New '05 colors on WS site

[RonH]

WS is incredibly slow to update their site but tonight the new colors are shown. Waalaa.

Ron

[Idigguns]

It's about time! I saw them a few weeks ago. I like the Blue Steel.

[RonH]

I'm getting either the T120 or T140 in either sand or one of the blue colors. Any problems with a hot deck with that steel blue color?? Also I know you're a big fan of the T140, do you mind giving me your height and weight so as to compare with myself for fit purposes ??

Ron-

[nightwolf]

Hi Ron,

I have a T140 and the color is sand. I bought what the dealer had. If I were to order one, I'd get mango. Several of the places where I paddle, I need to dodge wet bikes and fast powerboats. I think visibility is important to staying alive.

I'm about 5'-11" and 240 pounds. Most of my weight is upper body (back and shoulders). My waist though is a 40. I have plenty of room in the T140 and the seat is very comfortable.

At 240 pounds, I need scupper plugs. Without them, I have about 1 1/2" of standing water in the cockpit. That is a lot of weight in water to drag around in the boat.

I made my plugs from foam golf balls. I punched a piece of nylon cord thru them and tied them off so that I could pull them quickly if need be. I worried about a large wave or boat wake filling the cockpit. Now, I can just grab the cord and pull it.

Good luck with your choice!

John

[RonH]

Thanks John for the input. I'm 5'8, 180 lbs and when I test drove the T140, had about 1/4" of water in the foot area at all times but didn't really bother me. The boat felt a little large for me though but has great storage. I plan on doing mostly fresh and some light salt fishing. The T120 may fit me better but the 140 is a fine boat. MORE POSTERS SHOULD PROVIDE THEIR HEIGHT AND WEIGHT WHEN POSTING SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCE WITH A PARTICULAR BOAT.

Ron

[Idigguns]

Hey Ron,
I haven't seen the colors on the WS web-site. I have an e-mail attachment with the color chart and it says that the Blue Steel is a Duralite color. As for the rotomold boats you have either Mystic Blue (which replaces the Slate Blue) or you have the standard Blue or you have that Smoke (which is like a blue to white fade I think). I think the Mystic Blue looks nice. I can e-mail it to you if you like. Of course, the darker the color, the more you have to worry about the heat. A color like the Steel Blue or Mystic Blue I don't think will have any problems with a hot deck. I agree with Night Wolf about the safe colors, that's why I went with Mango. I heard the Red gets pretty hot and it also fades the fastest.

As for my height/weight, I'm about 5'-10"/250#'s. I actually fit the 120 pretty good too, and I didn't see that much more water in it than the 140. The main thing I liked was the extra speed and the bigger tank well. It was worth the extra $100. It's not that much bigger/heavier.

Oh yeah, I use scupper plugs, too. I made mine out of Rubatex insulation that I had laying around and some nylon line. I've only had to pull out the plugs once. I went out when I really shouldn't have, way too windy and choppy. I kept taking waves over the bow, so I just pulled the plugs and all was fine.

[nightwolf]

Like Idigguns says, I pulled my plugs once too. I was out on the Chesapeake in strong wind and chop. I also had waves breaking over the bow of my T140. I wouldn't say that I shouldn't have been out, but it was a challenge.

I had the plugs in for most of the morning, but then the wind kicked up another notch. I carry a sponge in the boat. For minor water, I just sop it up and squeeze it over the side. This day, I just had a hard time keeping up with it.

The one thing that I did notice when I did pull the plugs and the water came in, was that the kayak became pretty sluggish. So, I've been wondering how much of a blast this boat would be if I weighed just 180 pounds???????

[Idigguns]

I can't remember the last time I weighed 180#'s! High school, maybe?!

[RonH]

Weighed 125 in high school, now 180 but soon to get down to 173 or so per Doc ideal weight for 5'8. Have a great fear of getting too big and being mistakenly harpooned.