community online
F O R U M S
“Nordkapp. Highly responsive, but also unforgiving. With careful packing, capable of
extended touring.” MALCOLM ROWE, RE: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SEA KAYAK?
“I am a Newbie learning the site. Getting back
into sea kayaking after a few years absence.” STEVE KIEFERT, RE: NEWBIE ON DECK!!!!!
“Pro-tec Two Face. I find it very comfortable with no pressure points—so I can wear it all day rock hopping or surfing. I would like to try a Gath because I like the idea of the visor since
I just can’t bring myself to wear sunglasses.” SERGIO GREGUOLDO, RE: HELMETS
“Make sure the tracks and crossbars are reinforced with steel, not plastic. I’ve heard of factory racks becoming brittle over time and shearing off at highway speeds, taking your
pride and joy with it!” JIMMY, RE: ROOF RACKING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
“I have a problem with the green throw away propane fuel bottles as thousands must be thrown out each year. Tey should some how be returnable so they can be used again or
banned completely.” JOHN ALLSOP, RE: CAMP STOVE
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D I G I T A L I S S U E S
Shopping for a New Kayak?
Start with Adventure Kayak’s digital back issue boat reviews including the Necky Looksha, Dagger Alchemy, Venture Easky 15 and Point 65 Whiskey 16.
journal k ayaker’s INSIDE OUT BY TIM SHUFF Gnarlydog commented on the online feature
CONVERTIBLE The Flip Top seat offers two height options. Aggressive, moulded and padded whitewater-style thigh braces provide the necessary boat control for edging and include a ratchet for easy backband adjustment.
Easky 15 I
The BY VENTURE KAYAKS
n this issue we are introducing two category- busting kayaks that fi ll the important and
heretofore neglected niche that exists between those glorifi ed bathtub toys called recreational kayaks and the wallet-straining realm of the multi-thousand-dollar tourer. First in the line- up: the Venture Easky 15, a comfortable and capable ocean cruiser that has everything you need for intrepid sea kayaking and more, at a price that’s easy to swallow. Venture Kayaks is owned by P&H and
Pyranha, leading makers of sea and whitewa- ter kayaks. When conceptualizing the Easky, P&H’s veteran sea kayak designers must have asked, “How do we fi t the most important fea- tures of a sea kayak into an aff ordable package?” Resulting in features like hatches that are actu- ally dry, a seat you can park your butt in for a whole day, and solid on-water performance— the real deal, not just a rec kayak dressed up in sea kayak accoutrements that blow out on the fi rst wave. T e Easky is decidedly beginner-friendly.
It’s got a roomy, non-claustrophobia-inducing cockpit, lots of features for recreational uses that you don’t fi nd on high-end kayaks, like a paddle park so you can drift and take pictures, mounting locations for fi shing rod holders, an
28 ADVENTURE KAYAK | EARLY SUMMER 2010
on-deck storage pod and a Flip Top backrest that can be extended for mid back support. T en the Easky fl ashes its hardcore alter
ego—whitewater-style moulded thigh braces that give a positive lock on that otherwise loose-fi tting cockpit; a carveable hard-chine hull; watertight foam bulkheads and the same rubber Kajaksport hatches found on P&H’s premium lineup. All this gives the Easky re- spectable speed, nimble manoeuvrability and rough-water capability. Edge carving in the Easky takes eff ort—pri-
mary and secondary stability lean to the recre- ational side of the design spectrum—but the performance is there if you push it. T e Easky comes in 13 and 17 models too.
T e 17 is an expedition touring kayak with a cargo capacity that’s unmatched in its price cat- egory. T e 13, with wider dimensions, is more for short-distance, recreational use. T e 15 is the just-right size for day touring and short overnighters, the friendliest length off ering true sea kayak performance. It’s available with either a skeg (as tested) or a rudder, and is also available in an LV (low-volume) version that is shallower and one inch narrower, for wom- en and other smaller paddlers weighing 150 pounds or less.
GROOVY The Easky hull is constructed of light- weight single-layer polyethylene that is less rigid than the multi-layer plastic found in its P&H cousins, so Venture stiffens the hull with parallel ridges. The shallow-arch bottom provides rock solid primary stability while the hard chine lends manoeuvrability on edge.
IT’S IN THE MOULD Moulded-in features including fl at areas behind the seat for fl ush-mount fi shing rod holders, anti-slip handrests for entering and exiting, a locking bar, a recess for a paddle shaft outrigger on the rear deck, full perimeter deck- lines and deck bungies, a paddle holder on the front deck and a divot for the Pod—a front-deck-mounted dry storage compartment that now comes standard. The skeg operates with a shock cord and a string to eliminate cable kink, with the control behind the cockpit.
length .............................15 ft (458 cm) width ...............................23.5 in (60 cm) volume ............................86 gal (325 l) front hatch .....................12.2 gal (46 l) rear hatch ......................20.3 gal (77 l) weight .............................50 lbs (23 kg) price................................$1,249 US
www.venturekayaks.com
DIY Pump: Electric bilge pumps are rather common in Australia. Many sea kayakers install them and some local manufacturers offer them as an extra factory fitted option. I have installed about 10 bilge pumps myself on kayaks belonging to both my friends and myself.
Claude Vachon commented on the blog
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Missed an issue? Back issues of Adventure Kayak are available online, just like you read them in print.
8 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER/FALL 2010
What’s Your Favourite Sea Kayak?: My favourite kayaks are the Solstice GTS and the Caribou in Kevlar produced by Current Design. Te Solstice is long, fast and easily maneuverable in small creeks thanks to its rear rudder. In choppy waters the front deck stays dry. Te Caribou is nimble and I prefer it in swamps and small streams. It turns on a dime.
C O M M E N T S
2birdsw1stone commented on the online featureKayak Kaboose Towable Storage: My brother and I have been using a kaboose for about eight years—but a much cheaper and more practical version. It’s called a smaller 10- foot kayak with waterproof skirt.
Most of all these kayaks not only handle well they are so beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that if Isabelle would allow it, I would hang them in the living room in the winter.
Gary Ward commented on the online feature
Te 10 Best Sea Kayaking Towns: I would change Victoria, BC to Nanaimo, BC or somewhere in between. It’s a shorter drive to the west coast and it is centrally located on Vancouver Island, within easy reach of all the great kayaking locations there. I personally would not live in Nanaimo, but for kayaking, it is a better location all-round. Victoria has its issues for kayaking. Not to knock it as a city; it’s absolutely fantabulous. Of course, the Victorian kayakers love it as a kayaking place, but a lot of them DO drive a lot to other locations. Hmmm.
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F E A T U R E D V I D E O
Adventure Kayak publisher and Rapid Media TV host Scott MacGregor takes you behind the scenes at this year’s National Sea Kayak Symposium. Go Greenland paddling, learn how to paddle faster, and get bright ideas about flares.
Watch all episodes of Rapid Media TV and the latest sea kayaking films—instruction, history, humour, action and trips. Or, upload and share your own videos.
www.adventurekayakmag.com/videos Watch the latest sea kayaking films—instruction, history, humour and trip films. Or, login and upload your own videos.
PHOTO: GUS OLIVEIRA Broughton Archipelago
www.adventurekayakmag.com/photo-gallery Register online to submit your canoeing and camping photos. We’ll select the best photos to print in our next issue.
P H O T O S
PHOTOS: MAIN BY VICTORIA BOWMAN // INSETS BY TIM SHUFF
The
Alchemy 14.0S
BYDAGGER L
ast year Dagger launched the Alchemy 14.0S and 14.0L, small and large versions
of a performance-minded, light-touring kayak in affordable and durable polyethylene. With one master stroke the company nailed the gold- en crossover segment where high-performance meets recreational day paddling, filling the niche where most of us paddle most of the time. At 14 feet, the Alchemy is small, but not to
be underestimated. Paddlers will want to choose the size that fits
them best. Small- to medium-sized folks will mesh perfectly into the sportier dimensions of the 14.0S, the model reviewed here. Ours re- quired removal of the foot braces to fit a six- footer. Te equally priced L version is the same length but with added capacity from an extra inch of width and inch-and-a-quarter of deck height. Both sizes are designed to have a snug- fitting cockpit for solid control in rough water. A combination of long waterline, low rocker
and a swede form shape result in impressive acceleration and cruising speed. We cranked out a consistent five to six kilometres per hour and topped out at 10 in a sprint—performance we’re accustomed to in much longer kayaks. Te shallow-V hull with hard chines offers
an excellent compromise of stability and edge- ability—moderate primary stability for a perfor- mance feel without being twitchy, and great, con- fidence-inspiring secondary stability on edge. Te Alchemy compensates for its short length
by reducing the rocker. Te result is something that feels longer than it is—more like a highly rockered long boat than other 14-footers we’ve paddled. Te effect is that the Alchemy tracks well and isn’t too skittish unless you get some speed and put it up on edge, or edge it in follow- ing seas, in which case the stern will skid out as you would expect from a short kayak. Te skeg reduces the skid effect and also
helps tracking in crosswinds and following seas, although weathercocking or leecocking are minimal because of the low windage of the 14.0S profile. Te skeg slider is conveniently positioned in a tightly recessed groove that keeps it out of the way of fingers and knuckles but makes it a trick to dial on the go until you get used to it. Te capacity of this kayak favours perfor-
mance day paddling over gear-hauling. It’s perfect for day trips or meticulously planned weekends. In the recreational price range with high-performance features, it best suits adven- turous, small- to mid-sized paddlers who want a kayak that will encourage them to grow and keep up with them every step of the way.
SLICK The deck is nicely appointed with three rubber hatch covers, bungies, a locking bar and recessed fittings. The day hatch is a bit of a far reach from the paddling position (there’s ample space behind the seat for provisions) but it’s yet another sign of the Alchemy’s full complement of sea kayak features.
SIT
The seat offers multiple adjustments for hips, thighs, leg height and backrest ten- sion.A plastic rail adds rigidity to the hull in the cockpit areas.
SPEED AND SPIN A combination of a long waterline, low rocker, swede form shape, shallow-V cross-section and a hard chine stretches the speed limit of the 14-foot hull length while dialing in precision edging and quick turning.
length .................... 14 ft (427 cm) width...................... 23 in (58 cm) deck height........... 13 in (33 cm) cockpit .................. 35 x 18.5 in (89 x 47 cm) capacity................ 275 lbs (125 kg) weight.................... 51 lbs (23 kg) price....................... $1,450 Cdn, 1,295 US
www.dagger.com
www.adventurekayakmag.com 29
PHOTOS: TIM SHUFF
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