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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Tarpon 140, Swell Scupper, or Eddyline Caribbean  (Read 3384 times)

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Tohopko

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Coeur D Alene
  • Date Registered: Jun 2015
  • Posts: 39
Hey folks!  I've been away quite a while, but starting to get back into providing my own motor on the water.  I previously had a Native Slayer 13, which was awesome...ly heavy.  I'm looking to lighten up a bit, and use my arms for motoring. For SINKs, I have a Tsunami 140 with the incredible Airpro seat, as well as an Eddyline Fathom with a much less comfortable seat. I find myself without a SOT.   3 boats have caught my eye in particular--the Eddyline Caribbean 14 (already have one for the wife, so I know it), the Tarpon 14 (or 12?), and the 2020 Swell Scupper.

My use is primarily flatwater, lakes, some river, although I'd like to get some more time over in Puget Sound.  Fitness, fishing, and photography are my main pursuits on the water.  I'm not terribly concerned with the weight, as any of these will feel like a feather compared to the old Slayer, but I will be throwing the boat up on the topper of my truck.  I'm also not too worried about standing while fishing (although I can (carefully) stand in my wife's Eddyline.  With the photography, some degree of initial stability is nice.   My wife has been taking a class at our local college for kayaking, and wanted me to go out with her in their rental boats--Lifetime Tamarack 10fts.  I wanted to shoot  myself a half hour in--so speed and maneuverability are also important to me.

Thoughts?


bogueYaker

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Pace the halls and climb the walls
  • Location: Now back in NC
  • Date Registered: Aug 2019
  • Posts: 405
Fun topic. I'm also liking the idea of getting back into paddle powered craft... Peddle drive is sweet and all but I miss the simplicity of paddling.

Not sure if you're aware, but others in the general size range of kayaks that you're looking at are:
Vagabond Marimba (14'9", 26" wide, 66lbs)
Stealth Fusion 480 (15'7", 27" wide, 65lbs)

And then if money is no object, Stealth makes some nice looking fiberglass boats.

Personally I've been eyeing the Vagabond, Scupper, and Fusion 480 pretty hard... Hoping that some of them will pop up on CL this winter.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
If stability for photography is critical, the boats you've listed are fairly narrow.  They're not "tippy" but they'd have less initial stability than slightly shorter and slightly wider hulls.  Not a problem for fishing or touring, but for photography..?

The Tarpon 120 was favored for speed and maneuverability before the pedal craze set in.  The Ocean Kayak Trident 13 was another favorite.  The Tarpon 120 (12'0") weighs less than the Trident 13 (13'6") and has that great AirPro seat - although the seat in the 2017 and newer Tridents is a huge improvement over the older seats.

I can testify they're both very stable hulls in most ocean conditions.

I don't know about Eddyline or Swell kayaks, but I'd suggest you also look at the Tarpon 120 and the Trident 13 to see if they suit how you plan to use a kayak.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Tohopko

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Coeur D Alene
  • Date Registered: Jun 2015
  • Posts: 39
Thanks.  All good points.  Just like motorcycles and cameras, there is no perfect "do it all" boat.  My fear is being frustrated with the speed of the Tarpon 12.  I KNOW I will not be disappointed with the seat on any Wilderness boat.