14' 6"
Length
22.5"
Width (in)
39–46
Weight (lb)
discontinued

Pakesso Options

  • Kevlar

    45 lb
    Kevlar/aramid Composite
  • Fiberglass

    46 lb
    Fiberglass Composite
  • Carbon

    39 lb
    Carbon Composite

    This Product Has Been Discontinued

    More Kayaks from Boreal Design:

    Pakesso Description

    The Pakesso is both compact and lightweight. The rudder will appeal to the novice paddler by allowing them to easily steer the kayak in adverse conditions. The skeg-equipped Pakesso will delight intermediate paddlers looking for maneuverability and control in a small package. A more experienced paddler will appreciate the reverse hard chine combined with a semi-arched hull. Standard equipment includes a rudder or skeg system, a comfort seat, recessed hatches with quick release, thigh braces, recessed settings and deck lines.

    Pakesso Specs and Features

    • Structure: Rigid / Hard Shell
    • Cockpit Type: Sit Inside
    • Seating Configuration: Solo
    • Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
    • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
    • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

    Boreal Design
    Pakesso Reviews

    Read reviews for the Pakesso by Boreal Design 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!

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    4

    I love this boat!! It paddles…

    Submitted by: TracyBuhrows on 6/14/2016
    I love this boat!! It paddles perfectly for a girl with a smaller weight and frame. My only wish would be a larger rudder....although I regularly paddle in large waves and swells without much of a concern...it would be easier with a larger rudder. Comparing it to a 17' or 18' fiberglass kayak, I do find that it takes more effort to keep the same pace. It does pack a lot of gear and the hatch openings are large enough to pack medium to large dry bags. I haven't had any real issues with leakage into the hatches, even in rough water. Water bottles and a Pelican case can be easily clipped behind the seat. It is fairly light and can be shoulder carried without much effort. Again...I love this boat.
    5

    Wife and I started in Old…

    Submitted by: kzimmer on 7/23/2007
    Wife and I started in Old Towns, then tried out Boreals WOW, She has the Piccasso, and I the Narwell. Used Oceans, and roto's that looked similar. Sorry, no comparison. If the wind&waves kick up, even though they weigh less in kevlar, you have complete control. Somehow, we are not pushed around like them, even though they are heavier. We go with other kayakers, and all we hear is where did we buy ours. Dudes, if y'all want to rock & roll over, this is it. so far, nothing comes close.
    4

    This is my first year of…

    Submitted by: paddler231559 on 5/11/2006
    This is my first year of paddling and my first kayak I have owned. I am a 5'6" woman weighing 145lbs and I find this kayak a great size for a beginner. I love the initial stability and that it weighs only 45 lbs (glass). I think if I had a heavier boat I would use it less.

    I also like the quick release hatch covers with a rubber gasket instead of a neoprene liner. It has a rudder but I've only had to use it once in strong currents. As I said, I am a beginner so I am still learning how to carve etc. but this boat seems very responsive.

    I would highly recommend this as a beginners kayak and I'm hoping that I will learn to love it even more as I progress.

    My only complaint is it could use a day hatch or even a cockpit storage net like the Nimbus Telkwa to stow a water bottle, cell phone etc.

    4

    This is really a composite…

    Submitted by: guest-paddler on 7/15/2004
    This is really a composite review of Boreal Design's Pakesso: it reports my teenage sons' impressions of the kayak as well as my own.

    A year ago in early spring, we started looking for a small touring kayak to replace the Eddyline Skimmer that our younger son had been paddling for three years. His feet had grown to an adult size 10 the previous summer, and they didn't fit in the Skimmer any more. We visited several kayak dealers, and he sat in several 14' to 16' kayaks by several manufacturers. They all failed his 'sitting test' for one reason or another, or did not have a rudder, which was one of his requirements. (No comment here on the logic of 12 year olds!) He paddled several other kinds of kayaks at a couple of dealers, but nothing appealed... until he tried the Pakesso. His older brother (14 at the time) tried it also, and both of them gave it a hearty thumbs up after a limited paddle in flat calm weather. They liked the seat, the light weight, bouyancy, the way it paddled, and it's finish.

    So, late last winter, we bought a 2003 Pakesso during a winter kayak sale, and brought it home. We didn't have a chance to paddle it again until a couple of weekends ago. The location was Cayuga Lake, one of the large Finger Lakes in upstate NY, with a fresh NW breeze of perhaps 10-20 mph and 9"-15" wind waves.

    My son hopped in and had no trouble paddling the Pakesso. He kept up with the two of us - I paddle a Capella RM and my other son paddles an Eddyline Merlin LT - and he seemed very comfortable in it. We paddled into the wind and waves, across them, quartering downwind and straight downwind. The Pakesso seemed to handle all of these points of paddle comfortably. As we neared our takeout, my son pulled his legs out of the cockpit, laid them on the foredeck and reclined in the cockpit, as if he were sunbathing (a trademark of his). That was sort of the ultimate compliment to the Pakesso's stability.

    Since the Pakesso will fit adult-sized folk as well as teenagers, I was anxious to try it. Looking the boat over inside and out, I found the workmanship and finish to be first rate. The hatches are recessed into the deck, and there are lifelines and bungee cords in the right places. I was able to get into the cockpit seat first, and then pull in my legs, one at a time. Once in the kayak, I found the seat relatively large and comfortable. The seat is wider and longer than the Capella's, and the width made it a touch tricky to balance (I'm 5'-10" and 175 lbs) - I had to sit exactly in the center. Padding the seat sides would probably eliminate that problem, although my son seemed to have no difficulty with balance.

    Under way, I felt that the Pakesso has a decent cruising speed for a 14'-6" long and 22.5" wide kayak. It was a dry ride the whole time, despite my attempts to get it to throw spray back at me (pounding into waves, sloppy quartering into the wind, etc.). It has a fairly high profile (lots of footroom!), and that, combined with the design of the bow, does a terrific job of keeping water from being blown back onto the paddler.

    The Pakesso does seem pretty sensitive to being balanced upright, since even a small lean would start it turning ('carving' the turn? -I'm not sure what that term means). So, it seems pretty manoeverable, especially with the rudder to help in the turns. The rudder is small but effective, although I didn't find it necessary to use it most of the time. (My Capella does not have a rudder.) My son also discovered that he didn't always need the rudder during his paddling time.

    Overall, the Pakesso is a very nice kayak. It fills a niche between larger (and heavier) kayaks and the smaller 'rec boats'. It provides a paddling platform for smaller people who are serious about kayaking, since it has all the features of a serious sea-going kayak (bulkheads, hatches, bungees, lifelines, etc.). Also, its finish is outstanding. I gave it a 9, and my son gave it a 9-1/2!