I tried the Avocet on the weekend and loved it. But based on comments
that it's not the best boat for a 255 pound guy so I tried the Skerray,
which is similar, but bigger. And for some reason, while it was nice and
all, it didn't grab me the way the Avocet did.

For one thing, it didn't track straight at all, until I put down the skeg
a tiny bit. (If I put it down all the way I can't turn the thing at all!)
For another thing, the seat wasn't as tight a fit - maybe it was a bit
more comfortable, but I didn't have the same control over the boat.

Actually, I was hoping to find a boat that tracked straight with a skeg
and which I could spin when I raised the skeg, and this seems to fit the
bill pretty well.

So maybe all I need to do is custom fit this one a bit better and I'll
love it.

Still need to try both of them out on the lake in the waves a bit.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"You can get anything you want on Alice's NNTP server."

Paul Tomblin wrote:
I tried the Avocet on the weekend and loved it. But based on comments
that it's not the best boat for a 255 pound guy so I tried the Skerray,
which is similar, but bigger. And for some reason, while it was nice and
all, it didn't grab me the way the Avocet did.

For one thing, it didn't track straight at all, until I put down the skeg
a tiny bit. (If I put it down all the way I can't turn the thing at all!)
For another thing, the seat wasn't as tight a fit - maybe it was a bit
more comfortable, but I didn't have the same control over the boat.

Actually, I was hoping to find a boat that tracked straight with a skeg
and which I could spin when I raised the skeg, and this seems to fit the
bill pretty well.

Exactly. It needs a bit of skeg to keep them in line, at least until you
develop a good enough feel for them to control them with just the paddle
and body English.

So maybe all I need to do is custom fit this one a bit better and I'll
love it.

It's very simple to add a bit of padding where necessary. If the boat
suits you otherwise, that's the best way to go.

Still need to try both of them out on the lake in the waves a bit.

I think you'll find that they're both excellent. The Skerray is
significantly more stable, but it's a personal preference.

In a previous article, Brian Nystrom said:
Paul Tomblin wrote:
So maybe all I need to do is custom fit this one a bit better and I'll
love it.

It's very simple to add a bit of padding where necessary. If the boat
suits you otherwise, that's the best way to go.

What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there a way
to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Illiterate? Write for help!

On 27-Aug-2004, (Paul Tomblin) wrote:

What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there a way
to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.

The backband is to keep you from sliding off the back of the seat. It is
not a backrest. If you're paddling correctly, your spine is sloped slightly
forward.

Mike

In a previous article, "Michael Daly" said:
On 27-Aug-2004, (Paul Tomblin) wrote:
What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there a way
to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.

The backband is to keep you from sliding off the back of the seat. It is
not a backrest. If you're paddling correctly, your spine is sloped slightly
forward.

I notice it when I stop to rest. Since I paddle with my wife, I stop to
wait for her a lot. Maybe I'll just glue some microcell along the back of
the coaming, but I'm worried that would interfere with the skirt.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
You have to say every day "Today is going to be a really bad day" and prepare
for it. But you have to do it on an organisational level. You can't do it on
an individual level or your stomach lining corrodes. -- James Reason

(Paul Tomblin) wrote in
:

In a previous article, "Michael Daly" said:
On 27-Aug-2004, (Paul Tomblin) wrote:
What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there
a way to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.

The backband is to keep you from sliding off the back of the seat. It
is not a backrest. If you're paddling correctly, your spine is sloped
slightly forward.

I notice it when I stop to rest. Since I paddle with my wife, I stop
to wait for her a lot. Maybe I'll just glue some microcell along the
back of the coaming, but I'm worried that would interfere with the
skirt.

I've got a Skerray (an old fiberglass version) that I had to rebuild a seat
for. The original seat was made of rubber and finally cracked and
deteriorated to the point that it basically fell apart (the boat itself is
15 years old). I built a seat using minicell foam and the backband using a
piece of plastic from a garbage "can". The plastic is padded with minicell
foam and beveled toward the cockpit. It gives me enough lower back support
when I'm paddling but when I want to lay back my back doesn't hit the
cockpit rim.

On the last boat I built I put the rear bulkhead just behind the cockpit rim
and glued a "ramp" of carved minicell foam for lower back support instead of
a traditional backband. It's quite comfortable. As Michael mentioned, when
paddling correctly your spine should be sitting with an upright posture with
your spine slightly forward. It's very common to see paddlers sitting in
their kayaks as if they're in a lounge chair. Doing so locks your lower
body to your torso, making edging and torso rotation much more difficult.

BTW, I have been very happy with my Skerray but have thought about selling
it a couple of times since I have two other touring boats but everytime I
paddle it I dismiss the idea. I don't find it exceptionally more stable
than an Avocet but don't find that it tracks much worse than an Avocet
either. There are some things I do like about the Avocet more than the
Skerray (lower rear deck, secondary stability) though.

There are plenty of other boats out there other than the Skerray and the
Avocet though.

http://www.immersionresearch.com/pro...cessories.html) I, too
have a Skerray and have thought of doing that myself.

I love the boat, it's great for day outings and extended trips. Once
you get the hang of it you won't need the skeg as often. I weigh
about 40 pounds less than you, but have paddled it with ~50 pounds of
gear and it goes great. It's more stable when loaded, not that
stability when unloaded is a problem.

In the boat I demoed the foot pegs were not as far out as I would have
liked (and I don't have particularly long legs). It turns out that
the shop installed them - I had them refrain from installing the pegs
on the boat I ordered and installed them myself. I was able to gain
an extra inch or so, limited by the forward bulkhead. I also asked
them not to install the thigh braces (attached under the cockpit rim)
so I could fit them to me - never needed them badly enough to install
them.

Scott


(Paul Tomblin) wrote in message ...
In a previous article, Brian Nystrom said:
Paul Tomblin wrote:
So maybe all I need to do is custom fit this one a bit better and I'll
love it.

It's very simple to add a bit of padding where necessary. If the boat
suits you otherwise, that's the best way to go.

What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there a way
to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.

Paul Tomblin wrote:

In a previous article, Brian Nystrom said:

Paul Tomblin wrote:

So maybe all I need to do is custom fit this one a bit better and I'll
love it.

It's very simple to add a bit of padding where necessary. If the boat
suits you otherwise, that's the best way to go.


What about the back of the seat? It seems very low to me. Is there a way
to replace that? It looks like it just straps in.

VCP backbands are pretty miserable contraptions, but they ARE the right
height. You don't want or need a taller backrest, just a better, more
comfortable one. The purpose of a backband is to support your hips, not
your back. A tall back will chafe as your torso rotates and it will
interfere with re-entering your boat. Immersion Research, Bomber Gear,
Voyageur and others make good backbands that can be adapted to the
Skerray. However, I'd recommend getting one with webbing straps and
staying away from ratchets. They're heavy, failure prone (especially in
salt water) and the straps are too stiff for use in a sea kayak, in my
experience. The adjustability is something that you're not likely to use
in a sea kayak, either. I.R. will custom make backbands without the
ratchets if you ask them to. I have a couple of their "Reggie" model
without ratchets and they work great. With this particular backband, you
can simply choose not use the ratchets on the stock version, since there
are webbing straps attached to it already.