Experiences with Seaknife Kayaks??
Bruce Cooper
giving serious thought to purchasing a Seaknife kayak as my first
fibreglass boat. Before I take the plunge I am interested in the
views and reviews of people who have paddled these boats. Any
experiences or opinions would be most welcome as their is precious
little available in some of the more common sites that provide kayak
reviews.
Thanks
Paul Delaney
being an owner of one. If anyone else would like some info please
contact me, but I'll be leaving the country for 2-5 months very soon.
bruce...@hcssjr.nf.ca (Bruce Cooper) wrote in message news:<495852e8.03071...@posting.google.com>...
Brian Searwar
boats ever since they were first built about 5-6 years ago. They are
certainly quite affordable and durable. It's possible to get them in
almost any colour scheme also. I consider myself somewhere above a
beginner paddler....just enough knowledge to keep myself out of too
much trouble...and I feel safe and confident in the boat.
Brian Searwar
Gander
pwde...@roadrunner.nf.net (Paul Delaney) wrote in message news:<1c38fe8a.03071...@posting.google.com>...
Alex McGruer
The price is right.
The early ones were rough but have improved greatly.
Some issues.
The cockpit coaming is a little iffy It has straight lines that allow
the elastic straps of a spray deck room to leak. If it was a little
more rounded it would not leak as much. Outward preasure would keep
the rand tight.
The thigh brace offering is not much use.
Deck hatches leak substantially.
Finish is fair.
While I think of it as a beginner boat, it has neither skeg nor
rudder.
It lacks the sex appeal of some other glass boats.
Before you think of that as really damning: My NDK had some lay up
issues.
It leaked because of a bubble in the lay up in a location that half
filled my day hatch on a trip to Woody Island, . No one at the
manufacturer end seamed too upset by this problem. It ws fixed with
epoxy glue. I had some issues with that and with my chasing down toe
glue and doing it. Joe Dicks and Ed English were the best part of the
service circle.
All that and I think the NDK Explorer is a great boat.
The Sea Knife is made of the same stuff at half the price.
It is reasonably fast,
initial stability is great ,
secondery is OK,
it is not a (hard) boat to roll.
Good beginner boat.
I would not run out and buy one but they have a place in the market.
The coaming, hatches, thigh braces need a little work . Once that is
fixed I would consider it a good glass beginner boat.
Now , where are you going to be paddling a glass boat here??
I have an Explorer in glass and a P & H Capella in plastic. The
Capella gets more sea time than the NDK. Rough shores, rocks and caves
to amble through. I would gravitate to plastic. If you are set on
glass though you won't beet the price for Sea Knife.
John Sutherland of Ceiba Kayaking owns a half dozen of these boats and
loves them. He treats them fairly roughly and is still pleased.
This opinion is my own, ballanced and as honest as I can make it .
It is also now public.
Copyrights retained.
Perry Humphries
paddle straight from Lindy. Personally I prefer my NDK Explorer, but
then who wouildn't. My girlfriend loves her boat, she feels very
comfortable in it even in moderately dicey water. She especially like
the fact the with her humble wooden paddle paddle and Sea Knife she
can easily keep up with me and my Lendal powered NDK. Stroke for
stroke the Sea Knife goes further.
That said it is not without issues. It is not as maneuverable
although it still handles well enough not require a rudder. The
hatches do leak and although I have been offered a solution by Joe
Dicks I have yet to get around to implementing it. The only
contentious issue is its tendency to weathercock. The cockpit (a
large one) seems a little far aft and my GF (110lb) has difficulty
paddling in a strong wind. This can be fixed by strategic placement
of a rock in the forward compartment (or a jug of water) I have moved
her seating position forward using the backrest somewhat but it has
helped enough.
I have not used it much but on one occasion I found it OK in the wind.
I am 170lb.
Hers is the baby blue on white lay up with black hatches and draws
rave reviews for looks. And of course the Shark-Knife logo could very
well be the best in the business.
All in all for the price its a good deal. A fast, stable good looking
boat, though probably not the best for the ultralight paddler.
Perry Humphries
http://graniteplanet.tripod.com
Piotr Trela
: The cockpit (a large one) seems a little far aft and my GF (110lb) has
: difficulty
: paddling in a strong wind. This can be fixed by strategic placement
: of a rock in the forward compartment (or a jug of water)
;-) I'd rather go with a jug of (fresh) water - won't crack the boat when
kayak bounces on waves, slightly buoyant should the boat take up water,
and you can drink it's content if stranded...
: Perry Humphries
Piotr Trela