I am 5-11 and 185, I went to buy a Fish and Dive and the gentleman at the shop had them in stock plus a bunch of others. He had the Fish and Dive ready to go. The moment he saw me he told me it was to big. I asked him if he understood I planned to load it with dive gear and he said yes and that he had been kayak diving since there was a such thing as rotomolded kayaks and even back when they were glass. He was a Cobra and Perception and OK dealer. He said he could cut one in half and put it back--ooookkkk. We went for a spin and he was right, the Fish and Dive was to big and padled like a brick. They did not have the Prowler, they did not exist yet. He told me to get a Scupper. I told him no way that skinny boat will work. One paddle told me I was wrong and he was right.
He further explained that a kayak should be purchased to fit the person and the load range it was expected to carry so that it would sit correctly in the water, not to high (blown by wind --diffucult to paddle and poor tracking) and not to low (plowing and submerging and unstable). Since the man was an expert I took his word at it. I think since he was correct. I have seen tandems solo paddled, they usually dissappear a few mles behind my stern real fast.
The Prowler is nearly two feet shorter than my Scupper yet it still paddles fast and carries a good load. My Scupper can tend to sit bow high unless it is front loaded. I also like that the Prowler 13 is easier for me to lift and rides better in the rack than the longer Scupper. I would hate to have to carry a huge tandem around. I have the Yak rack stand up cradles. I have had a few issues with them. Solo lifting the boats onto the truck is the biggest problem.
Another dissadvantage of tandems and diving from one while tandem is all the coordination needed to get everyhting on. It is just easier for each person to work their own boat from the little I have seen of tandems.
Now, I have seen a model called the Cabo, it is a tandem and yet you may find that it would be suitable for diving. In fact it is shown on the OK site for such. Just looking at the pictures it looks like it might balance and sit just fine loaded for diving. I think it is the tandem Malibu I don't like, that tandem Cabo might work out if you must get a tandem. I like the lines of it and it looks like it will paddle well.
These are not life altering purchases, under a 1,000 bucks. Go get the tandem, if it does not work out get another and sell it or keep it for what it is good for and have two. It is not such a large amount of money that your life will be ruined by a bad decision, just don't make them over and over--lol---I am an expert at that. Now, go have fun with whatever you get.
From Ocean Kayak web site---good info there:
"You can paddle a tandem kayak alone, but it's not easy. Do you plan to paddle solo or tandem? This is one of the most basic questions you'll have to answer. While one person can paddle a tandem alone, it requires sitting in the rear of the kayak while ballasting the front. The kayak will move, but not at its optimal level. On the other hand, it's a lot of fun to go out with a partner, often safer, and usually cheaper than buying two boats. There are a few tandem sit-on-tops that have a jump seat between the front and rear seat wells. This seat arrangement makes it possible to balance weight for better performance when paddling alone, and may be a good option to try if you want to paddle both tandem and solo.
Your body determines how the kayak will perform. You probably wouldn't buy new pants without trying them on first. The same rule applies to kayaks. When you test paddle, you aren't so much looking for mechanical failure as you are trying to get sense of how the kayak fits. It goes beyond just height and weight-people carry weight and proportions in different ways, and these differences translate into how you balance in a kayak. You can always learn how to work with different kinds of kayaks-experts tend to balance better than beginners-but know that it will take time and practice, especially if you decide on a specialized kayak."
Good luck. Bye. N
He further explained that a kayak should be purchased to fit the person and the load range it was expected to carry so that it would sit correctly in the water, not to high (blown by wind --diffucult to paddle and poor tracking) and not to low (plowing and submerging and unstable). Since the man was an expert I took his word at it. I think since he was correct. I have seen tandems solo paddled, they usually dissappear a few mles behind my stern real fast.
The Prowler is nearly two feet shorter than my Scupper yet it still paddles fast and carries a good load. My Scupper can tend to sit bow high unless it is front loaded. I also like that the Prowler 13 is easier for me to lift and rides better in the rack than the longer Scupper. I would hate to have to carry a huge tandem around. I have the Yak rack stand up cradles. I have had a few issues with them. Solo lifting the boats onto the truck is the biggest problem.
Another dissadvantage of tandems and diving from one while tandem is all the coordination needed to get everyhting on. It is just easier for each person to work their own boat from the little I have seen of tandems.
Now, I have seen a model called the Cabo, it is a tandem and yet you may find that it would be suitable for diving. In fact it is shown on the OK site for such. Just looking at the pictures it looks like it might balance and sit just fine loaded for diving. I think it is the tandem Malibu I don't like, that tandem Cabo might work out if you must get a tandem. I like the lines of it and it looks like it will paddle well.
These are not life altering purchases, under a 1,000 bucks. Go get the tandem, if it does not work out get another and sell it or keep it for what it is good for and have two. It is not such a large amount of money that your life will be ruined by a bad decision, just don't make them over and over--lol---I am an expert at that. Now, go have fun with whatever you get.
From Ocean Kayak web site---good info there:
"You can paddle a tandem kayak alone, but it's not easy. Do you plan to paddle solo or tandem? This is one of the most basic questions you'll have to answer. While one person can paddle a tandem alone, it requires sitting in the rear of the kayak while ballasting the front. The kayak will move, but not at its optimal level. On the other hand, it's a lot of fun to go out with a partner, often safer, and usually cheaper than buying two boats. There are a few tandem sit-on-tops that have a jump seat between the front and rear seat wells. This seat arrangement makes it possible to balance weight for better performance when paddling alone, and may be a good option to try if you want to paddle both tandem and solo.
Your body determines how the kayak will perform. You probably wouldn't buy new pants without trying them on first. The same rule applies to kayaks. When you test paddle, you aren't so much looking for mechanical failure as you are trying to get sense of how the kayak fits. It goes beyond just height and weight-people carry weight and proportions in different ways, and these differences translate into how you balance in a kayak. You can always learn how to work with different kinds of kayaks-experts tend to balance better than beginners-but know that it will take time and practice, especially if you decide on a specialized kayak."
Good luck. Bye. N
