Fleet
The Current Collection
My Kayak Fleet
From the moment of my introduction to kayak touring, I was hooked. I am strongly attracted to the paddling experience, but equally to the boats themselves. Sleek and curvaceous, I perceive them as art, as pieces of sculpture. I also appreciate variety, so it was inevitable that a kayak collection would materialize. Over the years, I have sampled many yaks on the water, but I also just enjoy possessing and viewing them on terra firma. If I had the space, and my wife didn't object, I would probably have one in the living room, particularly one of the beautiful wooden ships. I don't think I could actually make myself paddle one of those, I'd cry with every scratch. But they definitely fall into the "sculpture" category.
I can't say that I have come across anyone else who shares this obsession, if you're out there get in touch and we can commiserate our particular brand of insanity.
So, here's a showcase of the yaks I have possessed, thus far. It's an ongoing
process... The sweet spot for my purposes (mountain lakes) is the mid-
MFG: Delta (Canada)
YEAR/MODEL: 2011 / Fourteen5 Expedition
MATERIAL: Thermoform ABS
LENGTH/DEPTH: 14' 4" / 12.5"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 18" X 32.5"
WEIGHT: 49#
FEATURES: Rudder w/integrated cables & Seadog brace-
NOTES: She's a beauty...
From my perspective, the Delta line has many outstanding qualities. *Sold 2014, succeeded by the Prijon Marlin.
MFG: Prijon (Germany)
YEAR/MODEL: 2005 / Touryak
MATERIAL: HTP blow-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 15' 4"/ 13"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 18" X 36"
WEIGHT: 58#
FEATURES: Unique Trihedral hull design, "Balanced Wing" rudder
NOTES: Prijon's unique blow-
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MFG: Seaworthy [Designs] (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 1987 / Enetai (HV)
MATERIAL: Fiberglass
LENGTH/DEPTH: 17'
BEAM: 23"
COCKPIT: 16" X 30"
WEIGHT: 58#
FEATURES: Smarttrack "dogtail" rudder photo >
NOTES: Built in Seattle,WA. Designer: Tom Wilkinson. I purchased this from the original owner. He had toured extensively with her in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. This yak has some real character and history. A true classic sea kayak.
MFG: Evolution (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2005 / Diversion 16-
MATERIAL: Thermoform ABS
LENGTH/DEPTH: 16' 3"
BEAM: 25"
COCKPIT: 16" X 31"
WEIGHT: 57#
FEATURES: Parabolic hull design
NOTES: Purchased from the original owner in Florida. This yak is very unique and innovative, a true original. She was designed and manufactured by Bill Masters, the founder of Perception kayaks. The true innovation is the hull design, it's an hourglass parabolic shape (twin beam). A definite collectors item. See the Gallery page for more details.
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MFG: Old Town
YEAR/MODEL: 2006 / Loon 120
MATERIAL: 3-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 12' / 14"
BEAM: 28.75"
COCKPIT: 17.5" X 42.5"
WEIGHT: 52#
FEATURES: PolyLink3 hull
NOTES: My first kayak! Some good memories here...
MFG: Old Town
YEAR/MODEL: 2006 / Loon 100
MATERIAL: 3-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 10' / 14"
BEAM: 27.5"
COCKPIT: 19" X 40"
WEIGHT: 47#
FEATURES: PolyLink3 hull
NOTES: My wife's first kayak
MFG: Old Town
YEAR/MODEL: 2003 / Castine
MATERIAL: 3-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 13' / 13"
BEAM: 26"
COCKPIT: 17" X 33"
WEIGHT: 57#
FEATURES: PolyLink3 hull / Rudder
NOTES: An excellent all-
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MFG: Wilderness Systems (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 1997 / Sealution
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 16' 5" / 12"
BEAM: 22.5"
COCKPIT: 16" X 30"
WEIGHT: 57#
FEATURES:
NOTES: ( Designer: Harrie Tieken)
Purchased from the original owner. This yak has historical significance. It was the
first sea kayak offering from Wilderness Systems in the late 1980's. It had a very
long model run through 2002 and was manufactured in poly, fiberglass and kevlar.
Curvaceous greenland-
MFG: Perception (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2001 / Captiva Expedition
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 16'
BEAM: 25"
COCKPIT: 21.5" X 34.5"
WEIGHT: 58#
FEATURES: Rudder
NOTES:
MFG: Delta (Canada)
YEAR/MODEL: 2007 / 12.10
MATERIAL: Thermoform ABS
LENGTH/DEPTH: 12' 10" / 13.5"
BEAM: 25"
COCKPIT: 18" X 32.5"
WEIGHT: 42#
FEATURES: Prijon "Balanced Wing" rudder (custom installation) photo >
NOTES: Excellent kayak, I only sold her in order to purchase a new Delta Fourteen5
MFG: Seda (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2007 / Vida
MATERIAL: Fiberglass
LENGTH/DEPTH: 14' / 12"
BEAM: 25"
COCKPIT: 16" X 33"
WEIGHT: 45#
FEATURES: Skeg
NOTES: Light and bright
MFG: Seda (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 1995 / Gypsy
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 15' / 12"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 17" X 34"
WEIGHT: 50#
FEATURES:
NOTES: Quick and responsive
MFG: Clearwater Design (Canada)
YEAR/MODEL: 2003 / Georgian Bay
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 14' / 12"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 16" X 34"
WEIGHT: 49#
FEATURES: Rudder
NOTES: This yak has always looked very "French" to me... Interesting color mix
MFG: Dagger (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2006 / Specter
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 14' 2"/ 13.75"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 19" X 34"
WEIGHT: 58#
FEATURES: Rudder
NOTES: Pretty quick in the water, but the worst tracking (w/o rudder) of any yak I've owned
MFG: Old Town (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2008 / Cayuga
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 13' / 13"
BEAM: 25"
COCKPIT: 16" X 34.5"
WEIGHT: 50#
FEATURES:
NOTES:
MFG: Wavewalk (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2009 / W500
MATERIAL: Polyethylene
LENGTH/DEPTH: 11' 4" / 17"
BEAM: 28.5"
COCKPIT: 72"
WEIGHT: 59#
FEATURES: Catamaran hull
NOTES: It's unique in all the world, and only available directly from the inventor in Boston. I customized it considerably. A versatile and very interesting watercraft! I composed a review article for the Wavewalk website
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*The Old Town Fleet* (Maine-
My first experience was in a rental 14' Loon, and my first purchase was the
12' Loon pictured below. This is one of our loaner boats now, I think it may be the
perfect introductory yak, very user friendly. Extremely stable, good tracking, w/large
cockpit for easy entry-
The #1 feature of these Old Town yaks is the material they're made of, called
PolyLink3. It's a 3-
MFG: Eddyline (USA)
YEAR/MODEL: 2013 / Journey
MATERIAL: Thermoform ABS
LENGTH/DEPTH: 15' 5"/ 13"
BEAM: 24"
COCKPIT: 18" X 35"
WEIGHT: 49#
FEATURES: Skeg, V-
NOTES: This is the premier ship in the fleet at the moment, although I try to cycle
through most of them each season. I think that high-
MFG: Prijon (Germany)
YEAR/MODEL: 2012 / Marlin
MATERIAL: Thermoform ABS
LENGTH/DEPTH: 17' 5"/ 13"
BEAM: 23"
COCKPIT: 18" X 34"
WEIGHT: 51#
FEATURES: Unique Trihedral hull design, "Balanced Wing" rudder, Day hatch
NOTES: *Sold 2014, succeeded by the Eddyline Journey
MFG: North Shore (England)
YEAR/MODEL: 2011 / Aspect
MATERIAL: Single-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 14' 9" /
BEAM: 23"
COCKPIT:
WEIGHT: 50#
FEATURES: Keel brace for stiffness, Skeg
NOTES: British-
MFG: Delsyk Design (Canada)
YEAR/MODEL: 2011 / Akula
MATERIAL: Super-
LENGTH/DEPTH: 16' / 12"
BEAM: 23"
COCKPIT: 15" X 32"
WEIGHT: 63#
FEATURES: Rudder, seat height adjustable
NOTES: Mike Neckar, Necky kayaks founder, runs Delsyk Design. This is his top of the line boat.
It's a performance yak with a very distinctive multi-
*Collectors Boats*
Ships that have passed in the night...
* There are many fine ships here, I wish I could have kept more of them. Alas, not enough storage space or $...