Paul Stivers wrote in message ...
John Fereira wrote:

"TallGuyCA" wrote in
:

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.

Given the choice between the two on your short list it's pretty much
up to you at this point. Both are fine boats that have already met
one of the most important criteria (fit). Paddle them both and decide
which one you like the most. If it's a tie, look at the overall
construction and details. Whichever boat you choose you're not going
to lose.

For the record, I?m a fairly new paddler, and have been looking at a lot
of boats lately. I?d be surprised if both boats meet the fit criteria
equally for TallGuy. True, he can fit in both of them, but one probably
fits better, as the Capella probably has a smaller cockpit than the
Solstice GT XL. I think he?s just saying that in each he can get the
foot pegs extended far enough and his feet don?t hit the under side of
the deck. But then there?s width at the hips, vertical distance from
seat to thigh braces, forward position of thigh braces relative to seat,
spread of thigh braces. Granted, he could pad a larger cockpit out to
fit better if he wants to put the work into it, but he might have
preferred a lower deck or narrower boat in the first place rather than
padding.

If your point is that we can?t tell him which boat is better for him, I
agree. We can point out some of the differences though. These boats
strike me as two ends of the spectrum for a beginner (I?m making an
assumption here). TallGuy might be happier with something in between and
maybe should keep looking.

Just my thoughts,

i am not new to paddling.
capella is a great boat but likely much to small.
the capella weight capacity likely caps at 170 or 180 lbs for comfort.
bigger guys or women who are experienced canoists can paddle it well
but if they are just entering the sport the initial tenderness of the
craft could drive then away before the joy of paddling can be
realized.
@ over 200 lbs and add 50 or 60 lbs of gear for camping the boat will
be too deep in the water to be much fun at all.
p and h make larger boats that are better suited to tall people, ndk,
valley and a host of american builders make fine boats as well.
i weigh 135 , add safety gear 15 lbs , the craft (capella) sits
nicely. add another 60 lbs for water, food, tent, sleeping bag and
thema rest, stove and some odds and ends the vessel performs a little
differently. add another 45 lbs to that for the paddler and the
capella would not be my favorite boat at all.
I know nothing of the other kayak mentioned but have paddled my
capella and a valley boat for a long time. the capella will not be
good for this gentleman.
sorry p & h .
oh i am very pleased with my dealings with p & h, i had a minor
problem that was sorted in days. the guys there are the best.

(Fiona) wrote:


i am not new to paddling.
capella is a great boat but likely much to small.
the capella weight capacity likely caps at 170 or 180 lbs for comfort.
bigger guys or women who are experienced canoists can paddle it well
but if they are just entering the sport the initial tenderness of the
craft could drive then away before the joy of paddling can be
realized.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I paddled a bunch of Brit style boats
at the WCSKS last weekend. All too tippy for my big inexperienced torso.
Exception was the Tempest 180 proto.

I only paddled it briefly a month ago, but the Solstice GT XL seemed to be
at the other extreme. Very stable, relatively slow, stiff tracker, doesn't
edge turn that well. I'm inexperienced at edge turns, so a more experienced
person might get it to turn better. But the Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5, for
example, edge turns very well for me. Only problem with the Highthwawk
17.5 is that the cockpit is huge, and the boat's a little on the slow site.
Not enough contact with the body unless you're built like a professional
linebacker.

TallGuy, you should only take our comments as food for thought. Definitely
paddle them and see what you think. If possible rent some boats for a day.
Many shops will deduct the cost of up to two rentals from the price of a
new boat.

In a ruddered boat, I really like the Northwest Discover hull. Pretty
fast, turns well, fits a big guy. I would put a Seal Line foot peg and
rudder system on it. I was talking to the Northwest designer at the
symposium. I think the factory will retrofit better footpegs for you upon
request, and for an added charge of course. Thigh braces would also need
to be added if you want really good lean and sculling control and want to
roll some day. And you'd have to be ok with the Styrofoam bulkheads (I
think they still use Styrofoam.) The hull is great though, IMO .

There should be other ruddered choices: Nimbus, Seaward for example.

--
Paul S.

Paul,

Just came back from the paddle fest, S.F. and you are right the Eddyline
Nighthawk 17.5 is roomy and is another boat that I can fit into but what can
you say about the material that they use. Is it sea worthy? If it is why
do they make an extreme version, special order only? I just sat in it
today. I'll have my local shop get me one to try.

Also, at the paddle fest today I met Brent Reitz, whom I have watched his
forward stroke clinic DVD. His is a real nice guy and the DVD is perfect
for getting up to speed with efficient paddling. I also met Greg Barton,
who won two Olympic medals and designed the wing paddle I use. He did not
talk much as he was getting ready for the forward stroke class he was
scheduled to teach. I did not stick around...Real fun day but would have
been more fun if I would have spent it on water....



"Paul Stivers" wrote in message
...
(Fiona) wrote:


i am not new to paddling.
capella is a great boat but likely much to small.
the capella weight capacity likely caps at 170 or 180 lbs for comfort.
bigger guys or women who are experienced canoists can paddle it well
but if they are just entering the sport the initial tenderness of the
craft could drive then away before the joy of paddling can be
realized.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I paddled a bunch of Brit style boats
at the WCSKS last weekend. All too tippy for my big inexperienced torso.
Exception was the Tempest 180 proto.

I only paddled it briefly a month ago, but the Solstice GT XL seemed to be
at the other extreme. Very stable, relatively slow, stiff tracker,
doesn't
edge turn that well. I'm inexperienced at edge turns, so a more
experienced
person might get it to turn better. But the Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5, for
example, edge turns very well for me. Only problem with the Highthwawk
17.5 is that the cockpit is huge, and the boat's a little on the slow
site.
Not enough contact with the body unless you're built like a professional
linebacker.

TallGuy, you should only take our comments as food for thought.
Definitely
paddle them and see what you think. If possible rent some boats for a
day.
Many shops will deduct the cost of up to two rentals from the price of a
new boat.

In a ruddered boat, I really like the Northwest Discover hull. Pretty
fast, turns well, fits a big guy. I would put a Seal Line foot peg and
rudder system on it. I was talking to the Northwest designer at the
symposium. I think the factory will retrofit better footpegs for you upon
request, and for an added charge of course. Thigh braces would also need
to be added if you want really good lean and sculling control and want to
roll some day. And you'd have to be ok with the Styrofoam bulkheads (I
think they still use Styrofoam.) The hull is great though, IMO .

There should be other ruddered choices: Nimbus, Seaward for example.

--
Paul S.

"TallGuyCA" wrote:

Paul,

Just came back from the paddle fest, S.F. and you are right the
Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5 is roomy and is another boat that I can fit
into but what can you say about the material that they use. Is it sea
worthy? If it is why do they make an extreme version, special order
only? I just sat in it today. I'll have my local shop get me one to
try.


Personally, I like the Carbonlite material. There have been some quality
problems. I have a friend who bought one the first year it came out, and
had the combing (not sure if I'm using the right terminology) around the
cockpit opening separate, or something like that. That was a known
problem early on, that has been solved. I also talked to a guy at the
WCSKS who said he had a seam separate.

The Carbonlite should be great for dragging over rocks. Pretty hard
stuff. More so than linear polyethylene, and certainly more so than gel
coat.

Their modulus material is fiberglass with Carbonlite over it, in place of
the gel coat. I haven’t hear of any problems with that. That’s not
special order. The fiberglass would give you more rigidity and the
Carbonlite, if it’s thick enough, would still give you good scratch
proofing.

Their modulus extreme is special order. I’m not sure, but that might be
fiberglass/Kevlar with Carbonlite over it.

I’d focus on fit and performance for your needs. If you end up liking
the Eddyline the best, then decide whether you want to save $500 and try
Carbonlite, or whether you want the fiberglass. To be safe you could go
with the glass and it wouldn’t cost any more than any other glass boat,
plus you’d get the Carbonlite in place of the gel coat which I think is
only a plus.

I’m guessing that Eddyline has a patent on the Carbonlite, and when it
runs out we’ll see more manufacturers using it.

My main concern with the Nighthawk 17.5 would be if you want to learn
some of the performance stuff like rolling and sculling, it would help to
have a snugger fit in the cockpit. The boat might also feel a little
slow. But if you want extra primary stability and room, and still have a
very seaworthy design, I think it’s a great boat.

How did you like the Solstice and Capella?

--
Paul S.