Great for Tandem Touring or Camping
Written: Jul 16 '01 (Updated Jul 16 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: FAST! Holds tons of gear.
Cons: HEAVY! May not be ideal for 1-person paddling.
The Bottom Line: For its designed uses (other than getting it on/off the car), it's nearly ideal. It's speed will let you go to farther with less effort. It'll hold tons of cargo.
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| erikmartin's Full Review: Ocean Kayak Cabo |
This is one of the fastest plastic tandems available, with a large bow hatch, optional center hatch and rear tank well, as well as lots of extra room in the seating areas and in the middle "jump seat." All this makes it possibly the best boat available for two-person camping expeditions and touring, and its speed makes it great for casual tandem racing. The only faster tandems out there are the much more expensive, and narrower (less stable) composite and fiberglass racing boats.
Its speed comes mostly from its 16+' length and its 30" beam (width), which is narrow enough to not compromise speed too much, but wide enough (with the typical Ocean Kayak hull) to give it enough stability appropriate for non-racing conditions. (More than enough for the beginning paddler to feel comfortable.)
Given the length and weight of the boat, it's not ideal for someone who knows nothing about tandem kayaking strokes; such people may have some difficulty maneuvering it. So for absolute beginners I'd recommend reading up on the basic strokes before trying it, so you can get the most out of it.
CONS:
1) Weight: It's listed as 76lbs. It's not too difficult for two adults to handle, but if you're going out with one adult and one child, it's a bit much. For these situations you may need to slide one end off the car onto some sort of kayak cart, then slide the other end off and wheel it to the water. (On the other hand some people like to just drag their kayaks.)
2) The middle seat. It's built for single paddlers with legs that are as long or longer than average for an adult male. At a long-waisted 5'7", I fall a few inches short; so I have to rig something up or just let my feet rest on the front seat. On the other hand, if its any sort of expedition, it works great with the cargo stored in the front hatch and the single paddler in the back seat.
CAMPING:
For camping, this is your boat. You can hold more stuff and go further in a day than any other similar boat.
(2-Person) TOURING/EXPLORING:
Even if you're not taking advantage of the storage space, the speed and stability make it great for paddling around. You'll go further (or go the same distance with less effort) than any other popular tandem sit-on-top.
OCEAN
This boat is designed to hold 500-600 lbs. As such, it has quite a lot of buoyancy. Between its buoyancy and its weight, it makes quick work of ocean waves and swells. Of course, a 16+' boat is not made for playing in the surf. You go straight out/in through the surf, perpendicular to the waves. If you end up parallel to the waves, you'll probably tip over.
MISC
Children fit nicely in the jump seat, although legs may become uncomfortable after a while. We've paddled this boat back and forth across the Delaware river near full weight capacity in the form of 2 adult paddlers and three kids on board (a 6, 5, and 3 YO). With this load there's a noticeable increase in stability, and a noticeable decrease in speed and maneuverability - still a lot of fun, though. But I wouldn't recommend it if one of the adults isn't a somewhat experienced paddler.
PRICE
The prices I found were lower than the $799 mentioned here. Most were in the high $600's; the one I bought was on sale for $599.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
erikmartin
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Member: Erik Martin
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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