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Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
By:Matthew
Date: 2/20/2012, 11:23 pm

: I went through the same considerations for the Single Expedition
: versus the Guillemot L. I decided on the Guillemot L because of
: its extra beam 23 inch and extra cargo capacity. They are about
: the same difficulty to build. I came from a Wilderness
: recreation kayak, which has a deeper V. So going from a rec
: kayak to a real sea kayak took some help with understanding of
: paddling, turning, and knee/thigh bracing, so I am "One
: with my kayak". Since I am a large paddler I was able to
: design the cockpit to my size for the width and length. I live
: in SW Florida and paddle the bays, mangrove creeks, and
: sometimes the open ocean. I felt the Guillemot L was a better
: all round kayak for my area. I had problems with tracking on my
: Wilderness kayak, so I decided to install a skeg for the
: Guillemot L. I would highly recomend it. For a larger paddler
: the Guillemot L can turn and handle better in the creeks and
: mangrove tunnels than my buddies 16 foot Eddyline. During windy
: conditions with the skeg up the Guillemot L bow and stern can
: jump round with wind and tide conditions (some folks call it
: slippery). I only have to drop the skeg down about an inch, and
: it starts to track true. Winds above 12-15 knots, I drop the
: skeg down to 3 or 4 inches and nails down the tracking like a
: rock! Beauty about the Guillemot L I can manuever through the
: mangrove tunnels better than production kayaks, and I can beat
: most of them in a long paddle ( we are older paddlers). My top
: speed has been 5.5mi/hour. I am a little slower is getting up to
: speed, but I can maintain a higher speed over longer distance.
: Its funny, with a little headwind it seems to paddle easier at
: the upper in of the performance range. For me the sweet spot is
: about 4.5 to 4.8mi/ hour..I have check this with my GPS.

: Conclusion, if you are looking for a little more speed then the
: Single Expedition is the right kayak. If you are wanting a more
: "all round" sea kayak then the Guillemot L will fill
: the bill... PS: With the tides we been having lately some of the
: mangrove creeks have been acting like fast moving rivers. The
: Guillemot L can turn on dime compared to the my Wilderness and
: some other production kayaks.

Thanks Kevin!

If you don't mind, do you have long legs? Large feet? I'm curious how much room actually exists at the 32" mark from the middle of the cockpit.

I appreciate your review and I'll be sure to let you know what I decide.

Thanks again!

Messages In This Thread

Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Matthew -- 2/20/2012, 1:09 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bill Hamm -- 2/20/2012, 4:09 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Matthew -- 2/20/2012, 6:57 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Kevin Greer -- 2/20/2012, 11:05 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Matthew -- 2/20/2012, 11:23 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Kevin Greer -- 2/21/2012, 7:31 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bill Hamm -- 2/26/2012, 2:55 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bill Hamm -- 2/26/2012, 2:53 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bill Hamm -- 2/26/2012, 2:51 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Jerome Jankowski -- 2/21/2012, 8:57 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Mike Bielski -- 2/21/2012, 9:28 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bob Johns -- 2/21/2012, 6:47 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bill Hamm -- 2/26/2012, 2:58 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L" *PIC*
Tom -- 2/24/2012, 3:58 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Bob Johns -- 2/24/2012, 6:06 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Matthew -- 2/24/2012, 7:03 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L" *PIC*
Tom -- 2/25/2012, 4:25 am
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Kirk Briggs -- 3/6/2012, 8:08 pm
Re: Off Topic: Expedition Single vs Guillemot "L"
Kirk Briggs -- 3/6/2012, 8:10 pm