Zephyr 155

I bought the Zephyr as a rough water day touring boat, it is that and a little more. I have owned the poly 155 for about 4 years, I have used it as a down river boat in class 2/3 white water, light rock gardening, rough water and day touring. It does them all fairly well. The low profile and skeg make the Zephyr an ideal boat in high wind. The boat tracks very well without the skeg, when it is put down it tracks like a much longer boat. The mild rocker allows edging to make fairly tight turns for a 15' 6" long boat. The outfitting is adjustable enough to suit most paddlers, and very comfortable. The Zephyrs handling and turning are very sensitive to weight and center of balance, so loading the boat changes its manners quite a bit. The front hatch has never leaked, the oval rear hatch has leaked a little during rock gardening when surf breaks on the deck of the boat, but it has not imploded yet. One down side to the poly Zephyr is that its robust nature makes it a little on the heavy side. Its drop down skeg does need to be kept clean, a little mud or small rocks not cleaned out will easily jam the system. The wire push pull is much better than ropes or cables used in many other skegs, and allows for adjustment of deployment with different winds. I currently have 6 kayaks in my "fleet" of very specific niche kayaks, the Zephyr is one of my favorite kayaks, it is never the wrong kayak to pull out of the rack when you are not sure what the day will bring.
I only will give 5 stars to the perfect do- everything kayak, but I think this may be wilderness systems best boat.

I mostly paddle calm water in Central Florida, so I am underusing it, but it is excellent on full day trips, very comfortable. I bought a used 2012 Zephyr and I absolutely love it. I'm small, 5'7'' so it is tailor made for me. Great Boat.

I upgraded from a WS Tsunami 140 to the Zephyr 155 plastic (used 2010) after a local demo day and I love it. It's a perfect fit for the paddling I do here in Florida, twisty, obstacle laded rivers, intracoastal waters with tides and chop, wide open lakes. It tracks well without the skeg and like a train with it. The deck is low, the cockpit lower to the water than in other comparable boats and works best with a skirt even for calm waters.

I have nick-named the boat, 'Weeble', because compared to the highly stable Tsunami, it wobbles. In a good way....it will turn on a dime due to the chine/rocker design. The only thing I don't like about it is the noise the skeg makes when deployed. It seems to be loose and knocks side to side as you paddle. I think this was redesigned in later model years, but have not had a chance to try them out. The other thing is that the day hatch storage is a bit tight as there is a second hull brace vs the Tsunami.

Overall, a great speedy little boat for the paddler looking to upgrade skills and ability to go.

Purchased the Zephyr 15.5 online from Appomattox River Shop (Virginia to Ohio) Great service and fast shipping! I have the kayak out on 3 outings. First was a 4 hour paddle on a calm lake with winds around 10kots. Huge difference between skeg up and down. Turns great and love what the rocker does for handling. I noticed the boat turns to Right-Lee Helm (away from the wind) in wind. On my second trip I noticed the boat tends to the right even when not paddling... just coasting.

I do need to mention I felt very stable in 2foot chop and 15knot wind. On my last trip in more calm wind I noticed the right turning even more exaggerated.... I am not sure if I am leaning and inadvertently carving the boat to the right but I am going to test on another calm day and hope that I don't need a trip to a dealer. Still, I give this a 10 for handling and design. I think it'll be a great weekend camper as well.

Purchased this boat to replace a Dagger Alchemy 14 I was paddling, my creek boat. My wife "liked" it, and was moving up from a 12 rec boat. Like I really needed motivation to buy a new boat... I also have a P&H Cetus LV I love, but it's more for open water, this boat is for creeks, swamps, and rivers with Cypress knees, stumps, etc. Can't really bump around in a glass boat like a plastic one. I'm 5-9, 165-170, size 10.5 shoes.

The things I like about this boat:
It's pretty stable both initially and secondarily, but feels loose and flexible. It will feel loose at first to a paddler moving from a more stable platform, but is really very predictable and comfortable after paddling a while.

Fits nice and snug, like you're wearing it. I don't camp or make trips where it's necessary to carry lots of gear, but I thinks you could easily get a couple of days worth of stuff in it. Butt fits, and feet fit. Paddle with Merrill barefoot shoes. Feet are snug, but I like an upright foot position, and kind of wedge myself into the boat. I like it tight, but plenty of room for moving pedals for a looser fit. Though the further forward you go, the narrower it gets.

It turns really well on edge, and with bow and stern rudders, making it fun to paddle in tight turning situations. Long enough for some speed, but really paddles shorter.

Just started rolling this year, and this is the boat I learned in. First time rolls both on and off sides. My Cetus rolls no better. In fact the back deck on the Zephyr feels lower.

The Alchemy I replaced with this boat is a great kayak. Fun and quick enough, but really didn't track well. I don't really like using the skeg. My wife often uses it when paddling the Dagger. The Zephyr tracks much better, but turns on a dime with any edge or paddle input.

I paddled the larger Zephyr as well, but felt it was too roomy. Might be better for others, and probably paddles similarly. I am 54 years old, got kinda bad knees, a bit down in the back, but also have been very athletic my whole life. This boat just feels right. I can't really think of anything I don't like about it. Perhaps the seating could be more comfortable. I really like my Cetus LV, and it has no padding in the seat, but the plastic seat bed is very comfortable and fits.

All I can say is, this is my go to boat. It's comfortable, durable, holds enough stuff, and it's fun to paddle. Got other boats that fit more specific needs, but if I had to pick one to just go in who knows what conditions, this is it. I only give it an 8 in the hope that I can find that perfect 10. Like my wife. (Love you Honey!)

The 2010 plastic Zephyr 15.5 has been with me for a couple of months, so this is more of an initial impressions review. I’ve taken it to decent 3-foot wind waves on the Chesapeake Bay (20+ mph winds) and a handful of times on the white water rapids of the Potomac river from Lock 10, through Angler’s Inn and Mather Gorge, to below Great Falls (just above Fish Ladder).

I was looking for a maneuverable and easy to roll kayak that would be strong and maneuverable enough for the rocky Potomac and up to Class III rapids, occasional rough weather day on the Chesapeake, and the even more occasional ocean surf session. Have not tried ocean surfing yet, but for the other two objectives the Z is performing great.

For the past couple of years I’ve been paddling the Perception Sonoma 13.5 in Airalite (40lb) and giving the light weight was not an easy decision. I still miss that little boat (see my reviews of it). The Zephyr is sluggish on flat water compared to the Sonoma. Despite being 2 feet longer, the Z is actually a bit slower for me than the Sonoma (which by the way is exceptionally fast for its length). Anything above 4.5 mph in the Z is a serious stretch and it seems to lack a good glide. But on moving water the Z allows me to have a little more control. It is less affected by currents too. The bow is more buoyant and pearls less easy and is easier to control (I felt I was a little front-heavy in the Sonoma but the seat was glued so that trim could not be adjusted).

The Z has low rear deck (same as the T 165, notably lower than the T170) and to me at 185lb and 6'4" has a more attractive rolling ability than the Tempest 165 (which is also easy to roll). The T feels narrower (although it is not) and is less stable with a defined transition point when edged. The Z is rounder bottomed compared to the squarish Tempests and thus has no such well defined feel of sitting on "edge" when edged. Instead, the feeling of stability increases gradually. In confused water and foamy white water I find the added overall stability a bonus – where I have to be very attentive with the T165 to keep myself centered, the Z puts me at ease. Almost cheating, so the T may be a better learning tool than the Z all said and done, as it will teach better balance and edging skills IMO. The Z is the better play boat though -;).

The beginning and end stability are considerably higher than with the Tempest 165. That same stability makes it pop-up during a roll where the T just rolls back with no fuss. To me, being tall, that "pop" is a welcome that helps me right myself-up. For smaller paddlers it may be a problem to overcome the slight initial effort needed to flip the hull to initiate the roll up from an upside-down position (can’t have it both ways, unfortunately).

The Tempests would excel in open water touring type of use, where the Z is really a play boat that could work as a day tourer as long as high paddling speed is not on the agenda. The T 165 edges with less effort than the Z so if the primary use of the edging is to just steer while paddling, the T would be the better choice. The Z on the other hand requires more effort to edge effectively but responds better to steering strokes.

Another difference in hull shape b/w the Z and the T is that the Z has full ends while the Ts have pinched ends. The swede vs. fish form has already been mentioned by other reviewers. The fuller ends on the Z I think make it a more stable platform in confused water and currents as they are more forgiving and offer extra buoyancy while still sitting low above the water. The Z also has more flare throughout the hull, thus its secondary stability keeps on going, where the Ts have an earlier tipping point. That same flare also helps in moving water to make the hull less susceptible to swirls and currents.

The hatches – mine are bone dry and the rubber covers easy enough to put on or off. In heavy underwater use I have gotten not a drop in any of the three hatches. None. I’m very happy about that, since on some of my previous Tempest kayaks (plastic) I had one or two hatches leak considerable amounts due to hatch rims that did not mate well with the hatch covers.

One last note – the cockpit rim is wider on the Z than on the Ts. It is also longer and higher in the front, which allows my 36" inseam to get in seat-first. This I can’t do in the T165 and barely in the T170. The knee/thigh braces on the Z are placed wide apart do I can paddle with knees together comfortably. Can’t do that in the Ts and I like paddling with knees together when not absolutely necessary to be bracing. Foot room is a problem for me – my size 15 feet fit comfortably enough barefoot but I can’t put absolutely any hard-sole foot wear (the only option is neoprene socks).

As a kayak for me to learn and play in white water it has met my expectations. While at just over 50lb it is lighter than just about any other plastic kayak, I still wish it was 10-15 lb lighter (but then it probably would not be nearly as tough as it is now).

Check my Z in action on my YouTube page -;) just search for Zephyr 15.5 and Potomac and white water and a couple of videos should pop-up.

I just got this boat over the weekend and I've only taken it out once but I have to say I love it. I've owned a WS Tempest 170 and a WS Tsunami 145, I have also paddled the WS 16.5 and several other rental boats. So far I like this the best.

It is like a scaled down version of the Tempest, it has the same adjustable seat and foot pegs with the adjustable thigh pads as well. It also has a drop skeg. The cockpit is a little roomier that the Tempest and was easier to get in and out of but the overall profile of the boat was similar.

I'm 5'7", 185 lbs. so larger paddlers might find the Zephyr 16 to be a better fit. The boat handled very well and has good speed. I had it out on the Hudson River on a relatively calm day with a friend who was paddling my Tsunami 14.5. The Zephyr was quite a bit faster. On the way back we switched boats for a little while, man what a difference. My partner has only been kayaking 4 times and she felt really comfortable in the boat. I should also mention that the day hatch has a new style lid on it that opens and closes much more easily and actually seems to seal quite a bit tighter than the ones on the Tempest and Tsunami.

If you are looking for a hard core touring kayak you may be better of with the Tempest but this is a great boat for anyone from the beginner to the advanced day paddler.