"My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

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FX4
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

I don't know that I agree with you on that point. My Kevlar kayak is proving to be a lot tougher than my poly kayak was. I only had it out about five times before I sold it and it was collecting scratches and dents in a hurry (sun popped them back out). The Kevlar yak is proving to be very durable and scratch resistant. I have had it out in the same places I took the Tarpon 160 about a dozen times as well as down here. The reason I chose Kevlar was because if I bashed it hard on a rock in a river I wanted to know that even damaged I could paddle myself home. Kevlar will develop a line or soft spot in those situations as where glass may punch through. It's a lot lighter too. The other thing with glass, Kevlar, and wood kayaks is they can be repaired with relative ease. On the other hand poly kayaks will take a licking, not look pretty but function well in even the most severe conditions. The thing with a light kayak is you have a lot more control and speed than you do with a heavy plastic boat. Pros and cons either way. I prefer the speed and agility of a glass boat over the toughness of poly. I will say, so far this Kevlar hull is proving to be very tough. I thought for sure this morning I would see a bunch of scratches on the hull from the guy dragging it on the pavement yesterday. Not a a mark. The only situation I can fathom down here that might beat up a glass boat is fishing near pilings/jetties and getting pushed into them by the wind or current. I don't care what the boat is made out of, not a situation I want to deal with in a kayak.
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by Todd »

You have never had to drag your boat over an oyster bar to get to the fish. :lol: To each their own. Having fished these waters for a long time I would never use anything but a plastic kayak for fishing. I don't ever have the need to cover much water as we have put ins that are very convenient to the fishing areas and I get out and wade 50% of the time when I fish so getting in and out is very important.

Nice kayak you have and you have certainly done your homework. If you are in the Tampa Bay area let me know. I will show you around.
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FX4
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

I don't think I will either but so far the gel coat is proving very scratch resistant. On the other hand I probably won't test it either. Just not something I need to do around here, not saying it isn't an option just haven't found a need to do it. I mostly cast the mangroves, docks, fish a few deep holes. However worst case if I want to do something like that is remove the gear, about five minutes, toss the boat on my shoulder, carry it to where I am going, reload, about ten minutes, and go fishing.
Last edited by FX4 on Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Rik
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by Rik »

Both materials have their benefits. Most don't believe how durable the plastic kayaks are until they've had them for a while. I had a Tarpon 16 (the old school - i.e. better - model) for 10 years. I was stepped on, dropped and and almost sunk a few times due to a missing (or stolen) drain plug. I dragged it across oyster bars, parking lots and over guard rails to name just a few things that you'd never do to a kevlar boat. Yes it was scratched but, like age lines in your face, they just added character. Frankly, I was surprised I hadn't put a hole it it.

However, every time I had to lift it was accompanied by 3 or 4 grunts and a "why can't they make these damn boats lighter?" curse. There were days dragging it across a winter time, low tide mud flat when I would have given my left one for it to magically change to kevlar.

To be honest, I'm real impressed that you're fishing from a touring kayak. I'd spend more time swimming then fishing.
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FX4
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

I think you hit the nail on the head to my resistance of another plastic boat. The weight. That thing was a mother to load onto the top of my truck. After the fifth time I said this thing needs to go. Also after an outing we had the loaded on the truck and went to do some shopping or whatever and when I unstrapped them that evening both mine and my wife's had dents in them. Laying them out in the sun popped the dents but it got me thinking I really don't want to deal with this. We go on trips and kayaking is only part of the fun. The boats can stay on the truck for days while we are off doing other things.

I did a little more digging and the guys fishing up north prefer SINKs to SOTs although they usually go for more stable models than mine. I assume the colder water and weather are driving factors.
FX4
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

Well I happened to stumble into a deal on a Malibu x-13 so it looks like that is going to be my fishing kayak. I wasn't looking, just boom there it was in front of my face on clearance at a price I couldn't pass up.
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

Got to fish the Malibu X-13 last night. I'm very pleased with it. I like paddling it a lot better than I liked paddling my Tarpon 160 and it fishes a whole lot better than than my Tempest 170 for the obvious reasons. I'll give it it's own review here shortly.
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by Paul »

It is hard for paddlers who paddle touring kayaks to compromise speed for stability and light weight for durable Plastic Sit on top kayaks.

Have a friend who use to fish out of a 17' composite Dagger. He wanted to buy a more stable sit on top for fishing, but really struggled with the speed or lack of speed of the typical angler sit on tops.

He bought a RTM Tempo (from the scupper pro mold) and he was happy, but he's now fishing for a X-13 too. The X-13 is slower than the Tempo, but he can stand up in the X-13 and has more storage.

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FX4
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by FX4 »

I'm pretty much where he is at. I find the X-13 paddles far better than my prior Tarpon 160 but not as well as my Tempest 170. It's more than adequate. I don't feel like I'm paddling around a tank.
godsmack481
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Re: "My Boat" - Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, Kevlar

Post by godsmack481 »

Either way you took what you had and made it do what you wanted to do. Well balanced or not if I was in that situation and really wanted to fish I would rig it and do the best I can. I have used a lot worse for fishing when I used to live in the Keys. As a kid right after hurricane Andrew I was really never allowed to operate a boat by myself, I was only 8 years old, and one say I stumbled on a surf board that had been broken in half and washed up on the shore. I screwed a piece of square plywood to the back to mount a crate, had a crappy paddle, but I was always still out on the water. Sometimes you have to use what you got to the best of your abilities. If we fail, we find ways to improve the situation. But congrats on the new fishing kayak anyway, tight lines!
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