-- Last Updated: Mar-13-07 4:51 AM EST --
...for Prijons. I have advice.
I own a Prijon Calabria, which is a very slightly wider beam (and no front dry hatch) than the Motion, but same length. In windy conditions, it does weathercock. A lot. I too hate rudders, but I had to buy one from Prijon (the butterfly wing rudder deal), and when i drop it down, the 14 foot Calabria tracks on a rail. Do I drop it? In open water, with a wind, yes. I hate the rudder out of the water... hits the ground when I car top, seems to be the thing I bang at the put-in, etc etc... you know the score. But in the water, when I need it, I need it. Period. If you plan to use the Motion for years and years, you will need the rudder.
I cannot comment on the Manitou rec boat windcockage, but as I stated, my brother found it not so great. A skeg on what is clearly a rec boat (some may argue that it is not, but I think it is, so there --sticks out tongue like a bratty tot).
leon wrote: "I'm 6' tall, and 170 lbs. I really want a "less than 15'" boat."
I don't know why you are thinking less than 15 feet... must have your reasons like storage or something, but let me say this... graduate to a Prijon Kodiak or Barracuda, and your need for the rudder in most conditions... yes, if you are on rough water in gale force winds, you still need a rudder... will be nonexistant. The difference in those additions 2-3 feet is dramatic for tracking. On the water, a longer boat will always be your dream. I have found that a 12 foot boat is great for creeks and streams, and a 17 foot boat is great for open water, and a 14-15 foot boat is great at nothing. Extra useless weight (they weigh nearly as much as the 17 footers) making portages hard compared to a 12 footer for creeks, like the Prijon Capri, and yet no benfit of tracking or speed like a 17 footer, like the Barracuda.