Submitted: 01-23-2007 by JMH
My wife and I got into kayaking about 3 years ago shortly after we moved to North Carolina. Our nearest kayak dealer, the Great Outdoor Provision Company, hosted a paddling expo at a local lake. We went down for the day and tried out a number of boats, mostly of the roto molded variety, as we knew we weren't in the market ($$) for a fiberglass or kevlar boat. We liked a few, but weren't sold on any of them. Just before the end of the expo, we finally got a chance to try out the Hurricane Santee 116. Love at first stroke! We bought a pair on the spot. For our preferred type of paddling (lakes and lazy streams), they are ideal. Made of Hurricane's stiffer Trylon plastic, they track well, are relatively fast, comfortable, have excellent stability, and are light weight (36 lbs). The only reason I scored the boat 9 out of 10 is because I have long legs and big feet. I position the foot pegs all the way down, and my toes tend to hit the underside of the deck. If I were to replace my boat, I would opt for the Santee 140, which, at 14 ft., would give me a bit more toe room (I think). At any rate...they are great boats! |