Brian Day

Yep. Think you are right. Seats, like so many things, are subjective. Brian

Thanks Bob. Glad you liked the story. I sure was spooked for a while after that one. Had a couple bad swims out of a Sea Lion when I was just starting out that messed me up for a while too. I think you're on the right track with training and instruction. Get in the pool. Work on your roll and braces. That's what I did and it worked wonders for my confidence even though it took me a while to develop a consistent roll. Lots of good advice in this thread. Have fun! Brian

Hi Bob, The Delphin is so stable for a few reasons. First, it is flatish under the seat, and this is a big help. Next, the widest point of the hull is just behind the cockpit, which means you're effectively sitting in the widest part of the hull. I think the rocker in the boat helps as well, but can't say for sure. The Delphin isn't a smaller Scorpio. It's much more maneuverable. Very playful, fun day paddling and weekend boat. About as fast an an NDK Romany. You would probably be OK with the stability of a Scorpio MV. It, too is more stable than an Explorer. My concern about going to the HV Scorpio is that it will be more difficult to edge than an MV at your weight. Also harder to roll. It's really a boat that starts for paddlers at about 200#. It's worth working on this. Coaching and practice can help you to relax in whatever boat you choose. Brian

I've been paddling a Sisu for the past six months. (Review of the boat here) About the same height and weight as you guys. Love the high knee position. It's a very fun boat. I'm looking forward to paddling a Prana one of these days. Brian www.kitchi-gami.com

I think of the roll as a skills training accelerator. A decent roll helps you develop your other skills to a higher level because you wont swim as often. At least, that's how it worked for me. Rolling certainly isn't essential, but it does open a lot of doors. Yep, forward paddling is as good as a brace in many cases. Throttle is your friend. Enjoying the forum Rob. Thanks for letting me jump in as a guest. Brian Day www.kitchi-gami.com

Thanks Ed. Really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the review. Brian

Hey Bob, I think you probably got spooked and locked up the boat with your legs. Pretty normal. When things get spicy and the boat starts jumping around it's natural to grab onto the thighbraces and try to keep yourself upright. This actually makes you less stable. Locks your upper and lower body together and makes it harder to stay in balance over the boat. If I were to guess I would say this is what happened. Certainly you aren't too heavy for the boat. To paraphrase William Nealy, relax, have a beer. Drop your legs away from the thighbraces in those kind of situations and you'll see a dramatic improvement in balance. There's a head game at work. I've been spooked plenty of times on the sea. Especially when I was just starting out. Makes you feel really tippy. Here's a story about one of those times: https://kitchi-gami.com/2018/06/04/pic-river-beatdown/ Definitely work on your roll. It opens up lots of options. Try a whitewater class, too. Cross training. Brian Day www.kitchi-gami.com

Hi Ed, Thanks for linking to that post. I prefer the version of the article on my site to the one on the Paddling Mag website. I had to trim it down for print. After nearly thirty years of paddling sea kayaks I'm convinced that a kayak doesn't need to have light initial stability in order to perform well in rough conditions. I think the Cetus proves this point, as do other stable boats like the NDK Explorer. The critical bit is really the ability to edge the boat and hold it on edge. A bigger guy can do this in a wider boat. The same guy will feel really tippy in a narrower boat, even a stable one like an Explorer. I like boats with flattish hulls under the seat. I like Swede form shapes, too as I believe they make edging easier and improve felt stability in a design. Didn't always think this way. The Cetus changed my mind. I worked for P&H from 2009-2017 and ran US/Canada distribution for a few years, so I can answer Big Bird's questions on the Delphin. I think he'll find the Delphin 155 to be significantly more stable than the Explorer. Probably not as stable as the new, super size Scorpio, but still rock solid. Cetus HV is VERY stable. Virgo is new and something I haven't paddled. It's a little smaller and rounder than the Delphin. Probably not as stable. Bottom line is it depends on how big a guy Big Bird is. For guys well over 200# the Cetus HV, Romany Surf, Impex Assateague, Scorpio HV all offer better stability than the Explorer. Learning to roll is a huge help. Whitewater boating is a huge help too. Fastest way to develop technical skills that are directly transferable to the sea. This review of the CD Sisu digs into a few more bits of boat design esoterica and might be of interest to folks on the message board. https://kitchi-gami.com/2020/05/10/gear-review-current-designs-sisu-sea-kayak/ Thanks again for the link. Best, Brian Day www.kitchi-gami.com