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Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg
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Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg

Item # 735401

$1600.00

Item qualifies for annual
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Fast approaching the pinnacle of modern kayak design, Tempest blends speed with impeccable manners and excellent maneuverability in all conditions.

  • Winner of the 2008-2011 Sea Kayaker Magazine Reader's Choice award for best kayak for day and weekend touring
  • High-density Gen2 polyethylene construction offers performance, rugged durability and affordability
  • With hull lines similar to many British kayaks, the Tempest adds even more chine area for amazing secondary stability and enhanced turning ability
  • Combination of solid initial stability and strong tracking even in high winds makes this kayak an excellent choice for rough-water expedition paddling
  • Excellent secondary stability lets even beginners confidently put the boat on edge and hold it there
  • Paddle comfortably all day thanks to the adjustable seat, thigh and hip support, plus Wilderness System's ratcheting Butterfly Backband
  • Phase3-XP™ seat can be adjusted on the fly to relieve fatigue on long paddles or lock in for carved turns
  • Ergonomic ratcheting backband delivers excellent comfort and control; new Slidelock footrail system is easily adjustable, comfortable and rugged
  • SlideLock footrail system is comfortable, rugged and easy to adjust; foot braces adjust via extension rod that places positioning at your fingertips
  • Equipped with three hatches plus plenty of deck rigging, letting you easily stow up to a week's worth of food and gear
  • Full-size stern hatch, 10-inch bow hatch and 8-inch day hatch all have bulkheads to keep gear dry and secure while adding flotation
  • Cockpit-controlled drop-down skeg improves tracking and helps resist weathercocking
  • Retractable carry toggles allow easy portaging to and from the water
  • Recessed bow compass mount fits most brands of deck compasses

Made in USA.

Item 735401


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Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg Specs

Specification

Description

MaterialPolyethylene
Length17 feet
Width22 inches
Depth13.5 inches
Weight56 pounds
Cockpit size34 x 18 inches
Number of paddlers1
Weight capacity325 pounds
Hatch CapacityUA

Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg
 
3.8

(based on 8 reviews)

88%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Comfortable (6)
  • Good maneuverability (5)
  • Stable (5)

Cons

  • Heavy (6)

Best Uses

  • Experienced paddlers (5)
  • Quiet lakes (5)
  • Beginners (4)
  • Reviewer Profile:
  • Recreational (4)

Reviewed by 8 customers

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Sep

26

2007

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

 
4.0

Let the Sea give'er what for!!!

By johnnygolucky

from Bellingham, Wa

About Me Competitive, Recreational

Site Member

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Good Maneuverability
  • Stable

Cons

  • Heavy
  • Slow

Best Uses

  • Beginners
  • Experienced Paddlers
  • Quiet Lakes
  • Rivers

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

I've been paddling personally and professionally for 14 years. Me, 6ft,#185 and have paddled throughout Alaska, the West Coast and San Juans and Mexico. Owner of a dozen boats. Some are faster, some are lighter, but as far as your "one boat quiver", it's hard to beat. Rolls easy and is a great guide boat. The cockpit is amazing. Tight hatches, the skeg is a little loud deployed but with some soft velcro, it shores it up tight. The Tempest is VERY responsive in the coastle rock gardens and excels in tights confusing waters. Again, there's better boats for distance touring, but for rough water weekends, go anywear days, you can't beat this boat for the price!-Peace!

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

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Mar

5

2008

(5 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

 
1.0

Not durable or dry...

By Wigdoubt

from Homer, Alaska

About Me Recreational

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Easy Entry & Exit
  • Stable

Cons

  • Heavy
  • Leaky hatches
  • Not durable
  • Slow

Best Uses

  • Day Trips
  • Kayak Camping
  • Ocean Swells

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

I use this boat in Alaskan ocean and lakes for day trips and camping trips. It is comfortable to sit in and has a decent backrest and seat. It tracks reasonably well and is pretty stable. It is easy to reenter in a self rescue and easy to roll.
But, the polyethelene is extremely soft and is not durable at all. The hull fells like a flimsy tupper ware container. I can imagine it folding around a rock with very little pressure. Any contact with sharp rocks or bolts will gouge pieces of plastic right out of the hull. Even smooth rocks cause abrasion and leave fuzzy dangling pieces of plastic which slow the boat down considerably.
The rear of the cockpit is much too far behind the seat backrest making it difficult to reach and attach the sprayskirt in back.
The hatch covers are so loose and leaky that they will just fall off if hit by a wave- so they have to be bungied down.
The skeg cable is prone to kinking if you hit the bottom with the skeg leaving it unusable.
The keel line on my boat came with a slight bend in the rear 12 inches- doesn't seem to affect tracking but is clearly visible and says something about the Quality Control in manufacturing.
Bottom line? If I hadn't gotten this boat on sale I would have taken it back.

Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

(5 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

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Sep

28

2007

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

 
4.0

Great all-around kayak

By akayaker

from San Diego, CA

About Me Kayak Camper

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Lots of room
  • Stable

Cons

  • Heavy
  • Leaky hatches

Best Uses

  • Beginners
  • Experienced Paddlers
  • Multi-day camping
  • Ocean
  • Quiet Lakes

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

This is a great boat for multi-day camping trips on the ocean or on lakes. It can carry a large amount of gear, although the skeg box in the rear compartment takes away some space. The 170 handles the open ocean well and can take some pretty rough weather as long as everything is well packed, waterproofed and balanced. At 17' it's reasonably fast and doesn't weathercock, although in with a stiff breeze you'll need to use the skeg to varying degrees. It's actually fairly stable for a boat with its' beam and you'll find you can lean it way over before it starts to tip, although once it does, it's fairly easy to roll (again, provided you've packed carefully). The hatches are a tad leakey, and it helps to put some elastic shock cord around the groove in the hatches (why Wilderness doesn't provide these, I can't figure out). Once you do that, the boat stays very dry. Overall, this is a great kayak for a paddler that wants a boat that he/she won't outgrow and can handle more challenges as confidence and skill grow.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

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Sep

7

2007

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

 
4.0

Sturdy and Fast, great advice from REI

By Yellow and Black

from Seattle WA

About Me Recreational

Site Member

Pros

  • Good Maneuverability
  • Stable

Cons

  • Heavy

Best Uses

  • Experienced Paddlers

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

Lots of great advice [...]led me to this kayak. Love the look and the size for my large frame. Wish the footrests extended just a little bit more. It is heavy, but not too bad. Great in chop. Terrific storage space and good speed.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

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Sep

23

2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

 
5.0

Very good all-around boat

By Outdoorsman1380

from Commerce Twp, MI

About Me Advanced, Competitive

Pros

  • Above-average hull speed
  • Comfortable
  • Easily Customizable Seat
  • Easy Rolling
  • Easy to edge
  • Easy To Lift
  • Good Maneuverability
  • Good Packability
  • Lots of deck rigging
  • Stable

Cons

  • Hatches not always dry

Best Uses

  • Beginners
  • Experienced Paddlers
  • Great Lakes
  • Intermediate Paddlers
  • Ocean
  • Quiet Lakes
  • Rivers

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

This is a great all-around boat with a good balance of stabillity and maneuverability and a user-friendly learning curve. This boat is good for a beginning paddler all the up to the advanced intermediate. It's a bit more than a recreational paddler needs, but a great boat for anyone looking to make long paddles or to paddle for fitness. The boat's weight is good compared to other plastic boats of its size and the hatches provide more than enough room to pack for over a week. It edges easily, is very responsive, and rolls comfortably despite its good stability. The boat had very good maneuverability but has rock-solid tracking with the skeg down. The foot pegs could be set farther forward, but my 6'1" 240 pound frame fits easily into the boat. The only need this craft doesn't fulfill is someone looking for an ultra-fast expediton or low volume boat.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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Sep

12

2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

 
5.0

Highly recommended

By bike_and_paddle

from Cary, NC

About Me Beginner, Recreational

Site Member

Pros

  • Comfortable

Cons

  • Difficult Entry & Exit

Best Uses

  • Beginners
  • Experienced Paddlers
  • Quiet Lakes

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

Highly recommended.
Make sure it is not too small for you. I was 225 pounds at some point and the kayak wasn't comfortable. I lost about 15 pounds and it is perfect again.
Tracks perfectly with skeg. Make sure no sand gets into the skeg. Once I put the kayak on the roof of my car upside down and then washed it there with hose. As a result sand got into the skeg line and now skeg moves with difficulty.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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Sep

22

2008

 
3.0

Good potential - poor workmanship

By trimanbill

from Flower Mound, TX

About Me Beginner

Site Member

Pros

  • Good Maneuverability

Cons

  • Heavy

Best Uses

  • Day Trips
  • Kayak Camping

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

My boat had two defects: the bow was slightly warped leading to a tendency to turn right and the bulkheads leaked. The tendency to stear right was a particular nuisance during outings when I would point the boat to a landmark roughly a mile away and could never sustain a paddling rythem because I had to make take several extra strokes on my right side periodically to correct the bearing. In addition on a particularly stormy day, the bulkheads were not sealed completely and when the boat capsized, all compartments filled with water. One good thing is while capsized, the boat did not sink in a 60 foot deep lake!


I gave the boat a markdown for each of the two defects. Otherwise I loved the boat. I loved the feel in the water and how easily the boat took on 3-4 foot swells. It was easy to paddle at 4 mph without getting tired. The boat is relatively heavy but I knew that going in and learned to balance it on my shoulder without too much trouble. If not for the defects I would still have this boat and would have rated it a five. For these reasons I would recommend this boat to a friend if it where free of defects.

If it wasn't for REI I may have been stuck with a defective boat but they allowed me to return it. I did not realize that REI really does guarentee satisfaction with their products even when its not their fault. I am a lifetime member and will support REI in every way I can. Thanks REI!

  • Gift:
  • No

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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Sep

13

2007

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

 
4.0

Good boat for the money

By webdev1972

from Seattle, WA

About Me Intermediate

Site Member

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Good Maneuverability

Cons

  • Heavy
  • Poor Tracking

Best Uses

  • Quiet Lakes
  • Salt water

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 Kayak with Skeg:

This boat had the most comfortable seat I've found, very adjustable. Tracking is a bit difficult, but the boat maneuvers very well.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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