From a 17' touring boat last night to the 10' Tarpon 100 this morning, quite a switch for sure. This year saw the Tarpon SOT kayaks from Wilderness Systems come with the same Phase 3 seat systems found in the Tsunami line from Wilderness. I must say that it's hard to find a more comfortable seat. I'm not a huge fan of high seat backs and how they inhibit good torso rotation that really lets you power your stroke. But on a ten foot long sit on top, seriously... what does it really matter... sometimes you just go for comfort. This little boat trades a bit of maneuverability for tracking but it's well worth it and the hull sliced through the water much more quietly than the other SOTs I've tried so far. I didn't have much trouble keeping my speed up over 3.5 mph but trying for anything more than 4.2 or so was a waste of energy. No surprise for a short stable boat. Overall it's a fun little boat to paddle for not-to-long casual trips. One thing I have to wonder when I look at the ample 30.5" width is if manufacturers are forgetting about folks that just want to paddle while they make SOT's more and more fishable.
Manufacturer = Confluence
Brand = Wilderness Systems
Model = Tarpon 100
Material = Plastic
Length = 10'
Width = 30.5"
Weight = 55 lbs
Capacity = 325 lbs
Location = Mission Bay - loop around Mariner's Cove and back
Time = 6:00 AM
Distance = 3.59 miles
Duration = 1:00
Avg Speed = 3.59 mph
Conditions = Partly cloudy and slight breeze
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
how do you think this boat would do in Class 2-3?
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is: "It depends". It depends a lot on the size of the person, the nature of the river, and even more on the skill of the person! If you're asking, I'm guessing you haven't had much or any whitewater experience. Whitewater at any level is very dangerous and YOU MUST SEEK INSTRUCTION regardless of the type of kayak you want to paddle. If you don't want to invest the time in learning to roll, etc., I'd say that an inflatible will be much more forgiving. Perception makes a sit-on-top designed for whitewater called the Torent that would also be much more appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI'm asking because I plan to purchase this boat primarily for flat water but will occasionally like to take it in class II/III if it can handle it. I'm an intermediate paddler, weigh 115 lbs, but have never paddled a SOT in anything but class I+. Would love to hear from someone with experience in this specific boat
ReplyDelete