It was a quiet night on Mission Bay while I led four people in two tandems on a roundabout route from our dock up to Sea World to watch the fireworks. Paddling the Legend for a short slow paced trip like this is kinda like taking a thoroughbred to a petting zoo. The Legend is built for moving, and moving fast. It's initial stability is on the lower end of most touring boats but when you edge it on to it's hard chine you can experience the solid feel of it's secondary stability. That solid secondary allows this 18' speed machine to carve tighter turns than one would expect.
I've owned a Legend since the days that Walden sports sold them which was about 6 or 7 years ago. Since Seaward took over they made slight changes to the hull shape, carrying the hard chine all the way to the bow and stern, but it's pretty much still the same boat. I've taken my Legend on numerous extended trips and can attest to the large amount of gear that it can comfortably carry. The hatches on my Legend are so bone dry that I never used to carry dry bags all I needed was stuff sacks to keep my gear organized. On the water, loaded or not, the Legend handles rough water like a dream. I feel that it actually paddles better in 1-2 foot chop than on flat calm water. The one thing that tends to turn people away from the Legend is it's low primary stability. I must admit that it is a boat that keeps you on your toes when you're trying to get into the day hatch in bumpy water.
Legend Review
Manufacturer = Seaward
Brand = Seaward
Model = Legend (Nigel Foster)
Material = Fiberglass
Type = Sea Kayak
Length = 17'-10"
Width = 21"
Weight = 57 lbs.
Location = Mission Bay Fireworks Tour
Time = 8:30 PM
Distance = Approx 5 miles
Duration = 2:00
Avg. Speed = N/A
Conditions = Slight breeze with clear skys
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment