KAYAK ACADEMY

Wilderness Systems

Tempest Pro 165 170 180

The 2007 and later Tempest Pro series (3 sizes to choose from) of sea kayaks by Wilderness Systems is the best kept secret in the industry. In the past, many hardcore kayakers dismissed the Tempest without ever testing one simply because they didn't use Kayak Sport hatches (like NDK and other popular British kayaks do), but now the Tempest Pro sea kayaks come standard with Kayak Sport hatches. With this change, the Tempest Pro will soon be known as the finest sea kayak on the market! Tempests have always been super easy to Eskimo roll (making learning to roll a snap) and great handling kayaks in wind a waves. As always, Tempests have the nicest, most comfortable, most adjustable seats, knee/thigh braces, and hip braces as well as the best overall keyhole cockpit design.

The Tempest Pro series has a combination of tracking and manueverability that makes it a winner. Whether choosing your first sea kayak or upgrading from an older, heavier Brit boat, the Tempest Pro is an outstanding all around, state-of-the-art, sea kayak with enough storage for multi-week trips yet playful enough for to make day trips fun too.

As a rough guide, we find:
The Tempest Pro 165 is best suited for paddlers 5' 3" to 5' 9", 120-170 lbs
The Tempest Pro 170 is best suited for paddlers 5' 6" to 6' 3", 170 - 225 lbs
The Tempest Pro 180 is best suited for paddlers 5' 9" to 6' 6", 210-250 lbs

Tempests all come standard with the latest features you would expect in a top-of-the-line sea kayak (i.e. retractable skeg, day hatch, recessed deck fittings & reflective safety lines, rubber hatches, foam seat pad, adjustable back rest), and yet Tempests are priced much lower than most kayaks in their class.

The Tempests all share the same overall styling -- an "Americanized" variation on the smart looks and proven seaworthiness of the Greenland/British look, but without the back-breaking weight or tippyness usually associated with kayaks of this genre. The Tempest Pro is built from composite materials (i.e. fiberglass or Kevlar lay-up) with a moderately chined hull that carves turns quickly and handles well in rough seas without the added drag of a harder chine. The Tempests come standard with features such as: a retractable skeg* with state-of-the-art precise, smooth slider bar/cable control, front and rear hatches (plus a day hatch), front and rear fiberglass bulkheads (two rear bulkheads), fiberglass seams inside and out, recessed deck fittings for safety lines, self-rescue bungies and chart holder bungies, keyhole cockpit with good hip and knee braces, and a comfortable back band that you can adjust while seated in the kayak -- even on the water.

Tempests also feature a day hatch to keep your lunch and other items close at hand. All three hatches on the Tempest Pro (starting in 2007) are the Kayak Sport brand rubber hatches that seal like food containers. Many people consider these to be the best kayak hatches on the market, and those who don't would at least say they are darn good and second only to the VCP hatches. The bow and day hatches are round, while the stern compartment is accessed through large oval hatch.

*A skeg looks like the fin on the bottom of a surf board except on sea kayaks this skeg is designed to retract into a trunk on the bottom of the hull. With the skeg up, the Tempests are very maneuverable; put the skeg down and Tempests track straight even in side wind conditions where most kayaks without rudders weathercock (turn up wind). This combination of good hull design and a retractable skeg are fast making rudders (and all their problems and limitations) obsolete on sea kayaks (at least for people who know how to paddle).

Call the Kayak Academy to arrange a demo.
206 527-1825

© George Gronseth 2003, all rights reserved.