I called Bay Creek today to inquire about ordering a boat. Apparently
the bank chained the doors at Walden and they are unable to get a hold
of anyone regarding existing orders. I think I'll scratch them off my
list. My next choice was a Skerray and I was told there was a
distributor change going on and the new dist was possibly in RI. So
more uncertainty. I live in Pittsford if you wouldn't mind I would
like to take a look at your boat if you live in the area. I don't seem
to be having much luck. Perhaps I should stick with CD,WS or other
large mfgs? You can reply @ .

"vee" wrote in news:1101997353.066346.14610
@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

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.

I'm a bit south of you but still in your neck of the woods (Ithaca)
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.

The deck height is something that can take getting used to if you've
primarily paddled recreational boats up to now. If the foredeck feels too
low check your posture. Many seats on rec boats tend to encourage a bit of
a slouch. Leaning back against the seat with your knees bent up is not a
efficient paddling posture. If you sit upright with just your butt against
the seat back and lean slightly forward it will lower your legs and you
might find the deck height less restrictive.

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 was surprised that it rolled so well. There are easier boats to learn how
to roll in but the Passage would not bee too restrictive to learning.


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?

Someone else mentioned an VCP Avocet. If the place you are looking at that
has the Skerray also has an Avocet I'd recommend trying one. Even though
I've paddled a Skerray for seven years or so if I were to choose between a
Skerray RM or an Avocet I'd get the Avocet.

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.

I more depends on how you want to use the boat. If you're primarily just
going to be paddling casually the Passage will be fine. If you're hoping to
improve your skills so that you can paddle more challenging conditions you
might consider a more challenging boat.

In a previous article, John Fereira said:
Sirocco. Based on price the Passage is a winner and if $ were not an
issue to the Skerray would be the way to go?

Someone else mentioned an VCP Avocet. If the place you are looking at that
has the Skerray also has an Avocet I'd recommend trying one. Even though

Yes, they do - at least this summer they had two of them. I generally
paddled one and my wife paddled the other. I liked the Avocet better than
the rental Skerray generally but was told that a big guy like me (6'2",
250lbs) would probably be happier in a Skerray. Then I tried the "for
sale" Skerray, and realized that the things I liked best about the Avocet
(a really snug seat so I could move the boat around better with my hips,
good thigh pads, easier to use skeg control, a coaming that didn't cut
into your hands when you picked the boat up) were also present in the
Skerray, just not the one I'd been renting (which was a trade-in and had
been heavily customized by the previous owner).


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
D: is just a data disk. That's why it's called "D", for "DATA".
C: is the Windows OS disk, so it's called "C", for "CRAP".
-- David P. Murphy

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.

Do people think the Tempest fits into this mix? If so what would the
pros and cons of it be against the others?

Thanks to all for your advice. I recently purchased a new VCP Skerray
RMX.

"vee" wrote in news:1103763475.176147.316350
@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Thanks to all for your advice. I recently purchased a new VCP Skerray
RMX.


Congrats. I think it'll be a kayak that you can enjoy for a long time. If
you're the guy that is from the Rochester area, come on down to Ithaca
sometime next summer for a paddle.