The majority of these images are pictures of the sea kayak models owned by my friend Phil. They are not actually pictures of his boats. Phil runs a sea kayaking rental/tour service in the area and I have been helping him with his venture. Hopefully, this page will give potential clients a bit more information about the kinds of boats they might be paddling.
Aquaterra Spectrum
Length: 14'4" Width: 24 3/4" Weight: 52 lbs. Class: beginner-intermediateThe Spectrum is a very stable boat that is perfect for someone that has never paddled a sea kayak before. It's stable, and fairly manouverable due to it's short length. The compromise is that it doesn't track real well and is not very fast.
Wilderness Systems Alto
Length: 15'8" Width: 22.5" Weight: 52 lbs. Class: beginner-intermediateThe Alto is also a very stable boat that a beginner should have very little trouble handling. It's stable, and fairly manouverable but tracks a bit better and is a little faster then a Spectrum. Due to it's better tracking some beginners might have a difficult time keeping it going in the direction they want. Once it starts going in the wrong direction it will tend to continue to go in that direction.
Prijon Seayak
Length: 16'1" Width: 24" Weight: 56 lbs. Class: intermediateThe Seayak uses a unique tri-hederal V-hull which lowers it's initial stablility just a bit. However, it has a pretty good final stability so it allows the intermediate paddler to use "boat lean" to help manoeveribility and track straighter in the wind. It's might feel a bit "tippy" at first , but once you start moving you'll find that it becomes fairly stable and manouverable. This is a good boat for someone that has been in a sea kayak a couple of times.
Prijon Yukon
Length: 14'5" Width: 25" Weight: 59 lbs. Class: beg-intermediateThe Yukon also uses a tri-hederal hull which results in handling characteristics similar to the Seayak. The boat is shorter however and is thus a bit more manoeverable. Prijon advertises the boat as a perfect no-compromise multi-purpose expedition boat that can handle whitewater as well.
Wilderness Systems Sealution
Length: 16'6" Width: 22" Weight: ~45 lbs. Class: beginner-intermediateThe Sealution is a dream to paddle. It is very comfortable, has good initial stability, and tracks quite well. Since this is a fiberglass boat, it is also fairly fast. However, it doesn't have a real solid final stability so if one wants to use a lot of boat lean it can be a bit risky. It is also quite roomy.
Necky Amaruk (Tandem)
Length: 18'4" Width: ~28" Weight: a lot Class: beginner-intermediateThe "caddilac". It's big and wide and extremely stable. Paddling a tandem boat can be a lot of fun and can also be the first step toward divorce if two strong but inexperienced paddlers are in it. Once you learn how to keep in sync it moves along quite well. Getting out of sync can cause the paddlers to "fight" each others efforts.
P&H Iona
Length: 16'6" Width: 21" Weight: ?? lbs. Class: advanced.The P&H Iona is an English made fiberglass boat. It is narrow, fast, and very manouverable. On the downside, it has very low initial stability. It's a fun boat to paddle but you have to pay attention every second.
Wilderness Systems Artic Hawk
Length: 18'" Width: 21" Weight: 52 lbs. Class: advanced.This is the boat that Phil primarily paddles. It is long and extremely fast. However, it has a fairly sharp V-hull which results in very low initial stability. This is not a boat for beginners and it's unlikely you'd get Phil out of it anyway.
Valley Canoe Products Skerray
Length: 17'3" Width: 23" Weight: 52 lbs. Class: intermediate - advancedThis is my boat. It is, of course, perfect for all paddlers in all conditions. Realistically, it's sort of a cross between the Sealution and the Seayak. It has fairly good initial stability and good final stability as well. It leans easily. Since it's made of fiberglass it's also reasonably fast. It's pretty too.
Finally, here's a link to a page which has some picture of a few more boats.
