Official Prowler Specs

[BillL]

I called the Ocean kayak factory. The 32 inch width and 59 lb. weight are based on earlier plans. They say the 28.5 width and 56 lb.weight are official. Nuff said.

[Scupper Pro Frank]

When I read your post/inquiry, I immediately drove up to the Coral Way WaterPlay store -they've got an angler on the floor. I, TOO, was wondering about the width, weight, and a few other things...

Bringing along my trusty tape, I strode directly over to it past a slightly surprised employee.

32 wide, eh? I was thinking as I stretched it out.

Nope -28 & change!

While there I cross-checked some other dimensions with the gorgeous brand new bright LIME GREEN Scupper Pro-TW.

Seat depth....-S-Pro ~7+".................Prowler ~4.5-5"
Seat width....-S-Pro ~15-16".............Prowler ~18-19"
Weight..........-S-Pro ~58-59# ...........Prowler -unknown (S-Pro + 3-5#?)
Portability......-S-Pro manageable.......Prowler -unknown

The latter two will probably make Prowler portability less than that of the S-Pro because of the respective hulls' cross-section, the masses of the two boats (including accessorizations), and their lengths.

I can tote my S-Pro overhead at arms length OK, and can get it up OK because the deck around the seat offers decent hand-width gripping spread and decent “hand-holdable” form. The Prowler does not -it's sides transition broadly and smoothly into the hull, and they’re WAAAY too wide for regular folks' hands to span. Shaq, or an OL or DL from the NFL, maybe, but not me.

I'd have to wrestle the Prowler up in my arms until I could rest it on a shoulder, then see about pressing it overhead -a tricky proposition made trickier by it's gunwale widths and added 10" or so of length to mess up the fore-aft balance.

I need to negotiate around a tight corner to bring our yaks out to the car from our back yard, and a kayak cart wouldn't be much of a help –it’d be more of a hindrance. I usually turn down Sally's well-intentioned help because of the tight turn and our back yard foliage make turning it from two ends, as opposed to rotating it about the center, a real chore.

Outfitted as an Angler model, including a rudder, it will weigh in somewhere around 5-10# heavier than the listed 56 or so pounds -I think...! That's still OK in my book.

But the first thing I think I'd do with a Prowler would be figure out where to most appropriately place some carrying handles amidships -that would make it a FAR more manageable boat to transport single-handed!

ChefMike -think about it –put some handles on your new Mellow Yellow Streaker!

Bottom Lines? The OK Prowler IS 28-1/2" wide, and it probably DOES come in at 56# -but that's stripped. And the weight will go up faster on a model like the Angler because of fittings quality -OK is using brass eyelets, and is actually not riveting them but bolting them on –incremental over plastic, but it does add up.

So there ya have it.

Check one out yourself to see if it's the yak YOU want to be in as you

Paddle on!

-Frank in Miami

[This message was edited by Scupper Pro Frank on October 28, 2003 at 03:12 PM.]

[Socrates_thinks]

I sure agree about getting a handhold. I carry my Pro with my right hand in the front of the cockpit, left two fingers in a rear cockpit scupper hole. Works fine. On the Prowler the scupper holes are smaller and more rearward so I can't seem to get a balance.

But I've seen Chef Mike toss it up overhead without much trouble. Frankly (pun intended) I'm simply amazed that the Prowler is within a couple pounds of the ProTW, yet retains the rigid and bulletproof design.

Couple corrections:

The Prowler is only 8 inches longer, maybe 2 or 3 lbs heavier. Not much harder to handle. The factory specs are 56 lb for the Prowler, 55 lb for the Pro.

Just for fun, weighed my ProTW, came in at 53 lb., even with some water in it. Going out with Chef in the am., will take the scale.

Addendum: both measured and weighed the Prowler. It's 28.5 in wide, weighed in at 55 lb (one pound under spec). Bottom line it's within a pound or two of the Pro and just 5 in. longer, and is just as easy to handle with practice.

Best,
Soc

aka Capn Jimbo aka Jim aka Hey you!



http://ftlauderdaleyakfishingclub.org/beach_0003.jpg

"Don't get any better 'n this!"

<center>Asked by a cute waitress: "What's that big yellow thing on top of your car?"
Me:"Compensation!"

<font color=red>Ft. Lauderdale Yakfishin Club!</font> (http://ftlauderdaleyakfishingclub.org/)</center>

[This message was edited by Socrates_thinks on October 29, 2003 at 12:59 AM.]

[This message was edited by Socrates_thinks on November 22, 2003 at 08:21 AM.]