hfcalling Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 Now on a short list of possible plastic purchases: P&H Capella or Necky Elaho-HV or Wilderness (17 foot) Tempest. Anyone with experience in these they'ld like to share? Working towards ocean paddling.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyfoley Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Harry:All three are decent boats. I've paddled two of the three (Capella and the Tempest). The Capella was a better fit for me, so it paddled and handled much easier. The Tempest was a bit too snug for me. My advice is go with the boat that you fit into most comfortably. Your body will help you make the decision. Necky makes very good boats also. I own a poly Looksha IV and still paddle it. It was an excellent first boat for me and one that I can still knock around in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Hall Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 The only boat of these that I have paddled is the Elaho, but it was the smaller one. However, since you haven't gotten many other responses, I thought that I might help point out some of the differences in these boats. The Capella is rumoured to be a very manueverable boat. I have heard that Tempest tracks much harder. I have yet to see a Necky boat that didn't track at least moderately.The Elaho that you picked out is a big boat. If you are looking at plastic, it will be quite heavy. Also, you will get pushed around a lot in the wind. If you are a big person, or you like kayak camping, the trade off might be well worth it to you. The boat will probably handle much better with some weight in it.A lot of people pick the Capella as one of their first boats and rarely regret it. P&H uses a laminated polyethylene which is considerably stiffer than most other polyethylene boats. Most people keep their Capellas after getting a composite boat. According to the specifications, it would be nearly 10 pounds lighter than the Elaho.The Tempest is rumoured to be a lot like my boat (Currituck), at least the composite version. If so, it would track moderately without the skeg and like a train with it. The plastic one is a couple of pounds lighter than the Elaho.Oh, the reason I mention the dry weight is because of carrying the boat and putting it on the car, not paddling it. Once it is in the water, the few pounds of difference is unimportant.I hope that this is helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pm7771 Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 I think you wanna add the Necky Chatham; I think its the hottest thing Necky has done in awhile - at least they can't build em fast enough. Its a brit-style, with skeg and I believe available in rotomolded or composites, and 16 or 18' versions. CRKC last I knew had one to sample in their rental fleet. Check out the reviews on www.paddling.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatE Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 I've seen some good comments on the Tempest on paddling.net You might do a search there if you're interested in them. Also, might you be able to get a good used composite Capella for the price of a plastic one? I think I've seen at least a couple for sale pretty locally. Just something to consider.Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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