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Review
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TS 5' 10",
165-pound male. Day trips in winds less than 10 knots,
small waves, boat and ship wakes for surfing.
RS 6' 2", 185-pound
male. Day trip in winds to 35 knots, seas 2 feet,
confused chop with 6- to 8-foot ocean swell.
MH
5' 10", 190-pound male. 4-day trip,
swell to 5 feet with clapotis and wind waves.
Rock gardens and surge channels. 60 pounds of
gear.
"The Looksha is one of the cleanest looking
plastic boats on the market. Faux-granite plastic
mixture seems to ease the 'Tupperware' look that
many plastic boats suffer from" (TS). Like
the Looksha II (SK August 96) it has a double
chine.
The Looksha balances
well for a solo carry. The 65-pound weight of
the Looksha was not too difficult for our reviewers
to manage. For a two-person carry the toggle
placement is too far in from the ends for easy
handling. The placement of the stern toggle is
required by the rudder, but the inboard placement
of the bow toggle also causes the bow to "bump into your leg while
you carry it" (RS). RS and TS thought placement
of the grip at the tip of the bow would be an
improvement.
The Looksha's deck
layout is "functional"(TS).
Our reviewers especially liked the recessed deck
fittings. The cockpit is "a nice size for
easy entry and exit" (MH). RS would like
a "snugger fit and a slightly lower deck" and
both he and TS note the need for some custom
padding.
The seat is comfortable and long enough to provide
some good thigh support. The back rest was comfortable
but is "quite high, sticking well above
the cockpit, making laying back for a screw roll
impossible" (RS). There is an option for
a lower seat back. The thigh bracing was usable
but did not offer a secure grip: "They could
stick out farther and offer more purchase" (RS)
or be padded out by the owner.
The webbing/ladder lock slider system for the
rudder pedals "is infinitely adjustable
and works reasonably well though it does require
a little patience to get it perfectly trued" (TS).
As with most rudder pedals the system has a "fair
bit of give" (TS) when the rudder is retracted.
The rudder seems "pretty indestructible" to
TS, while RS thinks it could be a bit "beefier." When
deployed it works smoothly and drops back down
after riding over obstructions.
On the water the Looksha IV "has a very
comfortable stability range. Without being a
barge, the initial and secondary stability are
good" (TS). "Stable enough to fish
from, yet it felt nimble and very responsive"(MH). "Stable
enough for most beginners but it turned like
a dream when I got it up on edge" (RS).
Although the Looksha has a rudder, our reviewers
preferred paddling with it retracted. "Putting
this baby up on edge was my favorite thing about
the Looksha. It cranks surprisingly quick turns
for a 17-foot touring kayak, pivoting like a
shorty play boat" (RS). "It was a blast
in the rock gardens. Super maneuverable and fun" (MH).
The Looksha also tracked well with the rudder
retracted. Its quick response to carved turns
makes it easy to hold a course. Only MH noted
the Looksha, without a gear load aboard, had
slight tendency to weathercock in moderate winds,
easily corrected by edging the boat. In the strong
winds RS encountered "it handles as you
might suspect: like most kayaks it was a struggle
to keep on course in gusts of 30-plus knots."
The Looksha has
a dry ride in moderate conditions as its bow "has a moderate tendency to rise
up over small chop. In bigger water the ride
got much wetter" (RS). "It was dry
until I got crazy in the rocks" (MH).
While not exceptionally fast the Looksha "does
accelerate and hold its speed well"(TS). "I
was able to sprint and catch swells easily" (MH).
The Looksha handles well for surfing wind waves
and boat wakes. "The boat's maneuverability
made it easy to [ride] wind waves without falling
off into a broach" (RS). "Course correction
on shorter steeper boat wakes was a breeze with
the rudder in action" (TS). "Bow tends
to plunge in large steeper waves. Side surfs
smoothly for controlled broaches" (RS).
There is enough
room for a week's worth of gear in the bulkheaded
compartments. The hatches consist of an unattached
neoprene cover and a tethered plastic lid. None
of the reviewers reported any leakage after rolling
or rough-water paddling. The bulkheads are made
of foam glued in place. With a load aboard the
Looksha IV had additional stability and kept
its "excellent" (MH)
handling qualities.
"A very likable kayak. I would recommend it
to anyone who wanted the advantages of cost, recyclability
and impact resistance of a plastic boat that doesn't
compromise on greater touring performance" (TS). "Beginners
should be satisfied with its relative stability
and solid cruising characteristics. This is a maneuverable
and responsive kayak for skilled paddlers to play
around in on day trips, and it'll haul plenty of
gear. All things considered, the Looksha is a good
all-around touring boat" (RS). "Often
when testing kayaks I find myself wishing I were
in something else. I didn't want to get out of
this thing. The best plastic kayak I've ever paddled" (MH).
First I would like to thank the anonymous testers
for what I consider a very complimentary review.
I would like to respond to some of their comments.
Ideally we would like to fit a boat perfectly
to everybody, but that is impossible, especially
for ones designed for high production. Our concern
is that some paddlers, especially new ones, are
afraid of being trapped in the boat, hence the
loose fit. To get tighter fits it's relatively
easy to glue a layer of foam and shape it for
the perfect customized fit Looksha IV was originally
produced with a lower back rest, but the majority
of our customers preferred a higher one. The
refit is easy, just ask your dealer. The placing
of the handles is due to my concern of picking
up some loose kelp or sea weed on the bow and
not being able to get rid of it. After you use
the Looksha a few times you will find that the
best way to carry it is by holding it by the
bow. Your hand fits perfectly. When it comes
to using a rudder or not, there is no doubt in
my mind that it is more fun to play in the boat
without the rudder. But what we are making is
a touring boat, and sometimes you have to be
plugging ahead in nasty conditions hour after
hour and using a rudder can make things easier. Mike Neckar
Options and Pricing
(1996 design)
Rotomolded, Super Linear Polymer, Metthalocene
catalyst technology.
Hatches, deck lines, bulkheads,
seat and back rest.
65 pounds
$1320
with rudder, 1150 without rudder.
$2100. Kevlar: $2495 Kevlar.
(MSRP in US dollars)
Through
a network of dealers in Canada and the US. Manufacturer's
Necky Kayaks
1100 Riverside Road
Abbottsford, B.C., V2S 4N2 Canada.
Phone (604) 850-2206.
Phone: (920) 732-3784 |
SN 5' 8", 155-pound
male. Day trip in calm conditions, overnighter
in winds to 15 knots, waves to 3 feet; gear load
of 45 pounds.
DA 6' 1", 175-pound male. Winds 5 to 15 knots,
small chop. Paddled without cargo and with 90-pound
load.
DM 6' 1", 180-pound male. Winds 15 to 20 knots,
chop to 3 feet, and clapotis.
The Hawk is a pleasure to look at: "Unbelievable
looks...like fine furniture" (SN). "A beautifully
constructed and finished boat. The quality of the
workmanship is superb" (DM). The glass sheathed,
cold-molded mahogany plywood kayak has nicely filleted
joints on the inside seams. "The finish of the
boat seems very hard, slippery. It easily slid over
rocks when pulling it up on shore without scratching" (SN).
The 46-pound kayak is easy to lift and balances
well on the shoulder. The loops at the ends are
not equipped with toggles, so tough on the hands
for a tandem carry. It is more comfortable just
to hold the ends of the boats.
The forward bungies are rigged through holes in
the deck, so there are "no fittings at all to catch
the paddle during the stroke" (DA). There
are short lines at the ends of the deck that are
useful for stowing a Greenland-style paddle, but
don't provide a place to stow a conventional sectional
spare paddle.
The cockpit is "small but quite comfortable" (DA).
There is not much room in the cockpit for stowing
gear, but the arched foredeck provides lots of foot
room. The unpadded, contoured carbon-fiber seat is "completely" (DA)
comfortable. The back band provides support, though
it is positioned lower than our reviewers were accustomed
to. SN got used to it, but DA and DM thought it failed
to provide good support. It also tends to get caught
under the paddler when sliding into the boat, and
requires some fussing to get it out of the way and
in its proper position. The padding glued to the
underside of the deck is "adequate [as thigh
bracing] but an owner would almost certainly want
to customize it" (DM). For SN the padding
provides no support but only presses against his
kneecaps. The foot braces ware solid and easily
adjustable. There is no rudder.
The Hawk has "low" (DM) to "moderate" (SN)
initial stability and "good" (DM) to "excellent" (SN)
secondary stability: "Like leaning on a wall" (DA).
In calm conditions the Hawk tracks well. Though DA
thought it is slow to carve turns, SN and DM thought
the Hawk turned "very well when set on edge" (SN).
It "tracks well, but is very responsive to carved
turns when put on edge" (DM). "Because
of this responsiveness-among the most responsive
of the boats I've tested-the boat is a bit nervous
in rough conditions. With time in the boat, this
trait would be appreciated. I found it fun, but I
had to stay on my toes" (DM). SN and DA noted
the Hawk weathercocks in winds to 15 knots. In slightly
higher winds (to 20 knots), DM "found the boat
easy to control. I was able to hold the boat on any
course with no difficulty. Particularly impressive
was the ability to stay on the downwind quartering
course that often results in broaching problems."
The Hawk is a "fairly fast boat" (DM). "It
accelerated and held speed with little effort" (DA). "The
ride is fairly dry, but it is easy to dig the bow
into oncoming waves, [but] there isn't anything on
the deck to deflect water into my face, so I stayed
pretty dry" (DM). "The Hawk flies on wind
waves. It catches wind waves easily and is easy to
control on the waves using boat lean and stern rudder
strokes. It throws much less spray when surfing than
other boats I usually paddle" (DM). "Broaches
were slow, predictable and I could usually recover
from them." (SN).
SN thinks the Hawk is an easy kayak to roll: "No
obstructions, and with the back band and low cockpit
it is easy to lay back."
In the bulkheaded compartments,
there is room enough for a week's worth of gear for
a careful packer. The compartments are low and narrow
in the ends. The hatches are "adequate" (DA) but "larger
hatches would make it easier to pack" (SN).
The toggle closure system is simple, but "difficult
to operate with cold hands" (SN). The bolts
securing the toggles have rough ends and can snag
gear bags. On the bright side, the hatches didn't
leak during rough water trials and rolling. "Not
a drop" (DM). "The initial instability
is gone, [and the] speed felt good when loaded," wrote
SN of paddling with 45 pounds of cargo.
"It was a delight to paddle this boat," wrote
SN. "[It] appeared as if it would be unstable
but it ended up being very predictable and stable
enough for fishing and photography." "I
liked the boat very much. It is one of the most beautiful
boats I have seen. The designer has been more successful
than I have been with my own Greenland boat in adapting
the design for touring" (DA). DM expected a
bit more speed of the Hawk but it was still in the "upper
10% of the boats I've tested. Its responsiveness
makes the Hawk a fun boat to paddle, and the beauty
of the wood generated compliments from others on
the water."
I'm pleased the reviewers enjoyed paddling the Hawk.
It was designed for the more experienced touring
paddler. The foremost criteria for any kayak is its
seaworthiness. The Hawk has proven to be not only
a fast touring kayak, but one that is seaworthy and
responsive in rough seas. I was equally pleased the
reviewers admired our watertight flush-mounting wood
hatches. Much thought has gone into their design
and construction. The flush hatches keep the deck
clear of obstruction to avoid water deflection, and
a high quality neoprene gasket assures their watertightness.
Custom larger hatches are available, but I feel the
standard hatches are adequate. The latching system
is secure and the rough ends on the bolts have been
eliminated.
I believe kayaks should
be carried by their ends and not the rope, hence the
lack of toggles on the grab loops. Spare paddle mountings
are set up for Greenland paddles only. The seating
area with hip plates and back strap was designed to
offer comfort and support, and can be easily custom
padded. It is important the back strap be low enough
to allow the paddler to lean back on the deck. The
paddler just needs to become accustomed to entering
a kayak with a pivoting back strap.
I thank the reviewers
for their compliments on the fine craftsmanship. I
take great pride in my work and the beauty of my wood/fiberglass
kayaks. Many options are available, including a retractable
skeg. To date, I have designed five touring kayaks
in various sizes, which I build in mahogany/epoxy and
glass. Two designs are licensed through Wilderness
Systems for manufacture in fiberglass or Kevlar. Each
design is of Greenland origin yet serves a distinct
group of paddlers. I am glad the Hawk can accommodate
those paddlers wishing to tour in a fast, seaworthy
kayak.. Mark Rogers
Options and Pricing (1996
design)
Cold-molded 4mm okoume mahogany
plywood sealed with West System Epoxy and encapsulated
in multiple layers of fiberglass cloth.
Bulkheads, wood hatches fore and
aft, deck rigging, spare paddle mountings, grab loops,
molded seat, hip plates, adjustable back strap, foot
braces, knee padding, lifetime warranty.
Recessed compass, $100; VCP hatches, $75;
retractable skeg, $100; day hatch with third bulkhead,
$50.
44 pounds
$2,900.00.
From
the manufacturer by custom order.
Superior Kayaks Inc.
108 Menasha Avenue
P.O. Box 355
Whitelaw, WI 54247
Phone (920) 732-3784 |
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