The Kayak Forum is Sponsored By
|
|
|
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Q700 - Handling/skill level question
Posted By: jimkozel In Response To: Re: Q700 - Handling/skill level question (Wayne Poulsen)
Date: Sunday, 28 September 2003, at 11:47 p.m.
: Hi Jim
: Im in envy of your opportunity to try these boats in the flesh.
: More comparo questions, How do you see the difference/similarities between
: the STORM and the Mariner II and Mariner Max. I'm still trying to bring
: together the capacious,fast,roughwaterphilic "ideal boat"(and it
: will probably have a rudder).
: Thanks
: WayneHi Wayne -
It's been a year since I paddled the Max, and that was in calm but windy conditions. The Max was very comfortable, but didn't feel as fast as my Storm. It also felt like it had more volume than I might need for day-paddling. I had to lean it with my knees and hips to get a sense of the secondary stability since it was so calm. One thing I did try in the Max was the sliding seat and it worked like a charm, easily correcting weather helm or lee helm.As far as the Storm and the Mariner II...I've had both out in Lake Erie. Both boats are great in waves and chop. You really feel the secondary stability support in the Mariner II. The Storm is also very stable with good secondary, but not as strong as the Mariner. Now, I've not pushed either of these boats over the edge and into the water, so I don't know how far you can take either boat. Both boats are dry rides, the Storm takes more over the bow, but rarely has water past the forward hatch. The Mariner handles following seas/quartering seas better than the Storm, but again both boats do it well. I have a feeling that Vaclav's Expedition would very closely approximate the Mariner II because it has more pronounced chines. The Storm gets up to speed quicker but that may have to do with the fact I built the Storm at 38lbs and the Mariner II is 57lbs. Both boats have great glide and speed, no problem sustaining 4.5+ mph. I've had friends comment about how solid and relaxed I look in both boats. I think that Vaclav's designs, or Joe Greenley's King (building one this winter) are the choices if you want to build something that will have handling similarities to a Mariner. I also don't feel the need for a rudder in either the Storm or the Mariner II. In quartering/following seas, I've found both boats hold course just fine with a few corrective strokes, or by shifting my weight to port or starboard to "steer" the kayak in the correct direction. I also prefer doing that in my Q700 and rarely use the rudder in that boat. In fact, I found the Q700 had less tendency to broach in following seas with the rudder up than when it was down. Maybe that's more my lack of experience.
Hope this wasn't too long-winded.
Jim
| |
Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board is maintained by Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks with WebBBS 5.12.
|
Kayaking Technique |
|
|
|
