BoatBanter.com - WS Tempest vs. Necky Chatham

There was a very nice boat review on paddling.net a couple months ago about
the Chatham. I paddle a Nigel Dennis Kayak and have ordered a Tempest (is
scheduled for May delivery).

The chatham appears to be a nice boat.

I've heard of two minor issues. 1st, the perimeter deck line is small rope.
That's a safety issue and after the review, I think Necky was considering
going with heavier line (like all other manufacturers). The second was the
new skeg slidder. The use a stainless rod instead of a braided cable for
the skeg. It's actually better than the braided cable, except for one
thing. The stainless rod(wife) is much stiffer than braided, so the cable
takes considerable room inside the hatch. It will be more difficult to pack
the rear hatch.

Good luck!!
Wade

"two_k2003" wrote in message
om...
Hi All -

I've been looking at the WS Tempest 17 (glass), and I'd
pretty much settled on that as my next boat, but then I just noticed that
Necky's also got a new model called the "Chatham".

Take a look:
http://www.necky.com/chatham18.htm

(I understand that they'll have one in 16, and 17 feet also).

Anyone have any opinions of why I should pick one over the
other? Maneuverability, durability, quality of construction?

I've heard a lot of positive comments about the Tempest, also.
Decisions....decisions.....

Any opinions/info are appreciated.

TwoK