New Kayak! - Review

Well, Santa was about 1 1/2 weeks late but the fat guy finally delivered my present. A brand new 2012 Wilderness Systems Tempest 165!  It came around 4:00pm yesterday so, of course, I had to take it to Lake Mead today to try it out.

Wilderness Systems Tempest 165. Length 16.5' - Width 21.5"

THE REVIEW
First, let me start off by saying that I've been kayaking about 2 1/2 years and consider myself an advanced beginner so this review might be more helpful to new paddlers since I have more of a beginners perspective. I started off with a 10' $200 rec kayak then spent the last 2 years paddling a Perception Carolina 14. The Carolina was an excellent boat but I have been wanting something a bit slimmer and faster. Most of my review consists of my comparisons to the Carolina 14. Since no one within a reasonable distance from me had a Tempest, I bought it primarily on Paddling.net reviews and other reviews I found online.

LOOKS: The kayak is just plain beautiful! (I mean, who wants to paddle an ugly yak.)

HATCHES: The rubber is a bit softer and more flexible than the Carolina and you have to make sure they're latched all the way on but it's not to hard. I didn't turn the boat over in the water but I did have a few waves over the boat and lots of splash and where wasn't a sign of water in either of the 3 sealed compartments.

FIT: When I first unwrapped the boat and started to climb in, I thought "Oh oh, I'm not going to fit!" But, after a minor adjustment to the hip pads, I slid in with no problems. As far as the seat goes, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything bad about the WS Phase 3 seat. I probably paddled for 2 hours without any  adjustments. My only complaint with the fit is that my feet felt a bit cramped until I moved the foot pegs out. I'm 5'6", weight about 160 lbs and wear a size 10 shoe. If any of your measurements are more than mine, you might want to consider the Tempest 170 because you probably won't fit in the 165.

PADDLING: When I first looked at the bottom of this boat I thought it was going to be really "tippy" but I was very surprised how stable it was. At 21.5" it really didn't feel that much worse that the Carolina (24.5" wide.) It was a little shaky getting in the first time since the keyhole cockpit opening is quite a bit smaller than what I'm used to but after a couple ins & outs it was fine. The thigh braces felt incredible. I didn't even have to make any adjustment to them. I had about a 5mph or 6 mph breeze with a little chop but still never felt like I was going to flip over. The kayak steers very easily with a little edging and in the breeze, with the skeg down, it tracked like an arrow. It's quite a bit faster than the Carolina also.

Overall, I'm very happy with the Tempest 165. From the reviews I've read, this kayak was designed to handle big waves and winds, (not sure if I am,) so it's something I can grow with and hopefully paddle for quite some time. If you're a beginner looking for your first kayak or have some paddling experience and you're looking to move up to something a little more advanced, I give the Tempest 165 2 thumbs up!