Today I sat in a Solstice GT XL for the first time. This boat has a single
mind! It wants to go straight. That is without the rudder. Amazingly a
fast boat and no fear of using my wing paddle to the limit! Very stable.
Now, I have to learn how to roll and turn!
The Capella that I sat in at the store was about two inches longer in the
cockpit area. I was not very comfortable during my test of the demo today.
Boy that is a nicer boat. I think I'll go with the Capella so I have
something to achieve. It is about couple of inches narrower and sits higher
in the water, less stable for this in-experience boater.
Thank you all for giving me directions as to what you think.
See you on the water.
"Paul Stivers" wrote in message
...
"TallGuyCA" wrote:
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.
I wanted an epic but I did not fit in the 16 or the 18 footers!
Thank you in advance.
TallGuy,
I took a quick read, through google, of the earlier thread on the epic, I
didn't see anyone mention Boyd's big guy site. You're probably aware of
it but in case not, http://www.kayakplace.com/bigguy/bigcomp.htm
The two boats you mention strike me as very different. 2.25 inches in
width makes a lot of difference. Especially for a tall big paddler with
a lot of torso above the boat. A lot of companies will move the foot peg
track for you, as long as your feet don't hit the bulkhead or under side
of the deck, which may give you more options.
I'm 6 ft 3 in, 285 lb. I paddled a Wilderness Systems Tempest 180
prototype at the West Coast Sea Kayaking Symposium this last weekend that
was really nice. 18 ft by 23 in wide which is in between what your
looking at. Pretty fast boat. Excellent primary stability for a 23 inch
boat. It's re-designed from the ground up, hull and cockpit, to be a
Tempest for a big guy/gal. It won't come out until Feb, 2004 though.
You may know this too, but you can read about the Tempest, and other
boats you may be interested in at http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/ I'm
going to put a review of the Tempest 180 prototype on paddling.net this
weekend.
--
Paul S.