Kayak Demo #2
I spent the morning over at Alki Kayak Tours at Seacrest Park demoing Eddyline Kayaks. The Eddyline rep showed up with around 10 boats and Alki contributed some of their boats for the demo also.
I started out in the Eddyline Fathom LV…for those of you familiar with Eddyline you know that there is no Fathom LV. Until yesterday…literally. This is a brand new boat. In fact this was literally the first boat made for production. And I was the third person to try this kayak out in its history. I thought that was pretty cool. As far the boat - it is a foot shorter than the Fathom and an inch narrow. The biggest issue for me was the tight cockpit - not as deep. I felt very uncomfortable in it - definitely not the boat for me.
Next I took out the Eddyline Fathom. I loved this Kayak! I ended up taking it out 3 times. The last time for a much longer demo and out into rougher water - even got a wave over the bow that got me wet. Anyway, this kayak is very stable, very agile, and fast. The front of the cockpit is deep so it feels larger than it is. This is the definitely the kayak that I want to pick up.
While there I also tried the Equinox, Merlin XT, and Merlin LT. The Equinox felt like a bath tub which is funny since I thought I liked it after taking it out about 2 weeks ago. But after paddling in the Fathom, the Equinox feels much larger. The Merlin XT was a nice boat and probably my second choice of the day. The Merlin LT was for a much smaller person.
Before leaving for the day, two other paddlers got into a bit of a jam. They were out near one of the barges and one of them flipped over. Kudos to Greg (owner of Alki Kayak Tours) and the Eddyline rep for hauling A** and getting out there to help them. The water temperature in the sound is only 48 degrees - so it gets dangerous if you fall out. Both persons got back in their kayaks and back to shore safely.
Tonight we went to the Seattle Sounders soccer game at Qwest Field. Wow - what an awesome stadium. The Niners (yes, I’m a Niners fan) need something like that rather than the crappy Candlestick Park they play in now. The game was good and Zach was good. We only stayed through the 70th minute (longer than we expected) and then Zach was getting tired and restless. Well, it was 9pm and that is past his bedtime.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Hi, I read with great interest your evaluation of the Fathom LV (Low Volume). I’m thinking of getting this boat as soon as it is available. I’m 5′7″ and 180 pounds, was wondering what your height and weight is? Being a smaller person I wonder if it will be a tight fit for me also. According to Eddyline’s rep that I have been communicating with he says the cockpit is the standard size for an Eddyline boat, simular to the Nighthawk, Falcon, etc. Would appreciate any other information you could provide about your time in the Fathom LV. Thanks…Charles
June 25th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Hi,
I’m 5′7″ but a stockier 205lbs (yeah, the Dr wants me to drop a few lbs). Most of my bad weight is in my gut, and I have pretty stocky legs.
I felt like the depth of the cockpit was too tight for me - at least it didn’t provide the comfort level I enjoy. The 16′ Fathom has an extra inch in depth and that is perfect for me.
The owner of Alki Kayak did comment that the LV would be good for the 5′7″/5′8″ frame at 180lbs…he used those figures since that is his build. He likes the boat quite a bit. It’s also an inch narrow (beam is 21″) than the ordinary Fathom and that makes me feel squeezed a bit. I was definitely a lot more stable in the ordinary Fathom then the LV.
Otherwise, it’s a foot shorter and I assume a bit lighter. It shares the same lines as the ordinary Fathom from a visual perspective…so when you look at pictures of the Fathom, the LV is the same, just a bit smaller.
There was a woman there who was about 5′6″ and probably 140lbs and she loved the LV…I think it was her favorite boat of the day.
I’d rather not comment on the paddling aspects since I was basically a train wreck in it…but that was because of me…not the boat. The boat is supposed to be available in July…so you won’t have to wait long now.
June 27th, 2007 at 6:25 am
Hello,
Thank you for the information regarding the Fathom LV. Yesterday I was told by my local Eddyline dealer that I can now order the LV. Late yesterday I got an email indicating that Eddyline has changed the colors for Fathom LV only to Pearl Red, Pearl Yellow, Pearl Blue and White. When you paddled that LV what color was the boat? Does the pearl in the color make the color look and any more different than the color from the standard Eddyline colors? By chance did anyone there that day of the demo take any pictures? Curious why Eddyline has not officially announced the Fathom LV, even more funny is that my local dealer didn’t know anything about the LV until I brought it to his attention. Thanks for all your help.
Charles
July 1st, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Hi,
Sorry for the late reply…the LV was white…so not a good test of color. Neither I or my buddy had a camera to take pictures…I don’t recall anyone bringing a camera that day.
Good Luck,
Paul