Just two days after thinking that Cheryl needs a bigger boat, we now have a bigger boat!!! As luck would have it a notice came up on the local clubs newsgroup that someone was selling a 16' Prijon Seayak. The ad stated that it was in excellent condition and I knew, via an inside source, that indeed it was in perfect shape. I did a little checking on this model and found it to be a well-known design with attributes that we needed. I contacted the seller and asked if we could take it a for a paddle on Saturday afternoon. The seller was an older lady - in her late 60's or more - who bought the boat with great intentions but decided that she'd rather be gardening. With nothing more than leaving my name and number, I drove away with a pretty much brand new boat on my roof.
We took the boat to St. Philips and put in a 9km paddle to Portugal Cove and back. Here's a few shots:
We now need to get the boat fitted to Cheryl. One nice thing about this model is that there is lots of room for personal adjustments. We did not do a good job for the inaugural paddle but we'll straighten that out soon enough. I'm pretty sure that she'll get this setup just right and then begin to enjoy the feeling of a proper boat that is properly fitted!!
Here's a few side by sides with my Baffin:
Cngrats on the new yak! And congrats on havin a ol lady who is enjoying kayaking...mine....not so much....but Ialways say she can have my old boat when I upgrade lol =0)
ReplyDeleteI must admit that it's pretty neat. We have a couple here who have been paddling together for years and I always feel envious of the connection that they make between each other over kayaking. We're working on it!!
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure most days paddling together will be great, but I guess (as in land-life)there will be times that it may be questionable if both will be coming back from the trip.... keep working on your self rescue skills, buddy...
That's a reality I've been contemplating for sure. I have no real concerns about my own self rescue. The rest we can work on ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI like your Boreal skeg boat better.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed now how low is the rear of the cokpit coaming.
Perfect for layback rolls?
Yes, the back deck on the Baffin is very low. The boat also has a backband which makes it even easier for laying back. The boat rolls very easily - which is something I really like doing!!
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