...
John Fereira wrote:

"TallGuyCA" wrote in
:

Hi,

I finally found two kayaks that I can fit in! I actually sat in both
and could get in and out easily. The British made P& H Capella
http://www.phseakayaks.com/our-kayaks-capella and Current Designs
Soltice GT XL http://www.cdkayak.com/kayaks/comps/solsticegtxl.asp .

I'll be trying them next Sunday but want your input before I make a
purchase decision. I am looking for a relatively fast boat that is
sea worthy for a 230 LBS, 6'5" with a shoe size of 13 can fit in it.

Given the choice between the two on your short list it's pretty much
up to you at this point. Both are fine boats that have already met
one of the most important criteria (fit). Paddle them both and decide
which one you like the most. If it's a tie, look at the overall
construction and details. Whichever boat you choose you're not going
to lose.

For the record, I'm a fairly new paddler, and have been looking at a lot
of boats lately. I'd be surprised if both boats meet the fit criteria
equally for TallGuy. True, he can fit in both of them, but one probably
fits better, as the Capella probably has a smaller cockpit than the
Solstice GT XL. I think he's just saying that in each he can get the
foot pegs extended far enough and his feet don't hit the under side of
the deck. But then there's width at the hips, vertical distance from
seat to thigh braces, forward position of thigh braces relative to seat,
spread of thigh braces. Granted, he could pad a larger cockpit out to
fit better if he wants to put the work into it, but he might have
preferred a lower deck or narrower boat in the first place rather than
padding.

If your point is that we can't tell him which boat is better for him, I
agree. We can point out some of the differences though. These boats
strike me as two ends of the spectrum for a beginner (I'm making an
assumption here). TallGuy might be happier with something in between and
maybe should keep looking.

Just my thoughts,

--
Paul S.