This is an update on my original review of the Current Designs, Solstice Titan LV.
Almost a year later and I'm still pleased with this boat. I did take out the factory seat-back and replaced it with a mini-cell foam pillar about 5" wide and carved to conform to my spine. It works well. I also padded out the side a little with some mini-cell to get more contact with the boat on my thighs and hips. I put about 20 miles on this boat every week from April till November and it's holding up real nice. I don't baby my boats either. Bought a Rack&Roll trailer,(Yakima) to haul this boat on. Sure is nice at the end of a paddle not to have to lift it up on the car anymore.
I'm building a wood strip boat this winter. Same size, but with more rocker. Want to see if that will help make a boat this big a little more playful in the waves.
All & all the Titan is a great boat for a big guy. Most guys who paddle kayaks are 6' and weigh in at 170 pounds or less. I wish I did, there's so many boats out there to choose from if you're tall and lean. But hey, with more body fat I'll last longer in the cold waters of Lake Superior!
Everyone makes fun of my giant boat. They stop laughing when they see the pile of gear I pull out of it when camping. I call it the U.S.S.Titan. I really like this boat. It tracks very well, something I didn't expect with it's nearly 24" beam. Lean on an edge a little and she reacts quickly to the correction made. Only use the rudder on crossings with a chop because the wind and waves do make it weather cock, but the rudder solves that instantly.
When on Lake Superior with rolling waves it feels like I'm in a rocking chair. It's quite nice. A very stable boat to say the least. Rigging is fine. Hatches are great. No leaks at all. Once in a while you need to adjust the straps on the hatches to tighten them down, but it's no big deal. Slanted rear bulkhead is cool when dumping the boat.
Cockpit is the best part of this boat. It's huge! I love all the room inside. I can bend my knees to 90* to stretch out. At 57 I don't bend like I used to, so the 35 x 17.5 cockpit is really easy for me to get into. That extra length really helps! The seat is good, no complaints. Backband works well, never have to fuss with it when getting in. It is sort of big, "pizza pan syndrome". It does not stick out above the coming however, it's just wide, port to starboard I think it is limiting rotation somewhat.
This winter I'm gonna take it out and build a fixed minicell backrest, and try that for a while, or go to a Snapdragon band maybe.
At 5-10, 240 pounds this boat really works for me. I'm in northern Wisconsin if anybody's in the area, and would like to demo my boat.