LOL! They actually ARE pool noodles. I got mine at Wal-Mart. The way the sides are designed, you can split a regular noodle down the side with a box cutter and just slide them on and they stay in place. I have no idea what use these would be for flotation (unless your sinking I guess).
I use 12" sections of the noodles on both sides on the ends. In my case, I have cut out notches to lay down the paddle temporarily when I’m drift fishing and to also hang extra lures and jigs. I notices that some people have these attached all around the opening (from the pictures and vids), but I find that to be a little too confining for my taste.
quote:Originally posted by ScrambledGreg
Something else I noticed from that vid, did you see the amount of flex that kayak had? I noticed that also in the other vids on their page - it looks like the individual sides want to spread apart, flexing in the middle near the saddle. Can you imagine being out in deep water when that thing breaks?
There is definitely some give, but IMO the plastic is too soft to break. I was a little concerned that this thing could potentially splay out (I weigh 230+), so tried pulling the hulls apart on dry land and could not get it to give more than 6 inches or so. My guess this is a design trade off for total weight reduction. Personally, for someone my size, I'd have preferred the craft to have a little less give even if it increased the weight some.
I also noticed that when I am out on the water for several hours in the heat, that the hulls will be spread out a few inches. But it always returns back to its original shape.
Sounds like we found the research and development department. It's YOU!!!!
If this boat turns out to be a piece of “S” then YOU are the guy that will find out for the guys selling this boat.
Man… this is crazy!!!
Gald you bought one and not me. PLEASE let us know if something really bad happens.
Well. I guess you won’t be able to??!?!?!?
Man… the last words I want to hear from a guy on a boat is “I was a little concerned.”
“There is definitely some give, but IMO the plastic is too soft to break” what about winter fishin when it’s cold and your kayak feels like a rock. will it be affected then? Every plastic kayak has soem give but 6 inches… holy crap dude… I am 230+ myslef and I’ll be dipped if I woned a yak that had that much give… that is WAY too soft…
quote:Originally posted by iFlyMan... the last words I want to hear from a guy on a boat is "I was a little concerned."
Obviously it is something that is downplayed on the web site, but I had seen it mentioned when I was researching the craft. I noticed it right away the first time I navigated some swells. To be fair, some of my "concern" was due to way I acquired the boat (not knowing if this was a factory second and all).
When I went back and looked at some of the user videos and pics, the play in the hulls is pretty obvious (particularly for the larger folks). I seriously doubt that these things will have any type of catastrophic failure. A) You’d have heard about it. And B) This company would be out of business (just on the liability).
quote:Originally posted by nikonjediEvery plastic kayak has soem give but 6 inches... holy crap dude... I am 230+ myslef and I'll be dipped if I woned a yak that had that much give... that is WAY too soft....
Just to be clear, that is from the bottom of the hulls moving 3 inches in and 3 inches out. Since it never gets that cold here in South Florida, I have no way to gauge how it acts in cooler temps. And actually the saddle has no noticeable play down 6 or 8 inches where it has the ridge support.
I’ve taken my sons (11 and 12 YO) out in it on the ocean on calm days. Truthfully, if I thought that there was a ANY danger of this craft failing, I would not let them on it (or myself for that matter).
As an aside, I think that the biggest issue with these craft is the marketing. They are way oversold. IMO this is because the engineer that developed the craft is also the person that owns the company and does the selling. I get the impression that he (Yoav) is a very controlling person and this is his baby (typical engineers mentality…no offense to any engineers )
Like I mentioned before, I am a kayak/canoe newbie, but my research has lead me to believe that there is no such thing as a “perfect” craft. And even though there may be some basis in fact for many of the claims made by the company, they are so grand that they open themselves up to criticism. Particularly from those that DO have a lot of experience with traditional watercraft.
I’m sure this Yoav guy is a great guy, and I applaud him for trying to sell his kayak that he designed and makes from scratch. Enterprising people are an inspiration to us slackers
However I’m just not going to sink that kind of money into a product that doesn’t have the track record of the other kayak players - I just don’t have that kind of disposable income. Plus, I’d hate to buy it and regret it a couple trips later, and I’m stuck with it and miserable. Sorry, Wavewalk…
" there is no such thing as a “perfect” craft " nail on the head Brother each of us has our favorite but I don;t even have a “perfect” yak. Get what works for you and enjoy it. I agree 100% wiht ScrambledGreg… If I had all kinds of money laying around it might be different but yeah… I’ll stick with who has a better ecord
quote:Originally posted by ScrambledGregHowever I'm just not going to sink that kind of money into a product that doesn't have the track record of the other kayak players
I think that this is also part of the problem with the hype you hear from some of the owners. If you put down $1200-$1500 on a kayak, your going to want to justify your spending by telling everyone how much you love it and it was worth EVERY penny...right.
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each of us has our favorite but I don;t even have a “perfect” yak. Get what works for you and enjoy it. I agree 100% wiht ScrambledGreg… If I had all kinds of money laying around it might be different but yeah… I’ll stick with who has a better ecord