Submitted: 05-08-2006 by Bruce
I have just purchased a new Seayak, complete with the Wildwasser
balanced wing rudder, and outfitted with the new Prijon deck box - a
gasketed twist-off hatch cover just in front of the cockpit, with a
waterproof neoprene sock that hangs down and forward inside the kayak -
the perfect place to store that cell phone, GPS, digital camera, or
anything else you might not want to store lashed to the deck. I am very
impressed with the overall quality of this boat, and appreciate the many
fine rigging details, which include a full perimeter deck line, D-rings
on the hatch covers to attach extra bungees, and the paddle groove with
hold-down straps to rig a paddle float outrigger. The blow molded hull
is rigid, and does not oil can, either on the water or on the roof rack.
I ran smack over a sharp rock the first day out, which would have done
serious damage to the gelcoat in a fibreglass boat, and was very glad I
had opted for a plastic boat, because there was only a shallow scrape on
the hull of the Prijon. Jon Turk pirchpoled his Prijon Kodiak on a
rocky beach along the unforgiving coast of Russiia's Kamchatca penisula,
burying the bow in the rocks and landing upside down on his head. The
boat emerged unscathed. If these boats can survive this kind of
treatment, I am confident they can endure the worst I am likely to dish
out.
I just had a six-hour sea trial, and concur with other reviewers that
the unladen boat tends to round up to windward with the rudder up, and
requires concentration to keep it on track. However these issues all
disappear when the rudder is dropped, so my recommendation is to
purchase the rudder if you purchase a Seayak. The Wildwasser rudder is
a work of art, providing minimal drag and very low steering effort.
Being of swede-form design, with the centre of buoyance aft of the
cockpit, the boat trims up slightly bow-down with the hatches empty,
which causes the boat to veer off course slightly on the glide. If you
choose to paddle rudderless, the cure would be to move the seat well
aft, and pack all of your gear well aft in the rear compartment. Fully
laden for a camping trip, I expect the helm would be more neutral - I
would think that the hull was designed with this in mind. In any case,
I have no issues at all with the way the boat handles with the rudder
deployed, and would encourage anyone looking for a superb multi-purpose
kayak to seriously consider a Seayak. For the record, the folks at
Wildwasser Sport, who handle Prijon boats for North America, have been
more than helpful with shipping and with all of my questions - they are
very receptive to customer input and constantly working to improve their
products. .
There is a peculiar ethos out there that using a rudder is "cheating"
or reflects poor paddling skills - in fact what works for best for the
boat you have is the right way to paddle. With the wing rudder deployed
on this boat, there is no noticeable drag, and edged turns can be done
just a cleanly as without the rudder - in fact you can spin the boat
even faster with a bit of rudder assist. In straight-ahead paddling the
rudder acts like a skeg in the neutral position, and of course minor
course corrections can be made either by adjusting your stroke or by
subtle rudder input.
Overall this is a beautifully built and very seaworthy boat which
handles well under a variety of sea conditions - just accept that it
works best with a rudder, and plan to use it. Nothwithstanding the
current popularity of british-style skeg boats, there are lot of very
experienced sea kayakers out there who will not put to sea in a kayak
that is not rudder-equipped. For me, the choice of a rudder boat was
motivated by a desire to fit a sail of the folding Pacific Action type
for downwind legs. A rudder provides hands-free directional control
under sail, leaving the paddle available for bracing if necessary to
balance the boat. |