Day 71 - Necky 'Looksha IV' plastic

This morning, in a 71 consecutive days of paddling inspired quest for variety, I paddled up to the north end of Mission Bay toward the Catamaran Resort with a set of kayak wheels in the back hatch of a Looksha IV. My plan was to see if I could find an easy way to portage across to the ocean and come back down on the outside. Not having scouted it beyond looking at maps I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be a remarkably easy and short walk from the bay side to the ocean straight down San Rafael Place making the portage wheels almost unnecessary. A quick launch through knee high surf put me two miles north of the pier on the glassy smooth ocean. I kept things lively by dabbling inside the surf zone keeping an eye out for larger waves that might break early and catch me. As I neared the jetty I noticed a small pod of dolphins hunting along the rocks as I drew near and made the turn around the end of the jetty they apparently had the same idea and surfaced a couple times within twenty feet of my left side. As I paddled into the bay they continued south across the channel entrance.

The Looksha IV plastic is no longer being produced. I'm not sure if it's true but I thought I'd heard the reason is that they wore out the mold from making so many. That's too bad because I think that boat handles better than many of the newer models Necky produces in that line. The Looksha IV fits me pretty well and moves along fast enough. The boat also turns quite easily flat on its hull and especially on edge. Not a bad boat for day touring or short camping trips if you can get your hands on one.

Looksha IV Review

Manufacturer = Johnson Outdoors
Brand = Necky
Model = Looksha IV
Material = Plastic
Type = Sea Kayak
Length = x
Width = x
Weight = x

Location = Mission Bay to San Rafael portage and back on coast
Time = 6:10 AM
Distance = Approx 5 miles
Duration = 1:15
Avg. Speed = N/A
Conditions = Calm w/ high think marine layer