After test driving a few different manufacturers I really liked the
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. I am considering getting this model in
the Duralite material. If anyone has had any experience with either
Wilderness Systems kayaks or with this material please let me know how
it went. Duralite is 10 pounders lighter but has a beam installed up
the middle to keep it stiff.

"echinacea" wrote in news:1147716687.628836.269740
@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

After test driving a few different manufacturers I really liked the
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. I am considering getting this model in
the Duralite material. If anyone has had any experience with either
Wilderness Systems kayaks or with this material please let me know how
it went. Duralite is 10 pounders lighter but has a beam installed up
the middle to keep it stiff.

I've paddled quite a few of the Wilderness Systems boats (the first "real"
sea kayak I paddled was a fiberglass Sealution and I learned to roll in an
old W.S. Alto) but in general I've not been that impressed with their
designs. The Arctic Hawk is an exception but it's actually a composite
layup of a Mark Rogers (Superior Kayaks) design.

From a brief glance at the W.S. web site there are few things about the
Tsunami I see as pluses. The site claims that it has the "Tempest" deck
rigging, which is probably one of the nicest deck rigging layouts around.

While I don't generally care for a complex, highly adjustable seat, a lot of
people really like the phase 3 seat and having adjustable thigh braces is
not something one often finds in that class. The slidelock foot pegs look
interesting and although I've never used them if they provide a fixed foot
position for a rudder equipped kayak that's a plus. That said, it seems
that W.S. has spending an inordinate amount of R&D dollars over the past
few years on "comfort" features. They seem to be trying to sell features
like the "latest technology" in foot braces, "phase 3 seats" (reminds me of
made up marketing buzz words used to sell low cost stereo equipment), and
"Gen 2" plastic, rather than marketing their models on paddling performance.

Similarly, while I really don't know anything about the "DuraLite"
polyethelene, the fact that it has a "beem up the middle to keep it stiff"
raises a red flag. It sounds to me like it has a stiffening beem to
*compensate* for the fact that the plastic is too thin. Adding the warnings
about storing and transporting the boat and keeping it out of the sun (all
good practices anyway) sends up a red flags that the material might not be
robust enough for hard use. Yes, it may be 10 pounds lighter, unless there
are some physical limitations in carrying a boat from a vehicle to the water
and back, it's not a huge advantage. I doubt that most people could tell
the difference while actually paddling a 56 pound kayak from a 46 pounds
kayak, and since most of the kayaks use is actually paddling it (rather than
carrying it), it may not be a significant advantage. I would be reluctant
in getting the Duralite version just because it's a new material (or at
least the process is) that hasn't had years of testing. I would hate to buy
a boat and find out a couple of years later that the material dents or warps
easily.

On 15-May-2006, John Fereira wrote:

a lot of people really like the phase 3 seat

The seat is nice, but the backrest is way too tall. It can interfere with the
sprayskirt and forget about anything resembling a layback. A backband
with that seat bottom would be pretty good combination for a lot of paddlers.

Mike

"Michael Daly" wrote in
:


On 15-May-2006, John Fereira wrote:

a lot of people really like the phase 3 seat

The seat is nice, but the backrest is way too tall. It can interfere
with the sprayskirt and forget about anything resembling a layback.

I've found that the be common with a lot of kayak seats. It's unfortunate
that vendors are promoting comfortable kayaking at the expense of
encouraging poor posture resulting in inefficient paddling.

A
backband with that seat bottom would be pretty good combination for a
lot of paddlers.

I really like the backband I put into my old fiberglass VCP Skerray. I cut
a swatch out of an old plastic garbage "can", drilled a couple of hole in it
so that I could attach it to the molded in cheek plates, and padded it with
a bit of closed cell foam. It's very comfortable and doesn't restrict a
layback roll.

Last year I purchased a 120 Pungo. I really like it and have had it 2'-3'
waves in Narragansett Bay and it is very stable. The seat is comfortable and
the boat moves pretty good, although I have never been in a really expensive
sea kayak so I can only compare it to my SOT which moves ok but is tiring
for a long haul.

I thought about the duralight and then I thought of all the rocks and
barnacles I hit and desided I could lift the few extra pounds if it meant no
holes.

MY 2 cents
CTW

"echinacea" wrote in message
oups.com...
After test driving a few different manufacturers I really liked the
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. I am considering getting this model in
the Duralite material. If anyone has had any experience with either
Wilderness Systems kayaks or with this material please let me know how
it went. Duralite is 10 pounders lighter but has a beam installed up
the middle to keep it stiff.

I paddle a tsunami 145 in the Puget Sound area./ Have enjoyed the boat a
lot. Mine is plastic, and has one bad habit, when doing a swimmer rescue, or
even a self rescue from the port side, it is very easy to knock the rear
hatch cove off the hatch. purt near guarantee that it will ruin your day.
Other than that the boat is good. Somewhat slow, but very stable, very dry
(with hatch covers on), and a fun ride. I am 6'3", about 240 lbs, and not an
expert paddler by any means, but I like the boat. Will put some straps
across the rear hatch and think that will solve the problem

I've been paddling a WS Tsunami 145 in duralite for a year now (I'm
6'2", about 210 lbs, and had around 45 years of experience canoeing
before I started kayaking). I chose the Tsunami after paddling lots of
similar boats at the Paddlefest in Inlet last year. It felt more stable,
was easier to get into, and had more foot room than other boats in it's
class. I paddle on fairly quiet fla****er (e.g., L. Champlain), and have
been very pleased with the boat. It's fast enough for me, seems to
weather cock a bit, but in general tracks well. In like having a
comfortable seat, and not found any problems with the seat interfering
with a spray skirt, but as I've not yet learned to roll, don't know
anything about the potential for issues with a layback (whatever that is
).

For me and my 52 year old shoulders, the weight difference is a plus,
particularly when loading the boat after a couple of hours of paddling.
I did find that using a hull-a-port, the hull deformed when strapped
down. I've solved that by adding a longer support to the rack.

Hope this helps.

echinacea wrote:
After test driving a few different manufacturers I really liked the
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. I am considering getting this model in
the Duralite material. If anyone has had any experience with either
Wilderness Systems kayaks or with this material please let me know how
it went. Duralite is 10 pounders lighter but has a beam installed up
the middle to keep it stiff.

On 16-May-2006, "mike" wrote:

Mine is plastic, and has one bad habit, when doing a swimmer rescue, or
even a self rescue from the port side, it is very easy to knock the rear
hatch cove off the hatch. purt near guarantee that it will ruin your day.

My only experience with that kayak is watching someone practice reentries in a pool.
He knocked the rear hatch cover off with ease.

I don't know why these kayak makers insist on trying to mate a flexible rubber/urethane
type hatch cover on a blow-molded kayak's hatch rim. The tolerances on making
a plastic kayak are so poor that the chances of getting it right are almost nil. It
would be better (though more expensive in terms of labour) to make a flat area around
the hatch opening and bolt and seal in a proper ring like you see on the composite
kayaks.

Make sure the damn thing's tethered at least.

Mike

On 16-May-2006, "Michael Daly" wrote:

a blow-molded kayak's

Make that roto-molded. Sigh, what was I thinking?

Mike