KAYAKFAN wrote:

I am interested in purchasing a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk. The boat
performs well, but is hard to wet exit/reenter. The problem lies largely in
the height of the deck. It is 11-inches vs. the 12-inches of my current boat.


Eleven inches is a pretty high deck and unless you've got enormous
thighs, you should have no problem getting in and out. If you're used to
boats with higher decks and larger cockpits, I suggest you give the AH
some time. Once you get used to entering and exiting a small cockpit
boat, it's really no bother, it's just a slightly different technique.
You may also find that you like the increased security of the small cockpit.

I am considering the boat (if I get a DEAL), but only if I can enlarge the
cockpit length to make up for the lack of height. The front needs about
3-inches and the rear needs about 2.

A friend says we can make something up and I agree, but I would prefer to buy
something that already has thigh braces molded into it. If anyone can make a
susggestion for a commercially available cockpit rim that can be glassed in,
that would be great.

That isn't going to happen. If you want it bigger, you'll have to build
a custom coaming. Unless you're getting the boat dirt cheap and
absolutely cannot paddle it as-is, it's not worth the hassle.

--
Regards

Brian

John Fereira wrote in message ...

The Caribou is better than an Arctic Hawk? That's highly subjective.

Hi John,

Pleasure to meet you.

My statements were in the context of Mike's origional post, in which
he was trying to find another Greenland boat that would be larger than
an Artic Hawk.

My statement:

"There are better boats out there, such as the Caribou,
that won't require the work"

Was specifically in reference to the physical fit of the kayak. There
are boats, such as the Caribou, which will fit him better if the Artic
Hawk is too small.

I'm sorry that I did not spell out every little detail, I assumed it
would have been covered in the context of my reply to Mikes post
(which had nothing to do with handling, if you read it). Most paddlers
know that any general claim of one boat being universally better than
another are nonsense, and I did not realize someone would
misinterperate my post in that way.

Eric

(Eric Nyre) wrote in
om:

John Fereira wrote in message
...

The Caribou is better than an Arctic Hawk? That's highly subjective.

Hi John,

Pleasure to meet you.

My statements were in the context of Mike's origional post, in which
he was trying to find another Greenland boat that would be larger than
an Artic Hawk.

My statement:

"There are better boats out there, such as the Caribou,
that won't require the work"

Was specifically in reference to the physical fit of the kayak. There
are boats, such as the Caribou, which will fit him better if the Artic
Hawk is too small.

I'm sorry that I did not spell out every little detail, I assumed it
would have been covered in the context of my reply to Mikes post
(which had nothing to do with handling, if you read it). Most paddlers
know that any general claim of one boat being universally better than
another are nonsense, and I did not realize someone would
misinterperate my post in that way.

Why so condescending? It's really not that unusual to read "my boat is the
best there is" posts here and since I don't recall reading any posts from
you in the past (and I've been reading the group since its inception) making
assumptions about how one may intepret your words is a bad idea.