Product Reviews > Kayaks > Necky Kayaks > Looksha V

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10-21-2011
Submitted by: ambroinaz - Rating: 8 of 10
     Picked up my Looksha a month or so and was able to take it out for the weekend on a lake trip. It has plenty of room and was extremely comfortable to paddle. Overall I am quite impressed with it but I do think that it is a little slow. The reason I say that is because I just upgraded from a 13' Wilderness Manteo rec kayak and expected the Looksha to perform faster... in the end the two boats in my opinion are about the same in speed. Now that either says a lot for the Manteo, or it says a little about the Looksha. Either way the tracking and stability of the Looksha was excellent... I just wish it was a little faster boat.

04-23-2010
Submitted by: kayakerlak - Rating: 10 of 10
     I've now tried it on moderately choppy waves and in medium strength winds. Stable and the only problem I had was that I lost a nut on the rudder assembly on a sand road.

07-31-2008
Submitted by: kayakerlak - Rating: 7 of 10
     Bought one for the wife because seat comfort was important and it has a good seat. When I tried it, I decided to get one too. It turns on edge just fine in conjunction with the right paddle stroke.

My plastic Looksha V is heavy, slow to get moving but it will do for day trips. Haven't tried it in big waves or wind yet, but I'll let you know when I do!

12-05-2007
Submitted by: fzburk - Rating: 6 of 10
     This is not a step up from the Looksha IV. It is a complete re-design.
I found this kayak to be a bit of a slug. It tracks fairly well in almost no wind, but doesn't respond to edging, even extreme edging.

The seat is comfortable. The seat back came apart on me the first time I did a rescue in the boat. The foam came off the plastic, the seat back came off the adjustment bars, and the adjusting straps became twisted and stuck.

It is a roomy kayak, a very large person can fit in there. It goes straight in calm conditions. That's where the sea kayak portion stops.

The right thigh brace came apart when I did a couple of rolls. Flimsy to say the least.

08-31-2007
Submitted by: Marshall - Rating: 7 of 10
     I picked up a Looksha V from REI along with an Elaho HV. The Looksha V is very stable (as stable as my Tsunami 145). The cockpit fits very nicely and it is great for a nice relaxing paddle. I found it to be a slow paddle though. It took a lot of work to get it up to speed, and then it dropped speed very quickly once I stopped. Maybe I am down on the speed because I am comparing it to the Elaho HV, which is very fast and paddles almost effortlessly. The other thing I don't like about it is that it sits high out of the water and wind cocks with the slightest breeze. Using the rudder is almost a must with any wind. Secondary stability appears to be good, but it is a dog when it comes to turning.

The flip side is that my wife loves it. She is a slow, see the sights kind of paddler and it fits her perfect also. Also, it seem to be a very high quality build, though heavy at 65 lbs. It is a good kayak for the price we paid and we would have had to jump a few hundred more dollars to look at anything else comparable like a Tempest, so we are content with it.

05-24-2006
Submitted by: yr - Rating: 10 of 10
     I just change a storm for the new looksha V plastic. At this time in lower than 15 -20 knots wind in the Saguenay Fjord, that means choppy water with 12 to 18 inchs waves. I always feel secure and very comfortable, thanks to their new seat and a super initial stability, secondary seems to be as good. I'm in a hurry to try it in open sea for surfing. I would give at least a 9.

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