Looksha 14

Yep, if you go looking for it new it's not there but when you find a used one get it. Not the fastest, not the most nimble but also not slow or a barge and very user friendly (think stable here). Mine has a rudder as to all my 14's, sit in or on top. Save the "learn to paddle instead of using a rudder" discussion for another day. Hard to get some parts as the boat is no longer made as Old Town decided to push their own brand but I have Wilderness Systems Tsunami, Pamlico, Pungo and Focus as well as a Riot 13.5 Edge and couple of Hurricane Phoenix SOT and the Necky is my go to boat. Want to go fast in a Poly boat then get a Focus but it's on the tippy side but a wonderful seat design. The Tsunami was my go to but the Necky is faster and just a really nice platform for Texas river or lake kayaking. Can't discuss ocean wave surfing as I don't play that game. Day or weekend use is where this boat is really nice as the seat is extremely comfortable for the 20+ mile runs and the hatches can hold plenty of gear. Hatches are bulk-headed which is great if you do get wet. Hatch design is the 4 instead of 5 star as it takes a neoprene cover and plastic strapped on hard cover which is a bit cumbersome and they still leak a little. W.S. yaks have a much better hatch design but their old rubber covers were also a pain and after a few years would also leak. If you want a boat that is easy to paddle for yourself or friends that you volunteer to go with you on some trips then a Looksha 14 is definitely a boat to have in your fleet. If it has a rudder all the better as any discussion about weather cocking is dismissed and you use a lot less paddle strokes during you trip of any length. For the record, 6'2' and mostly legs, 190 lbs and the Looksha fits very well.

This one is a must have, if you can find one. Necky is of course gone now, I guess to promote Old Town boats, but the Looksha was a hull they should have hung onto and rebadged.

Lets start with me. I'm 6'3" with big feet, and a 35" inseam and 235 lbs. Touring boats and I are generally at odds from the meet and greet. CD, Jackson and Dagger are all out in the 14' range. I just cant get my legs and feet in. That leaves the Tsunami and the OT Castine really. Both feel enormous inside.

I have two Looksha boats, a 12 and a 14. They're both accepable for my size, in other words I'm not stuffed in but there isn't loads of addition space either. They're the most comfortable seating boats I own, and thats by a long shot. My WS Tsunami and my Dagger Zydeco arent even close.

The Looksha is a pretty athletic hull. It moves along quite nicely , in fact my daughter was paddling the 14 against me in demo Eddyline Equinox (dream boat) recently and it held right with me. The Looksha has really hard chines and it will sit on its edge like it's on tracks. Primary and secondary stability are amazing. The boat handles really well and its predictable.

The post 2010 models have the better hatch covers, both lengths have 2 bulkhead and 2 hatches. They don't leak at all, ever. The overall fit and a finish is quite good with excellent rigging, handles, thigh braces and seat quality.

You really cannot go wrong with having a Looksha in your fleet, it wont be quite as athletic as a Manitou or an Alchemy, but it will be as stable and capable as any boat you buy in its size range and certainly will win the award for all day comfort.

Necky made some really phenomenal rotomold boats towards the end of it run and the Looksha is one of them.

Here is how I would rate the boat now:
• Tracking - outstanding
• Turning - very good
• Carved turns - fair - (you do have to lean pretty far because of the stability.)
• Speed and glide - good, considering the weight of the boat.
• Seat comfort - outstanding

Overall, a very good boat with no bad habits.

I guess I will start with the BAD, as that is what most people read reviews for before they buy a boat, the potential downers.

• The thigh braces are foam, and held in with a rather ignorant system, its a Phillips screw that runs through the hull into a smooth round tab about the size of a quarter neither end is fixed, so you have to be able to put tension on the smooth, hard to grab end in order take the screws loose to adjust the pads. In my case 2 of the 4 screws had foam/debris in them and because there is absolutely no way to grab the other end with any force, they couldn't be unscrewed, both ends would just spin. I had to drill the screws out to replace them.
• The crimp fasteners that hold hold the loops in the rudder cable both pulled loose 10 minutes into the first trip. Had to be replaced.
• The seat has side to side give, so under hard paddling it can wobble back and forth as You paddle.
• The hatches have to be absolutely the biggest pain in the ass of any kayak hatches ever. the top cover is just a hard plate, and in and of itself offers no waterproofing whatsoever. Underneath it is a neoprene gasket, which, while being absolutely and totally waterproof, is also very very VERY hard to put back on, especially the front one. I dread having to open either hatch. The first time I took them off it took me around 15 minutes to get them back on, perhaps over time my technique will improve and it will become easier, but as of now its by far the thing I like the least about the boat.
• Because of the cockpit shape, the boat will not fully drain if you flip it over.. rock it, seesaw it.. do whatever ya want, no matter what you will have to sponge out the last quart or so of water.

  Ok, so grumpy pissy BAD side over, now for the GOOD.

• Boat looks sexy, very neat looking low profile cockpit.
• First touring boat I can actually sideshift into.. I.E. drop my butt in from the side and then swing my legs into, I love this about the boat, no more bracing with my paddle and all that crap, you can just drop in.
• While it is stable enough to get into easy, you can still edge the boat enough for proper keel break maneuvers, I don't know how they pulled that off because it really is a best of both worlds situation. bracing while using the rudder and edging will snap turn the boat VERY quickly.
• Coming from a 16.5' touring boat I was quite pleased with the speed and glide, and that was my biggest concern. I was ready for a compromise, and granted it does not have the same hull speed as a full on 16+ foot sea kayak, it is still very fast.
• the optional rudder has the sliding rudder pedals, which is fine for some, but many prefer the pivot style rudder controls, thankfully Sea-Lect does make replacement controls that bolt right in using the existing holes, and they are only $50 So you can have it either way if You want.
• The seat is very very comfortable and does have a cup holder, the adjustments are nice and easy to get at and use.
• the grab handles are bungy sprung so they stay sucked up against the boat, having grab handles slap and bang on the boat annoys me, so I like the Looksha handles.

It has proven to be exceptionally stable, maneuverable, fast and fun. I load it on top of my Ford Explorer all by myself and have had no problem with it at all. I live in Florida and have paddled the Gulf waters, Weeki Wachee River, Silver River, Crystal River, Homosassa River, Rainbow River, Hillsboro River and the Peace River. Went on two camping paddling trips and my only regret is I didn't do this many years ago. I get nice comments on my Cloud blue kayak everywhere I take it.

My only negative of the Necky Looksha is that I have a heck of a time getting the neoprene hatch seals back on, if that can really be a negative. Not one drop of water have I found in either the forward or aft dry compartments. Even in windy choppy gulf waters, I have never capsized. I weigh 220 lbs and am 6'1" and am totally stable in my Necky. My Necky is Rotomolded

I would suggest getting the back band rather than the seat back. In doing rescues, the seat back was always in the way and got tangled. The back band was much easier.

The boat tracks almost too well. It does respond to an edge to turn, but you need to put it up quite a bit. The lower back deck makes the wind affect it very little, at least in moderate winds. I'm ordering three of them for a teaching fleet, sans rudder. Each will have the 'outfitter' seat back.

I prefer this boat to the Looksha 17 (V) that I tried earlier. The 14 is a good combination of a shorter sea kayak that can track as well as an easy to transport and store kayak.