Chatham 16 Composite

I bought a used Necky Chatham 16 PE to for flatwater paddling on local area lakes. I am a newbie (have had only time in a kayak on two prior occasions). As indicated by other reviewers, it has good initial and secondary stability. On my first trip out in my Chatham, it took about a minute to get used to the tippiness. The boat has excellent tracking even without using the skeg. I was also able to practice turns on edge. I am 5'7" 170# and the boat fits me perfectly. The cockpit is snug but wet exits were not a problem. If there is a downside is the boat is heavy and bulkheads leaked a bit (nothing that a little off-season maintenance can't take care of). Overall I am very pleased with my purchase.

I am 5'2" and this boat fits me well, tracks great, and turns easily when leaned. She's a joy to paddle.
WARNING!! Starting with a short kayak can lead to longer boats! Suggest starting with no less than a 12 footer due to better tracking. I am an avowed kayakaholic. Paddle on.

The Bad - Hatch rims have a tendency to leak from the factory (screw holes must be re-aligned and rims resealed). This is my 2nd plastic Chatham and second leaker, but since fixed it's dry. The seat I am not crazy about, and I am not the only one - but it's a very personal preference item so just make sure it works for you for as long as you plan to be spending in the boat.

Performance - As expected with a boat in it's class, it's slow on flatwater, plows considerably when empty and more so loaded for a weekend trip.
Maneuvers very well.
Stability curve is something of a personal preference, it has a very strong primary but tipping point also comes a lot sooner than a Romany (which almost has no tipping point to speak of) Unlike the Romany, it seems to be meant for maneuvering without much edging, and edging doesn't really help much, as opposed to the Romany that lives to be put on edge.

Surfing - surfs with the best of the sea kayaks, but that being the key word.

In my opinion, Romany is a nicer,more fun and more playful hull, BUT, Necky makes a way better plastic boat. If it was to be fiberglass, I'd probably pick Romany first. The new coming P&H Delphin may be the best plastic sea playboat yet,but until that is proven, Chatham 16 is probably best money can buy in plastic playboats. Valley Avocet RM close but meant for a somewhat smaller paddler. I am 6'1 and 185 and C16 fits me well.

I decided on a Necky Chatham 16 poly. I got a good deal on a new one and never looked back. I now look forward to large boat wakes, tidal currents, you name it. I would have to consciously try to flip this boat over to ever have it happen. It turns on a dime and responds well to the first paddle stroke. I'm 5'8" and 150lbs and the cockpit fits me like a glove. I especially like the thigh braces. The hatches usually have about 1 cup of water in them after about 4 hours out on moderate seas. It seems to be well made, but admittedly the poly is not as sturdy as on the Prijon.

Overall I couldn't be happier with this boat. It would be great for a beginner or anyone who likes to play in big waves or near the rocks.

I would have preferred the Valley Aquanaut, but I found a real good deal on a Chatham as a demo sale and grabbed it. Call me ignorant and perhaps rookie, but after testing some of the Valley products as well as Wilderness Systems and Old Town, I have concluded that the Chatham handles and resembles the Valley's features and craftsmanship as a true western made British style boat. This is my conclusion as a rookie kayaker.

I had the opportunity to test my friends boats from other manufacturers and I could not have gone wrong with the Chatham 16. It's a boat that will allow me to apply to many styles of outings. Highly recommended. In fact, it's hard to go wrong with just about any Necky product. The Chatham 16 is a little tight on the hips. I am not overly heavy but a bit on the out of shape side.

I would have given this boat a 10 had it been a little wider on the cockpit. The Chatham 17 was too big for me. I am 5'9", about 185-190 pounds. My Necky Chatham is the plastic model. I look forward one day upgrading to the glass boats. It's a matter of funds.

Day two was spent surfing on a sand bar in our bay that creates a fun set of waves with an outgoing tide. It will put a smile on your face when it catches a wave! For a 16' boat, it holds a good line, and I actually had it straighten out from an initial broach to get a good ride.

This would be a day / play boat for me. Too small and too slow for touring.

About the cockpit: On the positive side, I love the size and shape of it. I'm a woman, and "traditionally built.' The narrowness of the space made for a very comfortable hip to knee angle, and I felt great contact and control.

What I did NOT like was all that crazy junk in the cockpit with me. The only thing I would keep is the grey foam seat ... I actually really like that! ...but I had two entrapment issues in the two days I paddled. First my drysuit butt zipper got stuck in the metal hip / seat frame. Then my PFD pocket zipper got stuck in the adjustment slot for the thigh braces while I was loading it. And then there was the bruising from getting in and out of the boat past the sharp corners of the same said metal part. And then there's the very long sharp bolt protruding down from the afore mentioned part and threatening to impale my drysuit. The hatches did leak extensively.

I still want one. It's a fun boat. When I order, I will request that they omit all of the cockpit outfitting, and just send the grey seat part.

I have been out in this boat twice. Both times for about two hours in protected waters. I have found the Chatham to be very responsive with adequate initial stability and excellent secondary stability. I find it easy to edge and turn. It tracks well without the skeg and I find my speed increasing quickly in this smooth quiet boat. If you are a newbie and serious about developing yourself ino a competent kayaker, then I would highly recommend this boat.

One last thing. The fit and finish are excellent. It does scratch easily for plastic though.

First of all, my needs for the boat are specific. I already have an all-purpose boat (good in rough water, great for distance with gear), the C16 is for a day/play purpose; I prefer 16ft boats for surf and rock gardens. The C16 did very well. Stable, but still easy to edge, very good in winds, and unusually nice in the surf zone (good reserve buoyancy in the bow, stern holds its line on a break= low issues with broaching). Despite a few poundings, the compartments stayed bone dry.

I have had the demo boat out in 25kn winds, and it was easy to control, without resorting to the skeg. The adjustable thigh hooks fit me well, the seat not so well (but that is a personal issue, I am taking a molding off the seat of my sprint boat to replace it with), although the Velcro adjust on the seat is nice. The seat frame on the demo was painfully tight, my new boat has the wider frame- still tight on my large American butt, but acceptable.

Deck rigging is very nice, about time another American manufacturer gets up to date on this issue. Not sure if it was intentional, but the perimeter lines were not strung like piano wire (too common on some American boats, they are missing the point), so getting a hand under is easy.

The good wind handling does come at a cost, the boat is somewhat stiff for a 16 footer. Also, the volume/footprint that makes it so nice in the surf makes for quite a bit of wetted surface-the boat is slower to accelerate than, say, a Romany 16 or a Tempest 165. The low windage means very little pack space (again comparing to the mentioned boats).

All in all, a super fun rough water play/day boat that is very forgiving.
(I think an 8 rating is high, I have yet to find a boat I would rate a 10)