Sea Kayak – Boréal Nanook
So the time has come to get a bit more serious, sell off the plastic kayak and invest in the paddling craft that will carry the Fat Paddler through the Hawkesbury Classic and onwards. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Cobra Expedition, but I’m going to require the knowledge that I’m not filling with water (and sinking!) in the dark, and a level of warmth to get through the Hawkesbury Classic night paddle is crucial.
So with a mind to invest in something serious, I come to a certain paddling cross-roads. To the left, surf & ocean skis. Sleek, long, tippy sit-on-top racing craft designed to handle surf and ocean swell, and to generally go bloody fast. To the right, sea kayaks. Designed to handle long trips, ocean swell and touring both at sea and on inland waters, these craft are generally more stable, enclosed, drier and offer a good platform for cruising. Both types of craft can come in super-fast versions…. although generally the skis are always going to be a little quicker.
Stability is probably the first consideration. Ski’s are designed to go fast and non-stop. You don’t stop during a time trial and take a few happy snaps, mainly because once the ski stops moving forward its paddler will probably topple over sideways. That’s why when you see ski’s flying past on the water their paddler equipment is minimal (including clothing!). Shorts, perhaps a camel pack for fluid, and thats it. Now, it would be safe to say that the Fat Paddler is probably not yet buff enough to sit topless on a ski in full view of the crowds lining Sydney Harbour. Probably not even in the maximum clothing allowance for ocean ski paddlers, a skin tight rashie. This would simply be unacceptable.
An average ski paddler – NOT a Fat Paddler!
Sea kayaks on the other hand are harder to get into (especially for, errr, more hefty paddlers). And I might add, near impossible to get back into when you fall out of them. They are also heavier, wider, and not in the same speed class as their skinny ski friends. Hoswever, they do have a few other benefits. They are MUCH more stable. You can happily have a rest mid-paddle, whip out the camera and take a few happy snaps without fear of falling out. You can even remain stationary in sea swell and calmly enjoy a drink or a bite to eat. They are also drier, with far less water washing across (and into) the cockpit. You can use them almost anywhere – sea, rivers, harbours, lakes. You can load them up with camping gear and take off for a few days. You can even catch a few fish from them.
My problem is of course I want both. I love to paddle fast, and a ski would suit this perfectly. I also like to rest & take in the view, and a kayak is better for this. So what I need to do is find a Sea Kayak that is also built to go faster than most. Which brings me back again to the Boréal Nanook, the high quality Canadian-made composite sea kayak built for bigger paddlers.
Nanook – Inuit for Polar Bear!
This is a fine kayak. Built solidly using single sheets of fibreglass and vinyl-based resins, it is made to last. With a deeper profile and larger cockpit, it is good for the bigger paddler to get in & out of, particularly at sea. A good 5m+ length, high flotation and external rudder mean that even with a heavy paddler on board it will still track nicely and at a good speed. It is going to be very hard for the Fat Paddler to go past this kayak – watch this space to see which way I go!
Of course, I have forgotten to mention the humble short surf-ski, which should be at least considered in the equation if the below photo is anything to go by…. 😉
The short surf-ski has a certain appeal…
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
Thanks Allen. Hopefully the RSS feed works, I’ve been having trouble with it lately. Anyways, glad you’re enjoying the site. 🙂
Really enjoy your tweets and posts.
W/regard to sea kayak v. surf ski, I think there’s a 3rd option (and maybe a 4th/5th as well). If you’ve been comfortable on the Cobra, try out some of the ‘sport’ skis like the Mako XT, Think Evo, Epic V10Sport. These 19′ boats are considerably more stable than their 6 meter counterparts, and yet not a lot slower – and for less experienced paddlers, maybe even faster! The other option is a boat like the Think Fit – 5.2m, a ‘sit-it’ kayak, but with a pan like a ski. Very quick and quite stable for harbour paddling.
On the traditional sea kayak side, I’d look at some of the boats like the Ruahine OceanX or some of Grahame Sisson’s designs -I’m guessing they are fairly available for you. If racing and “fitness paddling” is your goal, you’ll quickly tire of humping a 25+kg boat about – especially after you try something more nimble.
Best regards,
Marsh
New Brighton, Minnesota, US
Cheers Marsh. Ihave a friend with a Mako XT who has been trying to get me to give it a try, so before I decide I will probably have a go and see how I find it. If I went the way of the ski, it would most likely be either a Fenn (Mako) XT or V10 Sport.
My problem is I need one boat to do all things. Eventually I’ll have to convince the wife to let me have a few different boats – then I’ll definitely get BOTH varieties! 🙂
What do you enjoy the most? I’d ask myself that first.
Knowing you paddle the Harbour and excursion there the most, I’d go sea kayak until you develop more into racing. Considering the length of the Hawkesbury and elements of such it might sway the decision.
Not sure of the availability of QCC kayaks down your way, but the QCC Q700X seems to fit your needs as well. I have a friend with one and it is very quick.
http://www.qcckayaks.com/kayaks/model.asp?model=q700x
No doubt from my POV: Get a V10. I’m buying one as soon as I can round up the cash for it. I got the same considerations you have, and my rationale is that I’d rather spend some time learning to master a faster boat and then getting all the advantages.
/thure, Denmark
I have just tried out a Finn Endorfinn and was impressed both in the river and in the waves and offshore aswell. Yeah it’s plastic, but cheaper and stronger and quite fast too. They have also a lightweight plastic model which takes the weight down to 17kg from 22kg. Even the lightweight one is under $1700 (5.2m x .53m) with rear or surf rudder choice available. I had a Dolphin Dominator before but was spending too much time balancing and not enough paddling. I will also try out the Epic V10 though before I make a final decision as the local shop is keen to get me on it too..
Try the Rockpool Taran at 255lb 6’3″ I find its perfect. If your fatter than that …. good luck
love my Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 best one