vee wrote:
Thanks to both of you. From your feedback I surmise that the Skerray
would be the best choice but the Walden Passage is a good boat until I
figure out what I want be when I grow up. I live in W.NY and my initial
usage will probably be a mix of finger lakes, small rivers and the
canal. These trips will probably be evenings after work, 1/2 day
Saturdays and a rare overnight. I have not tried the Passage but will
attempt to locate one. I have tried the smaller Waldens at Bay Creek
but found the deck height too low to get comfortable. I don't have any
rolling skills so the mention that it rolls well was encouraging
because i was concerned about the width 24". I am in my 50's , 5'10
,190# and size 10 shoes. Fit has been the issue with some other boats.
I tried a CD Squamish and it felt tight that's why I asked about the
Sirocco. Based on price the Passage is a winner and if $ were not an
issue to the Skerray would be the way to go? My concern is probably
the same as other first time buyers afraid to buy too low or too much
for our beginning usage. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Wow, this is serious Deja-vu. I bought my Passage knowing that it was
not going to be my first-and-last boat. I fully expected that I would
end up buying something else in relatively short order, which in my case
was 9 months later. Like you, I expected to paddle mainly small to
medium sized fresh water bodies and felt the more compact size of the
Passage would be ideal. I also thought that I needed a really high
foredeck (I have a 36" inseam). Here's what I learned:

- I was right that it was not my be-all, end-all boat. I've owned a
total of ten boats in the five years I've been paddling. All of the
commercial boat except the Passage were purchased used and I've built
three skin-on-frame boats.

- My intention of staying on smaller waters didn't last long. The
ocean's more interesting coast and more "textured" waters drew me in
quickly. Although you may not travel to the coast, you're likely to be
looking for larger waters fairly quickly.

- Shorter is not always better, even in small waters. Although the
Skerray is 27" longer than the Passage, it's more maneuverable, which is
often the bigger consideration on smaller bodies of water.

- I definitely DON'T need a high foredeck. Even before I embraced
Greenland paddling and the low volume boats that go with it, I realized
that I didn't need a 13" foredeck, as I originally surmised. As John
pointed out, paddling form has everything to do with it. Although I
don't necessarily expect that you will end up paddling in the same style
I do, I've now gotten to the point that I pad my boats to provide no
more than 8" of space below the foredeck (I prefer ~7 1/2"), or build
them that way. The upshot is that you probably won't feel the same way
about foredeck height after you paddle for a while.

Please understand that I'm not trying to cram you into my mold, just
offering a perspective on what you're likely to discover going forward.