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-rutabaga outdoor programs
-at the shop, in wisconsin
-other friends and resouces
-door county wisconsin
-largest paddlesport expo
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A classic British design in a durable rotomolded lay-up.
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Lars Bland | | Posted:
P&H Sea Kayaks has a long history designing efficient and seaworthy kayaks and the Capella RM 166 is no exception. Rotomolded kayaks (made of a type of plastic - polyethylene) make sense for many buyers for a few reasons. First of all, if you live on a body of water and you plan on doing most of your paddling out of your back door, it is great to have a boat that you can just slide off your lawn into the water. With a RM boat, chances are any scratches you get will not result in structural damage. One downside of poly, however, is that it tends to be heavier than its composite cousins. For some, this could be a barrier to getting out on the water. To focus this review on the 166, I'd like to start by providing some commentary on the boat's fit. I am about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 155 pounds. I chose this boat so I have plenty of room and capacity for gear on long expeditions. So for a day paddle, it is a little big for me. It still paddles like a dream, however. It handles a confused sea quite well and its adjustable thigh braces allow for a tight fit over a wide range of body types. The newly re-designed P&H skeg control is a vast improvement as well. This boat is stable enough for even a beginner to enjoy and has a fair amount of secondary stability (how "comfortable" the boat is on its edge) that the advanced expedition paddler will appreciate. I've found the chine of the 166 to be well suited to performance edging in many conditions. Without looking at the chine (where the "bottom" of the boat connects with the "side" of the boat) I would have guessed it to be much harder. A hard-chined boat, however would be much less forgiving than the 166. This boat would be a great choice for the medium to large-sized paddler looking for a stable but agile expedition boat in polyethylene. And remember, if you decide to upgrade to composite construction within two years, Rutabaga will give you the full price of your RM boat on trade-in towards a new glass or kev-carbon boat! Paddle safe. |
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