Maiden voyage today on the Silver River! Bought this kayak in April then broke my bed extender so could not transport her and then it rained and rained. But today was the day! We put in at Ray Wayside and paddled up and back down.
BTW, she is a Delta 17, made in Canada. 17 ft. long, 22.5 inches wide. ABS/Acrylic construction so before outfitting weighs 50 lbs. The cockpit is 17 x 33, so nice and long to get the knees in easily but narrow enough for me not to float around in it. (I will add about 2 inches of hip padding and she’ll fit better.) She comes standard with a rudder and 3 hatches. The bow hatch is 26 gallons, the stern hatch is 42 gallons, and she has a small day hatch just forward of the cockpit. Maximum capacity is 410 lbs. She will be replacing “Rocinante” my Delta 15.5 Expedition on my saltwater trips but I’ll be keeping “Roci” for river camping trips.
Forgot my GPS unit so no map and only took my point-and-shoot so only a few pics. This paddle was to get a feel for the new boat, how she handled both against and with the current.
A big thank you to Dena Abbinante for sending me a couple of her pics of the new boat.
And the new boat – in a word she’s “Yar”. (1 set for action : ready. 2 a : characterized by speed and agility : nimble, lively. b : maneuverable.) It will take me a bit to get used to as she is 1.5 to 2.5 feet longer than any of my other boats, but we’re going to be good friends as soon as I do a bit of outfitting and come up with a good name for her.