Saranac 14.6

This Product Has Been Discontinued

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Saranac 14.6 Description

The Saranac 14.6 is a kayak brought to you by Swift Canoe & Kayak. Read Saranac 14.6 reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you!

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Saranac 14.6 Reviews

Read reviews for the Saranac 14.6 by Swift Canoe & Kayak 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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5

This is simply a lovely…

Submitted by: Wally on 7/31/2018

This is simply a lovely boat. It handles well, it tracks well, it's quick and it's easy on the eyes. The funny thing was, I wasn't planning to shell out the bucks on the Saranac when I attended a Paddling Expo at Seneca College's King campus. I was looking for a plastic boat in the $1000 range, that I could beat up with impunity. I wanted something that handled decently but could be run up on rocks at the cottage in northern Ontario. I wanted something that would take abuse from my inebriated friends, and my inebriated son..., and his friends, who are inevitably inebriated. I test paddled a number of plastic boats. Dagger, Necky, Boreal..., I liked them all to varying degrees and was having an extremely tough time making a decision. One of them would be mine. I was sure of it. But which one? My wife and son were pressuring me to either buy something or get the hell back to the 6 (a.k.a. Toronto) But then, I was persuaded by an attractive young lady rep, in a fetching, and rather wet, Swift t-shirt, to try the David Yost designed Swift Saranac. OMG. It was a revelation. It was everything I wanted. It fit my incredibly fit 200 lb body. (Well, maybe not incredibly fit. Let's just say somewhat fit..., for the record.) Both primary and secondary stability were excellent, which allayed my fears of dumping the boat. Writer's Note: I've only flipped this boat once, and that was the result of trying to get into it from a very high dock. That was a result of unusually low water levels late in the summer. It tracked very well, with or without the retractable skeg, and it was fast. The seat was comfortable too. The only thing that held me back was the price tag. It was about 2 grand more than I had planned to spend. Unfortunately, I raved about the boat in front of my then young son an my wife, who both promptly shamed me into making a decision. There is some Scottish in my background and therefore this was an extremely difficult time. Nevertheless, I went for it, and I have not regretted it. I have to be little more careful with the boat. The gelcoat finish is a bit more fragile than plastic, and my wife actually ran it over shallow rocks once, scraping the hell out of it. Nice. The only negative thing I can think of about this boat relates to the skeg. The knob that puts the skeg in place is more than a bit stiff, both in putting it down and retracting it. A little lubrication might fix that. I suspected that the skeg area leaked a bit and sprayed a rubber coating around it. It's quite possible that the puddle I find in the stern is from the water that drops off the paddle into the cockpit. Bottom line: this is a great boat. I absolutely love it.

5

Love my Swift! I have had it…

Submitted by: zenkayak on 7/11/2016
Love my Swift! I have had it for 3 seasons. It has a skeg but do not have to use it. I wear a skirt with it and practice wet exits each time I go out. Easy to get back in with a paddle float. It is light enough that I can carry it and load it by myself. I use it on the Finger Lakes sometimes in 15 to 20 mile per hour winds with 3" - 4" breaking waves.I do not use it when the rivers are low. It does take a rock hit now and then but comes out fine. People always comment what a fine looking kayak is. It is comfortable and a day of 10 - 15 miles is easy on my 60 year old body. I had a bungee put inside by the seat to put the pump. I like to keep the deck as clear as possible. It takes a full load of gear with ease. I do safety with this boat for SUP races,Charity events, etc and it handles well and keeps up with the racers as needed. I love this boat! P.S. I love the new Swift colors especially the grape/berry.
4

I enjoy this kayak which is a…

Submitted by: zenkayak on 10/13/2015
I enjoy this kayak which is a LV model. Have had it for 3 years and it is still in great shape. Had a skeg installed last year along with a bungee next to the seat to keep my bilge pump within the cockpit. Swift did a great job of retrofitting.I do not use this on local rivers but on Cayuga Lake which can get gnarly with waves and currents. I am unable to roll it but can do self rescues. It's not the fastest but it tracks well. I don't use the skeg that often. I would recommend this for lakes without rocks.
5

I absolutely love this kayak.…

Submitted by: paddler232578 on 9/7/2015
I absolutely love this kayak. I was very concerned about moving it around by myself. It's light weight made kayaking possible for me again. The seat is very comfortable. The cockpit big enough for my camera dry bag. Storage was exceptional for my four day solo trip. It performed very well fully loaded. There is not one thing I wish was different about this kayak. I test paddled many and I am thrilled with my purchase. Service is wonderful with Swift, and they listened to all my needs and put me in the correct boat.

My skill level was beginner to intermediate and this felt a little like to much boat at first but I have quickly increased my skill level to fit the boat. My goal was to camp, be able to take day trips with my camera and to be easily maneuverable. I went rudderless with no skeg (more room in storage). It easily tracks, and very easy to place where needed for picture taking. I lean on my paddle sometimes to move the boat.
Highly recommend this kayak.

5

A while ago I had the…

Submitted by: Sharonh on 7/1/2015
A while ago I had the opportunity to take a Swift kayak out; it was extremely efficient on the water and a pleasure to paddle. I found it to be a little wobbly on the water, which would make this a little scary for a novice kayaker. That being said it was a very nice looking kayak. the price is costly making it unattainable for the average kayaker.
5

We have owned a few boats…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 8/27/2014
We have owned a few boats over the years and we both now own Saranacs. 14.6 and 14. They handle like a dream and literally turn on a dime for the touring boats that they are. AS for some claiming them to be uncomfortable I guess they should have tried them out longer at first. Then again everyone is different hence the test paddle first. They have a very supportive and adjustable back piece unlike a sea kayak back band and are very adjustable. We had a couple of warranty issues with them and Bill Swift came down from Canada and took them back and returned them in 2wk. EXCELLENT customer service. For weekend trips they are great and store a lot of gear. When these wear out it will be another Swift and we are out in these 15-20/season.
3

I bought 2 Swift Kayaks last…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 4/29/2014
I bought 2 Swift Kayaks last year and my cousin also bought on. The are the most uncomfortable kayaks I have ever owned. The seats give little su8pport. We got no satisfaction from Mountain Sports - where we purchased them and after spending almost $3000 per boat, we were extremely disappointed. I never felt this uncomfortable in my Old Town kayaks.
4

The Swift Saranac 14.6 is an…

Submitted by: paddler235171 on 7/26/2013
The Swift Saranac 14.6 is an outstanding boat. It is fast, light weight, highly stable, when you need it to be and it tracks extremely well, even in high winds. I've been out in 2 foot waves and even bigger swells on Lake Ontario and the boat handles them with ease. It offers good secondary stability, so when it comes time to tilt the boat into a tight turn, it performs admirably.

I've had mine for several years now and the finish still looks brand new with an annual treatment of 303 Protectorant. The adjustable, padded seat is comfortable and the cockpit fits my 200 pound frame very well. My 110 pound wife finds it equally comfortable and has no trouble maneuvering around the lake, even though the footrests are set up for me.

It features two hatches, so there's lots of storage. However some water does tend to find it's way into these hatches. I believe it's water dripping off the paddle into the cockpit (I don't have a spray skirt).

My only complaint is the skeg. The control knob can get quite stiff if it hasn't been used of a while (as in an entire winter) A little bit of WD40 on the cable loosens it up just fine. Frankly, the boat tracks so well, I don't often use the skeg.

Bottom line: excellent boat.
The service I've received from Swift is great too.

5

Two years of use have proven…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 7/10/2013
Two years of use have proven how extraordinary this boat is. Ultra-lightweight, incredibly stable, an ideal boat for lakes, rivers, even near-shore ocean if not too much swell activity. It moves so quickly with so little effort, in part from its weight and in part from its design. It has more than adequate storage and is a joy to use. The real key is the weight: there is nothing else like it, and the manufacturing quality is stellar. I have the 14' Saranac as well and am adding the Bering for sea-kayaking. That should make a fairly strong statement. It is worth every penny, especially for the weight (lack thereof).
4

I purchased a barely used…

Submitted by: shiraz627 on 9/17/2009
I purchased a barely used Swift Saranac 14.6 in Feb. 2009. This kayak features Carbon/Kevlar construction and a retractable skeg. This a very nice boat overall, what I most like about it is its light weight (38lbs), excellent tracking and easy turning. The seat is very comfortable plus the Kajak Sport Hatch covers are easy to use.

On the down side the boat is not as fast as I had hoped, figure you can get 2-3mph out of the boat as confirmed by my GPS. I did have some trouble with one of the hatch cowlings coming loose from the deck (definitely a manufacturing defect) but the dealer gave me the epoxy and I made the repair myself.

The boat holds a ton of gear if you're into camping. I have paddled this kayak on everything from small ponds to Long Island Sound with a 3' swell. The boat handles very well and predictable even when taking waves from the beam.

5

I just bought this yak in…

Submitted by: paddler232345 on 10/3/2007
I just bought this yak in Ontario last week. It has a very nice cockpit size, handles very well, easy to lift up and mount on a kayak rack on my truck. It is a trilon/ kevlar composite yak.
The sales persons in OXTOUNGE Ont.were very helpful.
I'm now a happy Ohio Buckey!
5

What an excellent boat this…

Submitted by: paddler232300 on 9/1/2007
What an excellent boat this is for the money. I purchased one in trilon and one for my wife (a 14') they so far surpass our expectations. Having put in over 100 miles this month alone in all kind of conditions, I can say the boat tracks like it is on rails and it is a very efficient and fast David Yost hull design. That in addition to the drop down skeg I have had no issues with weathercocking even on Lake Ontario. I did have a problem with the seat but that was remedied by Bill Swift himself. Incredible customer service, I sent him an email and he answered right away and brought down a new seat from the factory the next week.

The boat has incredible initial stability and the secondary is very impressive as well. You can edge the boat and it turns on a dime without any feeling of going over. A good boat for beginers and veterans. We purchased these from Bay Creek Paddling Center in Rochester NY. They were very knowledgeable and professional. I would purchase another boat from them and we look forward to upgrading our Swifts to composites in a few years. Keep up the excellent work Bill.