August 8, 2007

Bel Haven Paddlesports, Egg Harbor, NJ

Shopping for Number Two

(shot with Sony DSC-S85)
(view other photo essays)

In the immortal words of Colin Williamson
"One thing's true about boats:
You always need another one."

I love my Pamlico 135T with its one or two seat option,
its infinite cargo space and extremely shallow draft.
But it's big and it's heavy and it's a daunting prospect
to get into the Schuylkill River; at least down
around the part where I live.

So it was that I took myself and photographer Mikey Norris
down to Bel Haven Paddlesports in Egg Harbor, NJ
to try out a range of 12 foot solo kayaks.




I asked to test a number of small touring kayaks.
The helpful folks at Bel Haven brought out 4 boats for me to try.



I had identified the Wilderness Systems Tsunami as a prime candidate.
It's available in a 12' and a 12.5' length and I was interested to see how much
difference those 6" made. Wilderness Systems also makes the Pamlico 135T.
Here, I'm paddling out in the Tsunami 120.



The Tsunami 120 fits extremely snugly, like a glove.
But once you're in you feel a strong integration with the boat.
All of the boats I tried today felt considerably more "tippy" than
my flat-bottomed Pamlico. But this decrease in primary stability
is an essential part of the greater maneuverability I'm now looking for.



There's almost no chance of ever rolling the Pamlico. But
any one of these boats (with the possible exception of the Kestrel)
is an entirely different story! Moving up to one of these performance
boats would require me to develop escape and rolling skills.



I couldn't believe the difference between the Tsunami 120 and the 125!
Where the 120 fit like a formula one racing car, the 125 felt like
a wooden-soled clog from the '70s. The advertising claims the 125
offers "more room for larger paddlers." I would need to be 250% larger
to feel like I fit in this boat!



I must have looked good in it, though, because Mike took more
pictures of the 125 than any other boat. Maybe he just likes blue.



Comparing this photo to the one of the Tsunami 120 above,
you can see the much larger foredeck and higher stance on
the water. My knees never came into contact with the thigh pads.



A Jersey family were out watching their teenage son put a range of
whitewater boats through their paces. Mike engaged them in conversation
and missed getting any photos of me driving the 13' Necky Manitou.

The Manitou was considerably less stable than either of the Tsunamis
but it was my second favorite boat. It was also considerably lighter
than either of the Tsunamis. I didn't find that I could use the
provided thigh pads at all for bracing. Maybe they could be adjusted
differently. I think this was the fastest boat I paddled.



The smallest and lightest boat I tried was the Current Designs Kestrel
I had read reviews of the Kestrel that said it was a great boat for the
very reason that its size and weight make it much more likely that you'll
put it in the water. You'll use it more because it's less work.

While that may be true, and while Bel Haven has a number of used Kestrels
on sale at steep discounts, it felt too wide and loose. It's lighter,
but too much like my Pamlico. There also are some well-noted construction issues.



Having given all four boats a good (if not exhaustive) tryout,
Here I am back in the clear favorite: The Tsunami 120 by Wilderness Systems.




I didn't comment on the setting: Bel Haven sits on this gorgeous loop
of the Mullica River. Although appearing mostly frozen in the MapQuest
photo below, the water was deep, blue and around 74 degrees.
It was a spectacular place to test-paddle kayaks on a 98 degree August day.





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