Wilderness Systems Zepher 15.5 & 16.0

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The Zepher is the newest series of sea kayaks by Wilderness Systems. It was introduced mid-2008 with two sizes to choose from. For kayakers who want a more maneuverable and roomier sea kayak than the Tempest, this is it. However, the Zepher's tender stability does not make it popular for most beginners. The Zepher Pro sea kayaks come standard with Kayak Sport hatches (same as many of the popular British kayaks). Zephers are easy to Eskimo roll (making learning to roll a snap) and great handling kayaks in wind a waves. Zephers have the same great seats, thigh braces, and back bands as the well loved Tempests (the most comfortable, most adjustable seats, knee/thigh braces, and hip braces on the market), and the same great keyhole cockpit design too.

Experienced paddlers like the Zepher's tracking and maneuverability. Intermediate and advanced paddlers will want a roto-molded Zepher for surf, rock garden paddling, tidal rapids play, and rolling. The Zepher is a good all around, state-of-the-art, sea kayak with enough storage for week-long trips yet playful enough for to make day trips fun too.

As a rough guide, we find:
The Zepher 15.5 is best suited for paddlers 5'4" to 6'0", 140-190 lbs
The Zepher 16.0 is best suited for paddlers 5'8" to 6'4", 180-240 lbs

Zephers 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 Zephers are priced much lower than most kayaks in their class.

The Zephers 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 usually associated with kayaks of this genre. The Zephers 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 Zephers 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 large opening making it easy for people with long legs to get in and out or bring their knees up while sitting in the kayak) with good hip and knee braces, and a comfortable back band that you can adjust while seated in the kayak -- even on the water.

Zephers also feature a day hatch to keep your lunch and other items close at hand. All three hatches on the Zephers Pro 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. 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