Hi,

I am a new member and a frsutrated sportsman with bad knees and hips...I now want to get into kayaking on a social basis with a couple of mates for excercise with an idea of some expedition touring somewhere down the track...we have looked and looked, tossed up between thermoplastic barracuda beachcomber...Mirage 580...and now looking at the southern Raider...listened to all the experts ,read all the web reviews...but still end up confused...I think we have agree upon a glass boat...and now serious about the raider brand....I have read the info on NC and will look at these...but has anyone got a comment on the raiders?

Have you tried The Sea Kayak Forum? I believe that is a website that is located in Australia. There is a lot of talk about Australian boats on there.

I wish it were possible for you to demo an NC Kayak, because it is my opinion that there is no better long distance boat on the planet--especially the Expedition. However, I am accutely aware that everyone's tastes are different and that boats like the NC Expedition are very specialized. It is a boat that must be experienced for more than a short demo to really appreciate what it can do and how well it does the job it was designed to do. It was designed to be extremely stable, fast and track like an arrow. Anyway, if I'm right that you are in Australia, you will most likely do better on price with an Aussie boat.

If you do decide on a composite boat, it might be a good idea to bone up on some of the materials that any particular builder uses. I am no expert, but from what I've read and been told, you get the most bang for your buck with high quality glass cloth and vinylester resin.

Take your time in selecting your ultimate touring boat and by all means try to spend some quality time on the water in any prospective boat.

Thanks Magooch...yep way over here in Australia....I will try the sea kayak forum as well...thanks for the tips

Cheers

Here's the link

http://www.seakayakforum.com/


Cheers

Bill

I just bought an ocean raider and absolutely love it .Stable ,fast ,fairly manuverable and heaps of packing room,also one of the highest glass to resin ratio of any boat.I'm a happy paddler in it.Shorter and wider than the raider x but I'm not in any real hurry to get anywhere usually any way.

Wavehog, congratulations and happy paddling.