Delta 20T

My wife and I rented this kayak for a weekend trip from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard and back. We had a great time and liked the kayak. We made better time (by about 25%) than I normally make in my single.

The kayak is stable and did great both in chop and in some steep swells against the wind. The rudder works well. The hatches are very simple...just plastic covers with a rubber edging around the rim which fit not very tightly over the hatches and have deck rigging bungees holding them in place. They do not make a Tupperware-like seal as for Valley hatches and I wondered if water would find its way around the edges. However they seemed to work fine and kept the hatches dry despite waves coming over the kayak occasionally. The hatches are big and you can fit large size dry bags through them. The cockpits are far enough apart that you can paddle out of synch without clashing paddles.

The thermoformed plastic seems plenty tough..the kayak had obviously been used a lot in the rental fleet but had only minor scratches. The seats are comfortable, easily adjustable, and the cockpits have good thigh braces.

Having used a Delta 20T from Kayak Las Vegas on several trips through the Black Canyon just downstream from the Hoover Dam, we focused on that make/model when looking at a tandem this year. Being that I'm 6'4" limited choices somewhat, but we looked at all other current comparable boats. Based on fit, finish, and quality of construction this was still our best choice.

This is an attractive, well made boat. There's plenty of room in both cockpits and they're far enough apart that you won't experience paddle interference - what we presume to be the cause of a 'divorce boat' - if you're not in perfect synch. Most importantly - this thing moves. It surely weighs more than a single, but not much, and with two paddlers you'll leave singles in your wake. It's stable and it's seaworthy. Four bulkheads assure a larger degree of safety over many competitors. Check one out before buying another tandem.