At work (Western Canoe and Kayak) we are carrying Stellar kayaks. They're pretty slick. We brought in a S18R as a staff boat, and I took it out for a quick rip around Cultus this morning.
It's quite an interesting kayak. Just about 18 feet long with a beam just over 20". I felt it was quite stable, although I'm pretty light (about 140 pounds) and I bet it would feel a bit better with a bit of extra weight in it.
I mentioned in my Rapier restoration thread that my initial thoughts on the foot pedal were that they couldn't be adjusted while afloat. I would revise that thought. It's possible, thought awkward to adjust the system while paddling. There are 3 flip locks to undo, and the ones at the side clamp together a set of interlocking 'teeth'. Really solid when adjusted though.
The rudder, when not deployed, is stored upright. I'm not a huge fan of this arrangement normally, but in a kayak like this the rudder is going to be deployed almost all the time.
I did a few re-entries for the sake of science. A scramble was pretty effective, and would probably be a piece of cake if there was some gear to make the boat a bit heavier. As it is its extremely light (under 40 pounds), so any little twitch is quite amplified if one is sitting on the back deck.
The handles are little strips of carbon. I feel like they might be uncomfortable if they were on a heavier boat. As it is they feel fine to me and are a little extra bling.
One thing that was interesting is how proud the cockpit seems to be compared to the rest of the deck. I think it's just an optical illusion due to the severe cutouts on either side of the foredeck.
Anywho, thought some might be interested in seeing some pictures. Hopefully I can do a weekend trip in it at some point. Definitely has enough capacity.
It's quite an interesting kayak. Just about 18 feet long with a beam just over 20". I felt it was quite stable, although I'm pretty light (about 140 pounds) and I bet it would feel a bit better with a bit of extra weight in it.
I mentioned in my Rapier restoration thread that my initial thoughts on the foot pedal were that they couldn't be adjusted while afloat. I would revise that thought. It's possible, thought awkward to adjust the system while paddling. There are 3 flip locks to undo, and the ones at the side clamp together a set of interlocking 'teeth'. Really solid when adjusted though.
The rudder, when not deployed, is stored upright. I'm not a huge fan of this arrangement normally, but in a kayak like this the rudder is going to be deployed almost all the time.
I did a few re-entries for the sake of science. A scramble was pretty effective, and would probably be a piece of cake if there was some gear to make the boat a bit heavier. As it is its extremely light (under 40 pounds), so any little twitch is quite amplified if one is sitting on the back deck.
The handles are little strips of carbon. I feel like they might be uncomfortable if they were on a heavier boat. As it is they feel fine to me and are a little extra bling.
One thing that was interesting is how proud the cockpit seems to be compared to the rest of the deck. I think it's just an optical illusion due to the severe cutouts on either side of the foredeck.
Anywho, thought some might be interested in seeing some pictures. Hopefully I can do a weekend trip in it at some point. Definitely has enough capacity.