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Chilco
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Chilco Description
The Chilco has a multi-chined, low-rocker hull for high speed and effortless tracking. Well-defined chines allow the kayak to have a relatively small wetted surface and solid stability for edging turns. The shallow "V" of the hull makes this lightweight expedition kayak stable while at rest or underway. The acceleration and forward speed is very fast. Easy rolling and low wind resistance in adverse conditions are a result of the Chilco's low profile. The ergonomic cockpit design allows easy entry and it's thigh braces accommodate a variety of paddler sizes.
Chilco Specs and Features
- Structure: Rigid / Hard Shell
- Cockpit Type: Sit Inside
- Seating Configuration: Solo
- Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
- Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced
- Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
- Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Seaward Kayaks
Chilco Reviews
Read reviews for the Chilco by Seaward Kayaks as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!
After research I decided to…
I bought an old used one last…
Me: Male, 50. Day job: Field…
After reading on line reviews and talking with a few experts I decided to find myself a used Seaward Chilco. I found one that looks new for $1400.00. Seaward offers a fully transferable lifetime warranty on their fiberglass boats. When I registered my purchase I learned it is a 2003....13 years old. Looking at it I would have thought it not more than a couple years old. The owner lived in Alaska and assured me it had been paddled frequently and was well cared for. When I got it home I decided to remove the rigging and give it a nice wax job for protection. In going over the boat I could find no flaws. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is impeccable. The next thing I did was take an escape lesson. The following weekend, this past weekend, I took it out three days in a row.
Being a beginner when it comes to sit in kayaks my performance review should be taken as such and I will get to that. The real reason I am writing this review is because of the quality of customer service. That's right; customer service on a used kayak. You see, during my escape lesson the combing pulled partially away from the decking [delaminated] after many times of pulling off the sprayskirt underwater. The instructor and I were both pretty surprised by this. The instructor said that should never have happened. I sent a note, the serial number, and a couple photos to Seaward Kayaks. The owner himself called me. He also told me that should have never happened and apologized for the inconvenience. Now get this....he is going to cover the cost of a local fiberglass pro to repair it.
I bought a used 13 year old kayak and the manufacturer is still willing to stand behind it as promised. When they say fully transferable lifetime warranty they are not joking. When people say these are among the finest fiberglass kayaks you can buy I have to agree; so far as quality and craftsmanship. As for performance, as stated I am a novice moving up from a plastic log. I have only paddled it for three days. These are my initial impressions for what they are worth: I don't so much fit inside of it as much as I wear it. If I move, it moves. I am told by those who know that it is a good fit for me. Yes, it rolls from side to side easily when at rest. Some might call this tippy. I fully anticipated this kind of motion from a boat such as this. Never do I feel it is going to tip over. During my escape lesson I was made to roll it over on purpose.
From first hand experience I can tell you this boat is not easy to tip over; in fact it will begin to take on water [without the sprayskirt on it] before it actually rolls over. In my book that's not "tippy". Your definition may vary. The only trouble I have had in my vastly limited experience thus far is initially getting in and finally out of it though this is already getting easier for me. I have no problem when at rest in it and it becomes quite solid once moving. I can already lean it while paddling and it does carve a nice arc. One of my days on the lake the wind really picked up and I got to experience rollers with occasional white caps in it. I was never afraid and really had no trouble getting through this.
I found I did not need the rudder in the wind. The boat tracked straight without effort or rudder in spite of the wind. I have no problem turning it without the rudder. I did deploy and test the rudder and it works as expected. I like the pivoting as opposed to sliding rudder control because my legs do not need to move to control the rudder. Your preference may differ. I was amazed how fast I could get it to go. It accelerates effortlessly.
Did I say it was fast? Being a novice with this kind of boat, that's about all I can offer on it's performance. So far I am very, very happy. I received several compliments on it. Having gone over the boat with a fine tooth comb I fully agree these are some of the finest crafted fiberglass kayaks available. Having had first hand experience with their warranty and customer service I can attest to the fact that you will not find a better company to do business with. I am not an expert so my opinion on performance means little but I am extremely pleased thus far. I am glad I decided to buy a Seaward Kayak and happy with the Chilco model.
I have had my Chilco for…
Having recently disposed of…
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PROS:
- Very well built (Made in Canda)
- Excellent outfitting
- Huge storage volume
- Fast
- Nice to look at(?)
CONS:
- Very very tippy (I had to put one bag of cement in a Sealine bag in both the front and rear compartments to have any kind of primary stability.
I only weigh 175-178lbs. - Gas pedal foot controls for the rudder
- Thigh pads were too far forwards and required me moving the seat forwards which made me move the pedals forwards which made the recessed deck fittings get in the way.
- Slow to turn. Even when using the rudder and bracing.
- No rocker. Waves just swept right through (and I'm not talking big stuff).
This is a very well built kayak designed for week long expeditions. But for day outings, having to ballast the kayak is a real drag. I also had zero confidence taking it out in kind of fun to nasty conditions. In the end, I went back to my old brand (Valley Kayaks) and bought the Etain with skeg. From now on I'm sticking with British style sea kayaks.
I have been paddling a Chilco…
In 2006, when that years new Chilco came in, I decided to go over it "with a fine tooth comb" since a) I was still new to Seaward products and, b) its my job as I am responsible for purchase and maintenance of a fleet of these boats. After an hour or so of going over all the fittings, playing with the rudder and control lines and giving a careful "hands on" inspection of the glass work and gel coat, I was perplexed: surely there had to be some flaw, somewhere. I asked another experienced instructor to assist me and we spent another half hour trying to find anything we weren't satisfied with. Despite our best efforts, we were left without a single manufacturing defect to complain about. I couldn't believe it, frankly. I simply had never encountered a new boat where I couldn't find something that had been missed by the manufacturer – a small imperfection in the glass layup, cables crimped imperfectly, a screw left loose. It was obvious, to Seaward's credit, that they had covered all the phases of construction with the highest caliber workmanship. The materials were the best available, the fittings and cables were overbuilt and oversized (I still have not had to replace any part of the rudder mechanism after three years of hard institutional use.)
Now to this year's (2009) boat. When the fleet of new boats arrived, I was pleased to see that Seaward continues to package their boats for shipping in what I consider a proper manner. Lots of high quality foam sheet and a bomber outside "scuff layer" of thick corrugated box paper. To make it any beefier they'd have to put it in a wooden box. Once the boats were unpackaged and inspected for shipping damage, I again took the opportunity to set the Chilco aside for more careful inspection together with assistance from another experienced boater. Here's what we found.
Glasswork: Seaward’s reputation for high quality glass layup work was reinforced for me. No cutting corners, 100% weave impregnation, everything finished cleanly. Easily some of the best work I've seen from any manufacturer. Of the 6 boats we received, we found only one flaw (an edge of glass tape had lifted slightly on the forward bulkhead).
Gelcoat: Flawless as in '06.
Fittings: Good, but I noticed that the absolute attention to detail that I found in '06 was missing: A screw loose on one of the deck fittings, imperfect knots on perimeter lines (though still functionally fine), and most notably, Seaward has replaced the high-density aft skid guard (previous screwed on which made for straight-forward replacement) with a glued-on piece of what looks like PVC. I cannot help but imagine that the glue will fail with repeated rough landings, but I've been wrong about plastics and adhesives before – perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised. Seaward has also replaced their excellent (though somewhat fussy) foot pegs with a standard Seadog footbrace system. I will admit to limited experience with this system – we've only had them in boats purchased a year ago. However, its worth mentioning that the old system was fabricated almost entirely of steel and aluminum while Seadogs are mostly plastic. Plastics technology has continued to evolve, I know, but I am still wary of plastic fittings. That said, I trust that the folks at Seaward have really given Seadogs a good testing-out before committing to installing them in all their boats.
The hatch covers are still beautifully made and finished. The design is remarkable in that it allows for continued seaworthiness even if the cover is damaged or lost. A great expedition design found on several manufacturers boats and executed to perfection in the Seaward line.
A final note on fittings: Seaward has gone to using internal control cables on their rudder deploy/retract cables. The control is a slider just to the paddler's side. While convenient and good-looking, I have often seen this system fail when used for skeg control in other manufacturer's boats. I do not look forward to maintaining this difficult-to-access system after the boats come back from a couple of months on expedition. The old "lines-on-the-deck" system was a joy to inspect and never failed me.
Seats: Seaward has moved from their proprietary "loose cushion" seat to a more conventional molded plastic seat. If you are not familiar with their old seat cushion system, it is worth reading the review in Sea Kayaker magazine from a few years ago. It doesn't look like it will function well but it does, and after comparing it to the conventional systems seen in most high-end boats I found it superior, placing the paddler low in the boat yet on a super comfy molded cushion. Furthermore, at the end of a day of paddling with the usual getting in and out of the cockpit (with accompanying sand and gravel), the cushion is easily removed allowing complete access to the entire cockpit sole for thorough cleaning. When I balked at the new seat system, Seaward kindly offered to outfit this year's fleet with the tried-and-trusted cushions. I'm a big fan and I'm sad to see that Seaward has elected to drop this system in favor of convention.
Customer service: Apart from the fact that the company is not open on Fridays and that they are closed most of August (during which everyone seems to be off paddling – a good thing for a kayak manufacturer, I suppose, but I'm jealous…), I've enjoyed very good service from everyone at Seaward. The owners (who often answer the phone) and staff really appear to understand my needs as an institutional boater and warehouse manager.
To summarize: The '09 Chilco is a top of the line boat from a reputable manufacturer. It is not an inexpensive boat, but you do get what you pay for: a well-design, beautifully outfitted watercraft that you will be proud of for many years. While there are signs of a slight dip in quality compared to boats made a few years ago, Seaward kayaks continues to manufacture boats that are of the highest quality industry-wide.
I bought my Chilco new about…
The Chilco is a gorgeous boat to look at, easily the nicest looking kayak I've seen. The workmanship is clearly top notch. The seat is made up of a simple piece of contoured closed cell foam inside a nylon cover that can double as a paddle float. I have spent hours on this seat; it is very comfortable.
The Chilco tracks like an arrow in most conditions, although it does weathercock a little in wind. The only time I use the rudder is in wind, and I am very impressed with the rudder system, and have to question why this system is not found in all new kayaks. The rudder is not a sliding type, but consists of a fixed bracing system with 'gas pedal' type toe pedals. You don't have to give up the ability to brace when the rudder is deployed.
As with most boats that that have little rocker and track as well as this one, the Chilco requires a little effort to turn. Without the rudder, I find it responds well to an edged turn, and it holds a deep edge very well.
If you have big feet, say greater than men's size 11, you might have some difficulty fitting them into this kayak. I think, though, that most paddlers up to 200 lbs would easily fit into this kayak. The cockpit is also easy to enter and exit which is important to me.
For a low volume kayak, the Chilco has plenty of room for touring. I was astounded with how much stuff I have been able to cram into the hatches.
The Chilco is a fast kayak. I am always surprised by how fast it is, and sometimes I have to make a conscious effort to slow down when paddling with others.
The longer I own this kayak, the more I like it. When I first got it, it felt a little tippy, but I don't really notice it any more. While the Chilco can feel a little tender if you're sitting still in it, when paddling it feels very stable.
When I first bought the kayak, I emailed Seaward because my dealer didn't provide me with an owner's manual. 'Heather' responded quickly to my request, and I had my owner's manual in three days. I had an occasion to contact Seaward regarding warranty recently. They responded to my email within an hour. When I talked to 'Lou' over the phone, he talked me through how to find the source of a small cockpit leak. It took about 10 minutes, and it turns out I was missing an o-ring which he is sending me. I really do appreciate good customer service, and this company appears to have it. Oh yes, Seaward offers a lifetime warranty.
If my kayak was stolen (unlikely because I have that sucker bolted to the house with kryptonite), I would buy the Chilco again.