It's been a cold spring in Ontario and as I crave for warm sunny days I look at all the new offerings from the big names in kayaks and then I come across something new. Evergreen Canoe Co. has something that catches my eye with long graceful lines, the Triton, right away I have to check it out. I'm not actually looking to buy another kayak, my family has 6 now and have owned more than a dozen. Within a minute I knew I had to paddle her, I arrange for a test paddle [which for me means I got it for the weekend and they can't find me to get it back].
This is an amazing kayak, it makes you a better paddler than you thought you were.
My Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 is great boat, good speed, and great rough water capabilities, comfortable and dry. Azul makes the carbon and glass Sultan, my next kayak, a guy's boat, at 17' 10" is fast and solid but hard to turn and tippy. The Impex Assateaque [Formula Cadence] in kevlar fire and ice at 17'10"long and 22.5" wide is a big guy's boat with reasonable speed, easy to turn and very high initial stability.
These three kayaks of mine are all fine boats and part of my quest to find the perfect kayak .But if I had to own just one I don't know which one I'd choose .The Triton is better. I put 8 hrs. on in this thing and did not want to give it back .The multi-chimed hull let me edge farther and better, initial stability was very good for a 21" boat, waves and whitecaps were no problem, hardly ever used the retractable skeg, and make no mistake, this boat is fast. Even with G.P.S I couldn’t decide if the Triton or the Sultan was faster, the other two were no contest.
Three Valley hatches kept everything dry [that day hatch really is handy] and the cockpit was comfortable, nice backband, and easy to get in and out of for me and I'm 6' 200lbs. A friend went with me who is 5' 6" 160 lbs spent and a couple of hrs in it and loved the kayak.
I never surfed in it but after talking to those who have, I understand it shines here as well.
I found the skeg slide although well positioned a little hard on my finger to operate, but soon got used to it.
It's easy to build a light kayak. It's easy to build a strong kayak. What’s hard to do is build a light and strong kayak. The Triton is only 48 lbs in standard carbon fiberglass layup. It is strong and light.
Problem is when I took it back to Don at Evergreen in Toronto and was telling him how much I liked the Triton my friend bought it, and it was the last one in stock.
To answer the question, if I had to own just one boat? It would be the Triton. Yeah, I ordered one and now I'm waiting for mine to come in.
