[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Mary on 00:49:45 12/05/03
In Reply to: Re: extreme or drifter posted by Grego
Last Friday, I shot on down to Malibu Kayaks to rent the Extreme. I easily loaded the kayak onto my car rack all by myself. If you had seen me struggling to get my WS Ride onto the carrack, well, it was quite a sight. Being a woman, I don't have a lot of upper body strength. If I can do it with the boat loader...
The Yakima Boat Loader has saved the day as far as I'm concerned. (Thule makes a boat loader as well.) Jim of Paddle Power taught me that it's just a matter of leverage both in loading the yak and in carting it around. The length and weight of the Extreme was a concern initially. (It just stands to reason: The longer the boat, the more material, the heavier it ought to be.) I did my homework before I made the decision to buy the Extreme.
I am happy with the speed, the large amount of storage capacity, the weight capacity and the stability. I really like the Cobra Fish N Dive for it's stability, the roomy underdeck storage with large, easily accessible hatches, the flat surfaces in the cockpit area and of course, it's weight capacity. I don't like slow. I imagine it could be real fun for a woman trying to paddle the Fish N Dive in windy or strong current conditions on an afternoon in the Pacific.
I almost bought a Tarpon 160 last summer. It's fast and fun to paddle. The drawbacks are it doesn't have a tankwell and IMO, the deck isn't very "angler friendly" especially for someone like me who tends to take everything but the kitchen sink out fishing. :) I must do something about that :)
I hope this helps, Pat.
TL,
Mary
: GO PADDLE BOTH!!! MY BEST ADVICE, with that said...Jason is friendly to all comments fishnHB, this entire thread would have already been deleted on the other sites. Pro-cobra, ocean, or malibu kayak comments all you want.I've only paddled the eXtreme, and only seen the Drifter. If I'm correct the drifter is the one with the huge seat, looks kinda funny to me. I paddled 16 miles one way, one trip, through horrible conditions on the eXtreme, so I know it's comfortable. I took in water from the front hatch, but nothing I couldn't drain with a towel. Then again I had already known to either have the seal fixed or Malibu would send me the fixit kit, but I put it off and therefore watched the other 2 eXtremes on the trip have almost a total dry ride in the end. With 3 scuppers and 3 extremes on the trip, we all kept pace with each other, so speed is there. I think everyone already knows the X is stable. I think loading and unloading is more difficult because of the length, but we're talking seconds to me, one side up first then the other side, instead of picking it all up at once. I like the ability to customize mine and the storage areas. I like white kayaks, white is cool (did that make any sense?? hahaahha)Greg
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]