Day 4 - Wilderness Systems "Tempest 170" plastic

The luck of the draw put me in the Tempest 170 this morning. I didn't get my fill of the surf yesterday so I grabbed a helmet and headed out to Dog Beach to play in the waves. Most of the waves were small which gave me a chance to practice bracing and maneuvering in the soup. A couple bigger sets did sneak in which provided a little extra excitement as went almost entirely airborne off the back sides of a few very steep waves. The Tempest 170 is a pretty quick boat even in the plastic version I was able to easily cruise at over 5mph this morning. On edge the kayak is very stable and maneuverable. I prefer the fit of the smaller Tempest 165 for rough water paddling but the 170's slightly looser feel is more comfortable for a long haul. I had the same boat on LA Bay in Baja last February guiding a high school group from New Hampshire. While on the five day trip the boat handled all of my gear (and a fair amount of the kid's gear) with ease. I was impressed how well it handled fully loaded as well. If someone is looking for a boat that would perform well as a playful day tripper and still pull off a longer camping trip from time to time I think the Tempest 170 would be a great boat to consider.

Note: I re-visited the Tempest 170 later today when I did a quick after work paddle with a friend Mike Franklin who is a professional photographer that does amazing work. He has a couple cool ideas for slide/video clips that will be fun include so watch for those. We did a quick paddle out around the buoy enjoying the sunset. He snapped a few quick photos one of which is my profile picture.


Manufacturer = Confluence
Brand = Wilderness Systems
Model = Tempest 170
Material = Plastic
Length = 17'-0"
Width = 22"
Weight = 56 lbs.
Capacity = 325 lbs.

Location = Mission Bay channel to Dog Beach
Time = 7:00 AM
Duration = 1:01
Distance = 4.54 miles
Avg. Speed = 4.5 mph*
Conditions = 1' surf with occasional 3-4'
Activity = Surf zone practice**

* Avg. speed reflects time spent playing in waves my average cruising speed was about 5 mph and top speed on a wave 12.8 mph.
** Please get professional instruction in surf zone dynamics and kayak handling before taking kayaks in the surf.