Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

Had this ridefor about a month now, us it 5-7 times per week. average anywhere from 5-15 mile paddles, mostly flat water. this yak tracks well & is very stable for 14'6'. Rudder is a nice touch....only had to use it 1 time, (high winds). This kayak turns Incredibility well for its size. It is a little on the heavy side for me, I'm disabled & have a bad back & a couple of gimpy legs. The Tsunami isn't a real speed demon but I can still hit 6.5-8 mph on good days & it's easy to maintain 5-5.5 mph. One last comment; the hatches do a great job keeping your items dry but they are a little tight at 1st.

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

I am 5' 11" 240 lbs. This matters because kayak fit is very personal. I was looking for a first decked kayak after paddling inflatables and SOTs for a few years, and there are a lot more kayaks made for skinny guys than big guys. I bought a Tsunami 145 from REI as my first decked kayak and I'm glad I did.

The Tsunami 145 is often looked down upon by advanced paddlers, but if you are new to kayaking it is a great boat to start with. Why? It's STABLE. It's stable sitting in the water going nowhere, it's stable on edge, it's stable in swells. It is sized for big guys. It is not the fastest boat out there, but if you are used to paddling a SOT or an inflatable, it is superluminal. The first time I had it out on one of my favorite local reservoirs I could not believe how efficient it was compared to my tandem SOT.

Also great for photography because it is so stable.

It is also COMFORTABLE. The seat in the 145 might be the most comfortable kayak seat out there. It is the most comfortable one I've sat in, and I can paddle it for 10+ miles or so, 4+ hours, and still be OK. However, the seat back, though REALLY comfortable and adjustable, becomes a real pain once you start doing wet exits and reentries. It flops forward when you are trying to slither back in after a T-rescue or paddle-float reentry. I have the seat back of mine tied back with a bungee cord, but I have yet to test a re-entry in the water. You can swap out the seat back in the T145 for the backband that is used in the Tsunami 165, Tsunami 175, and Zephyrs, but the backband is NOWHERE NEAR as comfortable for paddling. HOWEVER, kayak rentry after a wet exit is much easier with the backband. You can just slide right over it.

Wilderness Systems does a great job of designing the boat--the deck perimeter lines, the bungees, and the hatches are right where they should be. Even the toggles retract out of the way so they are not flopping around as you paddle--a nice touch. The toggles are comfortable for long carries, too. My hatches don't leak in my T145 or my T165. I cannot swivel while I am in the kayak to reach the day hatch so it is of no use to me. This may just be my lack of flexibility.

Some complain about Wilderness Systems quality, but my experience is just the opposite. There are three WS boats in my garage (counting my partner's Tsunami 135 Pro) and they are all excellent quality. I've looked at a lot of other boats in showrooms and I just don't see higher build quality than Wilderness Systems. Both places I took kayak rescue classes from used Tsunami 145s, and one place treated them horribly with people sitting in them on rough asphalt and actually dragging them over the asphalt! But a light went off in my head--if they buy these boats for rentals, they must be tough.

The Tsunami 145's Achille's heel is its lack of manueverability, something that plagues the entire Tsunami line to one extent or another (I have paddled the 145, 165, and 175; my dimunitive partner the 125 and 135). If you are not paddling into wind, no problem. If the wind is on your nose, no problem. But if you are paddling in a good crosswind you can end up paddling only on one side for miles trying to keep the boat straight! This is where the rudder becomes very useful (and will keep the boat straight in any condition I have encountered). The rudder works great for dealing with crosswind or a following or quartering sea. Personally, I would not take my Tsunamis through surf higher than about a foot for just this reason. My guess is that the designers made the more entry-level Tsunamis to hold a line while paddling on calm water. And they do.

If you unload the boat yourself from the top of a car, you will notice that at any kind of an angle, when you put the tail of the boat down the entire weight of the boat will be on the rudder shaft. This is a universal rudder used for several boats, and has a longer shaft than is needed for the Tsunamis. I carefully cut off the excess rudder shaft and probably instantly voided the warranty. But the boat rests on the hull at a 45-degree angle now.

I thought I would sell my T145 after I bought a T165, but I still have it. For long paddles, I love the seat. For rough paddles, I love the stability. It's a great boat!

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

First of all I would like to say that this is a very good yak, I just purchased this yak a month after its manufacturing date in 09. And love every part that went into the design of this yak.
But before I purchased this yak, I went to REI demo Day here in Oregon, at Vancouver Lake, which by the way I have to commend REI on doing a very good job with the amount of people that showed up I believe it was in the 700 range. They did close it down kind of early though which was a disappointment because I never got to try this yak. Allot more people showed up then they expected and it was just a little too short of time they could have extended it out another hour or so.
The only reason I purchased this yak is because before they closed down I got into the Tsunami 165 and loved the yak, the cockpit was a little so small for me, but the yak tracked well and was pretty quick. After I lose a little more hip weight I will probably purchase it in the future after I get some touring time behind me. It was also a little to tippy for me to begin my new adventures in a touring kayak, but I was not used to that thin of yak either.
I have always been on recreational yaks and so I was entering a whole new level of yak. I did get to sit in the Tsunami 145 before I left and in doing that I knew this was the yak for me and the cockpit fit me like a glove and was not too tight. I am around 5'9" and 240 pounds and athletic and getting in the yak proved to be easier then getting out, but with practice and stretching I soon discovered it not to be an issue.
The Tsunami 145 Is fun to role and upright and is very responsive, the 3 phase seat is very adjustable to about anyone. The rudder is very useful and responsive in light to very windy days; even know I did not use it that much on light days the rudder is a + at times. With a spray skirt is very aerodynamic in the wind. I have not had any issue with leaks in stern storage like some people have experienced. After looking at the exposed areas and with my engineering background the water may seem to be entering around the rudder cable guide tubes, and a little clear silicone on the inside around the entry hole in my opinion will take care of the problem. The bungees are great and hold everything that I put in them solid.
I mainly bought this yak for touring up and down rivers and huge lakes and camping. The storage space is unmatched even know delta claims to have a kayak that is a 14.5 that has 13.699 Cubic Inches of space, now I do like delta as well but I did not care for the cockpit seat. And it was a little higher in price then what I could afford. The Tsunami 145 has 11,312 Cubic inches of space which I have not yet tested but know that I will benefit from it. With the right gear you can stuff this yak with a couple weeks of food; freeze dried that is, and you will live like a camping king.
Know the yak is not all that without the right paddle, and with the right paddle this yak is even more of a pleasure. The paddle I bought and love and will be doing a review on is the Werner Camano Paddle, Even if you're a beginner spend the extra money and get a light paddle you will not regret it. A lot of people will talk you into purchasing a Skagit if you are a beginner which is made by Werner and by any mean I am not saying that the Skagit is a bad paddle it is great for the money and is petty light in comparison to aluminum and a good all around paddle. But man the fiberglass paddle is the way to go. You hold that thing all day long and the light the better.
Know I have read many reviews before and after I purchased the yak and I have to disagree on some comments about Wilderness and Quality, could they do a much better job? Yes. Is it all that bad? Not really when I got my yak it was in good shape there was some scrapes on the keel, and I think that the scrapes happen during transportation or the retailer handling them but a little sand paper a Walla all fixed. After a good coat of wax she shines beautifully and now is protected by the UV. The 303 from aero space technology work very well for this application and it's a spray on, you can get it at west marine. The manual could show a little more on the rudder installation but you can find pretty much any video on that using the web.
The yak is heavy for some people and trust me if I do not have the energy I find it challenging to put on top of the car.
I can go on and on there is really nothing much I can say about this yak that is bad to the point of someone not purchasing it. it is a good yak for beginners getting into the sport of kayak touring. And I would say to those that never made it to a Demo Day its worth Renting then buying almost all REI rent Kayaks.
Safe Paddling
James

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

Finally bought this during the 30th anniv sale after borrowing a friend's. Great storage spaces, you can almost put the kitchen sink in there! This is my first time using a rudder system and although it took some getting used to rather than fixed foot pegs, it was very easy to handle. I'm 5'11" 185 lbs and I had no trouble getting in/out. Cockpit is perfect for my size, though I imagine anyone taller than maybe 6'2" and/or heavier than me would be a little cramped. At 55 lbs for a 14.5' yak, it might be a little heavy or hard to load for shorter folks, but I have no problem loading on my Ford Explorer alone.

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

My wife and I spent a week Island hopping in Florida's 10,000 island area and the northern Everglades. Our guide did not want us to use our own boats, she said our boats were not big enough
When we arrived at the launch site on the Black river and started packing our boats for a week with no resupply. Our guide was shocked at how much we could carry. Our 2 boats carried the majority of the food for all 7 people on the trip
plus all of our necesities, clothing , tent ect. the other concern was our speed. we led most of the time

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

I purchased the Tsunami earlier this year and have taken it out a few times. I am somewhat limited with my free time but have explored coastal marshes, rivers, lakes, and paddled a bit around Portsmouth Island on the Outer Banks of NC. This kayak offers superb stability, tracking control, and storage space. My next trip in the coming month is a weekend camping trip down the Cape Fear River. I will test out the stability and storage under maximized conditions. The boat handled well in the cross-currents of the sound and the ocean, even admist a few white cap waves. I would definitely recommend this product.

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

I've used this model in coastal areas, on slow rivers and on lakes.

The rudder is a nice feature, and all the gear space is great.

After a day of paddling, it can be a bit of a chore getting the boat back on the car with just one person -- it makes for quite a sight on top of our Volkswagen Bug.

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

I love my Tsunami 145. I've tried a few other boats and this one definitely beats them all. It's well made, tracks well, and yet is quite easy to maneuver. I like using my kayak as a platform for photography, and I like the primary stability of the Tsunami. I've only flipped it once, and that was while playing in the Baja surf.

I haven't used the yak on any rivers yet, but have had it out on the ocean and some lakes. I feel comfortable and safe in both environments.

This boat is no speed demon, but it's plenty quick for my needs. And it has tons of storage capacity. I suspect that by packing as I would for a backpacking trip I could camp for a week out of the boat without any difficulty (and hope to get the opportunity to test that theory out soon!).

Comments about Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 Kayak with Rudder - 2011/2012:

I upgraded from the Palimco and am not dissapointed. The only problems I had were the screw to adjust the thigh brace was cross threaded and I had to take it completely apart, and the bottom screw on the rudder fell off (thankfully in my garage). However it tracks AWESOME! I have had it out on many lakes in Wyoming and it has been great!!