Shenai Pro

My fiberglass 1999 Shenai is still being paddled. The Shenai is my go to choice for trips and camping. It is stable but has the ability to edge a turn well. It tracks great and performs even better when loaded. Into the waves it rides over and sometimes through but keeps moving well. I wear it and had only minor accommodations to achieve a comfortable fit. The American made craft is well made & fitted out and after twenty years looks markedly better than the 2010 WS Tempest 170 hanging next to it.

However, it doesn't have any rocker - an almost dead flat keel - maneuverability is dampened and it will edge but does not want to hold it.

It's mine and you can't have it!

This is by far my favorite boat. I have about 12. I got it in 2000 and it has about 2000 mi on it now. It is fast, has only a few cracked areas (and lots of scratches) on the surface over years of abusive treatment. It tolerates beginners in bad waves with ease. Good for large and smaller people.

What a surprise to find an "American" sea kayak that you wear and makes you feel at one with the boat, fit and paddling position I find ideal. It seems that the paddler is at the control center of this boat, making carved leaning turns extremely easy and predictable. It rolls very easily, no effort. Low rear deck makes paddle float re-entry practice a cinch. This boat has an incredible feel in waves, it seems to come alive, and it actually feels faster in wind and waves. Extremely secure and sea kindly. What little weathercocking this boat is prone to do is easily handled with the retractable skeg, and the skeg mechanism is an improvement over other boats in its class. Probably the best thing about it is the feel when moving through the water, and the balance and the way it handles the waves, a very exciting boat to paddle. A well thought out and executed sea kayak, if it had recessed deck fittings and full deck lines this boat would be ideal. Nothing touches its performance, and it does reward the paddlers' skills, you can feel the difference.