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As an update to my previous posting. I took this boat out on a lake with moderate (a boat every 3-5 minutes within 100 yards) traffic. This boat was treacherous in the cross wakes form the boats. My rating on this boat is UNSAFE. Stay away from the Rawson.

I am building a kayak this winter and am looking for seats, fittings, hatches etc. to help keep my costs low and run an ad on Craig’s List. I got a response to my ad with a seller offering me this boat, undamaged, all in one piece, slightly used but close to factory new for the ridiculous price of $200. He said he just wanted to get rid of the boat because the design was bordering on dangerous. Foolishly, I accepted his offer. The boat in question is a Rawson Tangent 15.

It is an attractive boat, the orange deck mated to the white deck, with two hatches in the rear and ample rigging. Then you look at the cockpit. It's a bit forward from where you expect it to be. Turning it over, you look at the hull, sides mated to a flat bottom. Not a gentle sloping bottom the two sides meeting in a very wide "V" this is shoe box flat. Okay, you think, the real test of a boat is in the water. To get it to the water, you need to load it onto your carrier; in this case the "J" hooks on my car. You might think you could use saddles, but the flat bottom negated that idea. With my Pungo 120, I just lift it up and plop it into the hooks. The Rawson, even though it weighs about the same as the Pungo, is not so easy. Remember the cockpit that's a bit too far forward? This boat is hard to lift because you have nothing to hold onto near the center of gravity. I can load it alone, but even with help; it is really a three person job. Yes, I said three, not two.

Once in the water you notice a few things, both positive and negative. On the plus side, the cockpit is roomy. I am 5'11" and over 200lbs and this boat has room to spare. I think a 7 foot tall paddler would fit into this boat. The rudder controls are simple and easily mastered. The hard plastic seat is surprisingly comfortable, like a good wooden chair. With the right shape, you don't need padding. Once going, it moves nicely and responds to good paddling techniques. I could get to a nice speed, but it was a bit of an effort controlling the boat and tracking at speed.

The negatives hit you once you start moving. If the rudder is not down, you better know how to paddle because this thing likes to go in circles. You don’t need to look at the flags to know which the way the wind is blowing, just check your bow. Cross winds, head winds, tail winds all spin you in circles. That's a benefit of a nice flat bottom. So you either learn to use your rudder or get back to shore.

In the water, you sit pretty low and any waves will spill into the cockpit, so a skirt is advisable for most occasions. Two large thigh supports are incorporated but these seem to be designed for that 7 foot kayaker, as they fit right over my kneecaps. Those who paddle with you will notice you have about 18" of the rear of the boat out of the water along with at least 9" of the bow. So now your 15' boat is a 13' boat. The rear area seems to be a purposeful design, almost like they wanted to mate a short boat to a long stern to aid in tracking. Too bad the extended stern is above the water and does not aid in tracking at all. Thankfully, the rudder is large and easy to use.

I have a twenty five year old 14' fiberglass down river boat with a very gently rounded, almost flat bottom that I like to use every once in a while. The Tangent does not track as well as the down river boat, even with the rudder down. They are equally quick maneuverable.

Fit and finish on the boat immediately let you know this is an inexpensive fiberglass boat. If you are accustomed to Swift, QCC or Current Designs boats, you won’t appreciate the low price. The glass work is sloppy, cutouts are not quite right and the deck is joined to the hull by a nice caulking job. If you need to choose between a plastic Necky and the Tangent you might be enticed by the comparable price, but the fittings on the Necky are far superior to those on the Tangent.

If you are considering this boat, take it for a paddle on a windy day; try to load it onto your car carrier alone or with help. Pick it up at the cockpit opening. Determine if you can live with this boat before you buy it.

I slept on the above and decided to experiment with the boat for the remainder of the year to see if it can be made seaworthy. I will keep this posting updated from time to time.