Touring boat advice.

[Brad Fournier]

Starting to get interested in a touring boat as I would like to do some camping, really excited to do the Maine Island Trail. Know someone with a Cappella 169 in glass. Is this a fast boat with good carrying capacity? Have never even seen one but thought about trying it out.

Thanks for any input,

[bob budd]

Impex Force Cat 4. Lots of room. Good performance. Good handling for a ~18' craft. Performs well in conditions where other boats are weather cocking.

[Suz]

If I recall, you are a big guy, try the new 167 and the Cetus. If you are really big and need something a bit more stable, try the 173. I am a bit partial to P&H as I am a P&H Team Paddler.

Do you live locally? If so, I believe Charles River has 167 and 173 in stock. Osprey Sea Kayaking has stock of all three. NESC doesn't have any in stock and KTP is currently out of stock on the 167 and Cetus.

Other big guy boats that would be good ones to try would be the NDK Explorer HV, the Valley Aquanaut HV and the Tempests, either 170 or 180.

Suz

www.phpaddlers.com

[jonsprag1]

I paddled a catforce 4 saturday on a trip to Placentia Island out of Bass Harbor(south side of MDI) A friend of mine was trying a borrowed one out prepatory to buying one----I was impressed--- light, easy turning boat(all I had to do to turn was lift a buttock one way or the other)---didnt get a chance to try it in conditions but I suspect it would perform well----only drawback to long distance touring is that it is a low volume boat and for an 18 footer there does not seem to be a lot of storage space due to width--about 21.5 inches and depth. We did go around the south side of Big Black Island where we were exposed to open ocean swell with some breaking surf(which three out of the party of four stayed away from)---my friend was paddling through some confused seas with clapaoitis(sp?) and seemed to be doing fine. Also seems like a very fast boat.

[jonsprag1]

that's force cat 4---My dyslexia tends to surface from time to time--lol

[Kevin B (RPS Coach)]

Brad,

You're actually similar in build to me so try the basic Explorer. If you want, you're welcome to try mine out.

[chetpk]

If you are looking at an older Capella 169, it is really a different hull then the newer Capella 161, 163 and 167. They have flatter hulls and less rocker while the 169 is a little more V bottomed and a heavily rockered hull that some say is much more skeg dependent then P&H's newer Capella's. So if distance touring is the primary purpose you want out of this next hull, I think some of the other hulls mentioned would perform a little better in this role then the 169.

[binks]

Brad, I have a Capella 169 that I would like to sell.

Contact me on (207) 221-5171 if you're interested in either trying or buying.

Andrew

[subaruguru]

Because of the concave foredeck slope, the Cat 4 won't fit the long-legged nor large-footed; hence the better fit of the Cat 5...which of course has higher storage volume too. Although Impex claims the hulls are identical, when upended the bow flares seem very slightly different. But because I don't fit in the Cat4 I can't compare responsiveness. The Cat5 needs decided but easy provocation to lean-turn. Less subtle than others in this regard. Quiet, fast, tracky, but fairly high inertia due to long waterline. I'm still struggling with the crude cockpit, so will compare with Cetus and Capella 167 soon.

[EEL]

>Starting to get interested in a touring boat as I would like

>to do some camping,

Your Avocet has plenty of room for a weekend trip. Might want to take a few with it to get a better feel of how much space you need and what qualities you may desire in a long distance touring boat.

Since I own one and whatever boat you own is one of if not the best, I'll put in a plug for the Force 4. Wonderful boat in terms of meeting design goals. Just right for long, fast day paddles and extended touring.

Ed Lawson