Santee Expedition - REVIEW
I have had a chance to put the Santee Expedition on the water at two of our local demos and with a variety of different customers. The goal of the boat’s designers was to create a crossover or “hybrid” boat that blends the characteristics of a touring kayak and a recreational kayak. More specifically, this particular hybrid was designed with high displacement to accommodate larger paddlers.
The Santee Expedition is far more stable than a pure touring kayak for big folks like the Capella 173 (for example). However, it is nearly as stable as a Santee 116 and considerably more efficient. The Expedition tracks well and can be edged (to some degree) to allow for better maneuverability than a Rec boat of the same length. Also, the Santee Expedition has less drag than the typical Rec kayak of the same length -an average paddler can expect to cover 3-3.5 miles in an hour.
This boat is too roomy for me (I am 165 lbs). Based on what I’ve seen at our demos, the Santee Expedition could handle a 320 pound paddler and still behave well. This is the first really good design for bigger folks in the Hybrid category I’ve seen in a premium construction. We have additional info on our Hybrid Kayaks Page. Click on the Santee Expedition for detailed info.
If weight savings (only 52 lbs!), good performance/stability and reasonable pricing is high on your list of priorities, the Santee Expedition is the best choice for a Touring/Rec Hybrid for larger folks. I can’t think of another kayak that offers what this boat does for less. Stop by your local shop or Boat Demo to check one out.
Reg: $1189
