The
Necky Arluk and Looksha series boats dominated the market for a few
decades. Basically the Arluks were rounded soft chine boats and the
Lookshas were hard chine boats. ( except the Looksha 5 which went
back to soft chine) Boats were were numbered from the fastest to the
slowest, with the Looksha II being the fastest in that series and the
Arluk I being the fastest Arluk. I’ve paddled both and they are
both quite fast boats. Not full on race boats like the Phantom, but
very fast for a sea kayak that can hold enough gear for a camping
trip and also feel comfortable while you take a break.
Compared
to the Looksha II ( and Looksha III, which isn’t that different),
the Arluk I tracks quite well without a rudder, although you’ll
want to use one in a following sea. The Looksha is completely rudder
dependant and pretty much uncontrollable without one. This is because
of the huge amount of stern rocker. There are pros and cons. The
loose stern on the Looksha means it is a surprisingly manoeuvrable
boat for being such a long fast sea kayak. On a turn, the bow tends
to yaw anyway, and the stern swings around fast ( if you pulled up
the rudder). The Arluk I is not like that. It really wants to go
straight.
Both
boats tend to feel a bit tippy to a beginner, as will all fast sea
kayaks, but you get used to it quickly. I find the Arluk I has a more
predictable stability profile, similar to the Arluk II, and a lot
like the feel of an Epic 18x. With the right amount of weight in the
boat it feels comfortable enough sitting flat. I’m talking about
paddling it empty with a 200 lbs paddler. Edging it side to side, it
responds quickly, but firms up as you approach the tipping point. The
Arluk I has fairly high sides, which give it a bit more secondary
stability, although not as easy to do a lay back roll as the Arluk
II. The Looksha II and III by comparison have that initial stability
twitchiness, as if they can’t decide which way to lean. I’ve
never liked that characteristic, but when you edge the Lookshas, they
firm up fast for good secondary stability. Both boats feel more solid
when you pick up speed or carry gear, as you might expect for all
kayaks.
Which
boat is faster? I haven’t checked this with a GPS, but my
impression is they are fairly similar. At least close enough that the
difference will be in the paddler. An interesting fact is that the
Arluk I has a better L/W ration, even though the Looksha is longer,
and that is because the Arluk has less rocker. In theory that makes
it a faster boat, but of course there are other considerations.
One
of them is comfort. The Looksha is a bit tighter squeeze for me, I
don’t like to be so rudder dependant, and I don’t care for the
initial twitchiness, so the Arluk gets the nod from me. There are
newer boats, and possibly marginally faster. But I think the biggest
differences are weight ( new fast boats can come in at under 40 lbs),
and price. Necky boats have been around for a while and you can pick
them up for less than half the price of a new model. That’s good
enough for me.
