Old Town Millennium 174???
JP
and a manteo (both Wilderness Systems) I find myself infatuated with the Old
Town Millennium 174. I have not yet had the opportunity to try one.
If anyone has experience with the 174 pleeeeeeeeeze give me all the pro's
and con's you can think of.
How stable is it? How fast is it? What is the quality like? Is the Poly Link
3 construction as good as they advertise? Is there another kayak I should
consider? Is it maneuverable for it's size? Will I be able to car top it by
myself, I am a pretty big guy... and it weighs the same as the pamlico, just
a lot longer..
Having done a lot of canoeing, I seem to have picked up kayaking quite
quickly, but that was in shorter wider kayaks. I would still have to call
myself quite inexperienced. With the 174 will I be in over my head?
I want to buy something I can grow into, but.. (I am sure you have heard it
all before...) Or would I be better off with an Egret?
I appreciate any advice, I would rather learn from your experiences than
from my mistakes.
Thanks,
JP
seaka...@my-deja.com
The Millennium paddles ok, what I mean is it left me with the feeling
that it would make a good first kayak for someone if they got it on a
very good sale. Old Town made one very big mistake with the design of
the boat, the cockpit rim is worthless if you plan on using a
sprayskirt! It does not have enough of a lip to keep a sprayskirt from
popping off. The only possitive thing about this boat is the overall
quality seams very good.My advice would be to look at Necky or Dagger if
you want a good rotomoulded kayak.
Happy paddling,
Eric http://www.pkpaddles.com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
John Fereira
>This is my first year kayaking. I have been renting. After using a pamlico
>and a manteo (both Wilderness Systems) I find myself infatuated with the Old
>Town Millennium 174. I have not yet had the opportunity to try one.
>If anyone has experience with the 174 pleeeeeeeeeze give me all the pro's
>and con's you can think of.
>How stable is it? How fast is it? What is the quality like? Is the Poly Link
>3 construction as good as they advertise? Is there another kayak I should
>consider? Is it maneuverable for it's size? Will I be able to car top it by
>myself, I am a pretty big guy... and it weighs the same as the pamlico, just
>a lot longer..
>Having done a lot of canoeing, I seem to have picked up kayaking quite
>quickly, but that was in shorter wider kayaks. I would still have to call
>myself quite inexperienced. With the 174 will I be in over my head?
>I want to buy something I can grow into, but.. (I am sure you have heard it
>all before...) Or would I be better off with an Egret?
If you're picking up kayaking quickly I think you'll find there isn't a
plastic sea kayak out there that you wouldn't feel comfortable in
after just a couple of outings. In my personal opinion the most
overrated criteria for choosing a first touring boat is it's initial
stability. It just doesn't take very long to feel comfortable in even
the tippiest of plastic boats. I believe that there is a misconception
that the shorter wider boats are for beginners and that one must
have a lot of experience before trying a longer, narrower plastic boat.
The shorter, wider boats are actually designed for paddlers that are
looking for a boat they can take photos from, something someone
can fish out of, or just a recreational craft for paddling around small
ponds and protected waters. I don't think they are a good choice for
someone that eventually intends on paddling a true touring boat in
demanding conditions because they actually restrict ones ability
to improve due to their high initial stabilty. The short, wide boats are
harder to lean, rarely have good secondary stability and are very
difficult to roll.
That said, I haven't actually paddled a Millenium 174 but I've heard that
it is a bit sluggish, even for a plastic boat. The plastic is supposed to
be very stiff so it should be fairly fast, but apparently there are many
other plastic boats that are faster. The best advice I can give is to
try out as many different designs as you can before picking a boat. I
realize that sometimes it's a bit difficult to try out different boats because
they just aren't locally available but the more you try the better idea
you'll have which boat is perfect for you. There are many other nice
boats in the same price range with similar specs that are worth looking
at. Some of the better ones are:
P&H Capella
VCP Skerray RM
Necky Looksha IV
Perception Eclipse or Shadow
Dagger Magellan or Atlantis
Current Designs Storm or Squall
The Shadow and Squall might be too small for you. You should also keep
your eyes out for used fiberglass boats. After buying a short, wide
recreational boat I started shopping for a real touring boat about three weeks
later and found a used fiberglass VCP Skerray that I really like. I paid less
than what a lot of new plastic boats are selling for.
John Fereira
Ithaca, NY
ja...@cornell.edu
JP
quite valuable to me. It is clear that I must rent or demo a greater variety
of kayaks before I know what is right for me, but now I will not limit
myself to "beginner" models.
Thanks again,
JP
K-Light
10" and 35 lbs ) holds me at 6'3" and 230 although I am trying to cut the
230 down. The K-1 by Feathercraft has a load limit of 360 lbs vs. the 260
of the K-Light. Faster boat too. These are the BMWs of folding kayaks and
will keep up with most hardshells. At least I have been able to. I am
going to get a K-1 (16' 6" and 55 lbs) for my birthday in April. Then I
will have one for the road and one at home. ;)
--
=^..^=
--Mel--
Mel Lammers
msla...@earthlink.net
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