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< July/August 2001
	Gear
The Road Less Traveled A Taste of Four New Touring Boats

Dagger Cortez
I’m a paddling derelict; a sand-between-my-toes, rotting-gear, NOT-color-coordinated, kinda guy. This is the boat I would buy for day touring and casual overnights. The Dagger Cortez may not be a boat for the masses, but the designers were either fellow paddle-bums or they had me in mind. The plastic Cortez is a paradigm shift for the industry and performance kayakers: high performance doesn’t have to be built of fiberglass, Kevlar, or carbon fiber.

I live among seals, sea lions, otters, and whales. I took the Cortez far offshore into the chaotic convergence of swell, current, and wind off Monterey’s Point Piños—a nasty place in the path of the gray whale migration. The 16’6" Cortez cruises like performance glass boats—giving that giddy sensation of a smooth and efficient glide. A rounded hull cross-section and narrow 21" beam achieve the high performance by reducing the wetted surface area, but sacrificing some initial stability. Paddling out against the steep swell and chop, the ample volume in the bow helped lift the boat up and over wind-whipped waves and the tall and rounded deck shed water from whitecaps. Kayaking will always be a water sport, but the Cortez gave a drier-than-expected ride for the rough conditions. After an hour of paddling with migrating leviathans, it was time to paddle with the swell. The chined hull guided the Cortez straight and true as I surfed while California sea lions joined in the free ride by darting back and forth under the boat.

The Cortez is only available with a rudder, a feature for most, but an expensive add-on for experienced paddlers willing to turn the boat on edge. Two bulkheads seal off ample storage areas and add stiffness and flotation. The bow storage hatch is small and nearly impossible to stuff a drybag through, but it’s useful for water bottles and lunch. The stern hatch is larger and more functional. Bow and stern together, the Cortez has storage for overnights or ultralight extended trips. It’s a small feature, but I appreciated the trick bow grab handle – it’s kept flush to the deck by a small stretch cord, but extends clear of the bow so not to be wrenched from your hand if the boat is rolled in the surf. The deck rigging is clean and basic, the seat is comfortable, bracing is well placed, and the Cortez comes standard with an adjustable backbrace.

Smaller paddlers will find the deck of the Cortez too high for comfort. Heavier paddlers and beginners may find the Cortez a bit tippy. The Dagger Cortez is for 5’ 8" to 6’+ average-sized, experienced paddlers who have risen to a higher plane of kayaking (a.k.a. entropy or descending into the pit of laziness). You can drag the 54-pound Cortez across the beach without guilt and can pop a cold one as your friends rinse and polish their high-gloss fiberglass cruisers that cost them twice as much.

—Steve Shimek

Cortez Specs:
Length: 16’6"
Width: 21"
Weight: 54lbs
Max Carrying Capacity: 300lbs.
MSRP: $1,399
Info: (865) 882-0404, www.dagger.com

Walden Legend
The British just think differently: they build stout instead of ultralight, essential instead of "loaded with features," and they design kayaks for storm-driven seas instead of sheltered waters. If you truly want a worthy expedition craft that can take you to the ends of the earth—to dine with formally attired penguins or to follow in the wake Sir Shackleton’s heroic adventure—the Brit-designed Walden Legend may be your best means of escape.

The Legend is built to cruise through just about any conditions. At 57 pounds and with extra layers of reinforcing fiberglass, the Legend is as heavy as many polyethylene boats—and it feels massive off the mark. But once up to cruising speed it paddles silk smooth and efficient. Its 17’ 10" length and 21.5" beam offers adequate stability for intermediate and advanced paddlers and it is long and sleek enough glide across the flats. Stability is not the only place where the Legend assumes you have some experience: it flies straight and there’s no rudder meaning the only way to change direction is to lean the boat on edge and carve—something the Legend does with ease. The hard chines under the middle third of the boat and a bit of boat design voodoo give the Legend remarkable performance in rough seas: it’s as predictably stable in a tempest as in the flats – a very reassuring sensation. There is enough volume in the nose to lift it over rolling waves, but the deck is cut low and goes awash in any chop; the Brits would rather you just stay wet than sacrifice surface area to the wind.

Another Brit standard is the Legend’s retractable skeg. I liked it a lot. When sighting on a distant mark even the straightest running boat will wobble with wind, wave and paddle stroke. Drop the skeg—simply by sliding a recessed cable next to the cockpit—and the Legend feels as if it’s been trued by the quills of a pub dart. The skeg makes surfing swells a dream.

American builders should study the austere and pared-to-essential features of the Legend. The bulkhead immediately behind the seat is angled to meet flush with the combing so when you dump water out, it ALL empties out. Around the combing and hatch covers there’s a small indentation molded into the fiberglass allowing water to drain from the deck. The grab loops clear the nose and stern so if the boat rolls in the surf as you drag it ashore it doesn’t twist from your hand. There’s a day hatch and third bulkhead behind the seat that offers dry storage and is accessible while you paddle. Because there’s no rudder, there are no cables or hardware inside the cockpit—just a seat and footbraces. The bow and stern hatches are big enough to easily load drybags through—an obvious but uncommon feature. The deck rigging is only what’s needed. And because this boat is truly meant to venture far beyond the horizon, there’s a compass mount recessed into the deck.

The Walden Legend is the middle boat of sized series—the Silhouette is smaller and the Shadow bigger. These are boats built for high adventure—they may be overbuilt for casual day touring. But if you dream of icebergs and wind blown beaches, challenge and contemplative solitude, these are the boats to have.

—Steve Shimek

Legend Specs:
Length: 17’10"
Width: 21.5"
Weight: 57lbs.
Max Carrying Capacity: 300lbs.
MSRP: $12,695
Info: (888) 371-3033, www.waldensports.com

Perception Solé
Lots of good things are designed for men, like power tools and sports gear. My first road bike had a too-big frame; my first backpack balanced precariously on a pinching hip belt, with shoulder straps at my ears. As a smaller person (5’4" and 128 pounds), I always felt boats were big—too much wiggle room in the cockpit, big reach to the water, the peak of the deck just below my chin. The Solé makes me squeal a la Goldilocks, "Just right!" Like the more recently designed-for-women bike frames and backpacks, this boat fits me, and thousands of other lady paddlers who are shorter and lighter than our paddling brethren. You don’t have to be an expert paddler to love this boat—just under 160 pounds.

One of the smallest of the Perception’s touring boats, there’s no sacrifice in speed or nimbleness. From first push off the beach, this Kevlar boat glides cleanly across the water, slicing a straight line with ease. A couple of quick strokes, and the Solé is really moving without the feel of muscling a barge up to speed. And, there’s no big reach to get solid scoops of water. Rudder in or rudder out, this boat turns on a dime, giving you the agility to easily navigate surf zone rock gardens.

Speaking of rudders, the Solé features the new Cascade Designs Smart Track rudder system. The bottom half of this split foot pedal is fixed, giving you a solid platform to paddle and brace against, while the moveable top half flexes, letting you steer the rudder with your toes. But, the best part of this foot brace is your ability to adjust the placement without beaching your boat and tunneling halfway into the cockpit to change brace positions. After a few hours of paddling, just reach in next to your hips and slide the adjustment bar, giving you a luxury stretch without climbing out of your boat. The rudder itself is spring loaded: the snap you feel when you drop the rudder leaves no doubt that the rudder is in place.

The shorter length (14’ 7") and lighter weight (34 lbs. Kevlar) make this a dream to move on dry land and it is easily car-topped without burly help. The total dry storage of 6,800 cubic inches is probably too small for more than a long weekend trip, especially if you are carrying water.

Make no mistake: this is a small person boat. While the specs put the maximum paddler weight at 275 pounds, in the Solé my larger partner (190 lbs.) looks like Jesse Ventura squeezed in behind the wheel of a VW Bug.

—Carolyn O’Donnell

Sole Specs:
Length: 14’ 7"
Width: 22"
Weight: 34lbs. (Kevlar)
Max Carrying Capacity: 275lbs.
MSRP: $2,900
Info: (800)-59-KAYAK, www.kayaker.com

Wilderness Systems Cape Horn 17 Pro
Whether in 38-degree water and 10-knot winds on the coast of Maine, 58-degree water and choppy conditions on the Pamlico River in North Carolina, or no wind but playful turbulence in a pool, the Cape Horn 17 Pro measured up to its professional claim.

This is the largest and newest sibling in the popular Cape Horn family of Wilderness Systems touring kayaks. Both composite and polyethylene versions should quickly climb to the top of the charts for expeditions and open-water paddling. At more than 17 feet, it is refreshing to find a longer boat in a world of increasingly shorter recreational craft.

A collaborative creation involving renowned kayak-designer Harrie Teiken from Nova Scotia and the in-house team at Wilderness Systems, the Cape Horn 17 Pro is a sleek vessel. A prominent keel makes for excellent tracking and a multi-chined hull provides a surprising combination of both primary and secondary stability. As is often the case, what you gain in tracking, you lose in maneuverability. For high wind days, or for beginners uncomfortable with leans, the rudder helps veer the boat into turns that otherwise might require extra strokes to achieve.

But for those sporty types, we found outstanding secondary stability thanks to the unique multi-chine design. When the Cape Horn 17 is leaned on edge, it balances for comfortable and efficient turns. As Rich said, "I was able to lay this boat far beyond that of many others. Load it down with gear and I bet it would be virtually impossible to upset it." And if it did go over, this kayak rolls more smoothly than most of its size, an added bonus for adventurous and intermediate paddlers alike.

With day hatches eliminated from the composite version of the Cape Horn 17, problems with leaking are eliminated. It appears keeping hardware off the deck was part of the design, and this intent worked well with the recessed deck fittings and hatch covers laying flush with the shell of the boat. It would be especially fun to get this boat in rough water where the recessed fittings and hatches can best be appreciated.

A few minor details on the composite design (we did not paddle the polyethylene version): I missed having a bungee cross the deck closer to the cockpit to hold my chart and navigation tools close to my lap. I also missed the security of longer grab lines extending all the way from bow to stern to aid in retrieving the boat in the event of capsize and wet exit. And Rich "was curious if the high front deck would pose too significant a surface for strong winds to catch."

Overall, details such as cavernous hatches, a built-in compass mount and extra bungee behind the cockpit all contribute to making this boat a versatile work-horse begging to be taken on expeditions. It moves extra-fast on the water and the unique design invites playfulness.

In the end, the fact that both reviewers would willingly add this boat to our respective fleets is a good rating. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low), Rich gives it a 4 and I give it a 4 1/2. A little tweaking with thigh-brace location and I might even give it a 5.

—Natalie Springuel and Rich MacDonald

Cape Horn 17 Pro Specs:
Length: 17’ 3"
Width: 22.75"
Weight: 59 lbs. (fiberglass), 49 lbs. (Kevlar)
Max Carrying Capacity: 325 lbs.
MSRP: $2,595 (with rudder)
Info: (800) 311-7245, www.youcanpaddle.com.