“The
Legend has arrived and has been well worth the wait. It’s nothing
short of high art. The details in every aspect of boat reflect recognition
of the synergy that can be achieved between the paddler and the water
when design and craftsmanship come together. It’s fast, comfortably
accommodates my 6 foot frame and tracks well in all conditions. My old
boat is destined to become my kids kayak. I can’t wait until ice
out so I can take it back out dancing on Lake Michigan’s breaks and
swells. “
Jim Knippen
- I LOVE this Legend!
I just completed my first trip in the new Legend and the performance
of the boat exceeded all of my expectations. Conditions varied from pleasant
tail winds to storms with wind gusts of 30 mph. The Legend handled it
all with style and grace while carrying a heavy load. It tracked well
in very challenging conditions in all directions. I found the easy to
operate skeg useful for fine-tuning directional stability in tail and
cross winds. I have owned several kayaks but Seaward's unmatched craftsmanship
combined with Nigel Foster's proven kayak design are the best by far.
The difference between a good kayak and an excellent kayak are in the
details. Seaward and Nigel Foster have excelled in taking care of the
details.
Bruce
I got my new Silhouette in May/2002. I got the kevlar so I could carry
the boat by myself. This is my first sea kayak and I am very impressed
with my choice. I did demo several other boats, but really loved the fact
that this boat fits me perfectly and requires the least amount of effort
to move it along. I found it stable right from the git go and love the
feel of it in the water. The carrying capacity is adequate and the day
hatch is easy to access when on the water. I rate this kayak a 10 as I
couldn't be happier.
Judy Ruster
Superior design combined with the best craftsmanship and production standards
in the business makes this an outstanding boat! Seaward uses only high
quality materials and accessories on this 23" beam boat. The formed
plastic seat is very comfortable. The back band is a little tall, but
very supportive and doesn't interfere at all with lay-backs to do EASY
Eskimo rolls. The chined hull makes for maneuverability that rivals any
16 foot boats, yet this boat can take any expedition that mere mortals
might attempt. Extremely stable; the deck layout is 'clean' and functional
for a very dry ride. Quick acceleration and good speed. Lots of storage
room accessed by LARGE, completely dry storage hatches front and rear.
This boat has a sense of 'lightness' and responsiveness that equals a
Pygmy Artic Tern. The skeg isn't really necessary, but operates flawlessly
and is very effective when deployed. If a Greenland-style, chined hull
boat is what you seek, I don't think you can find a better line of boats
than the Seaward/Foster series.
I first tried this boat about 2 years ago and fell in love with it then.
This year (2006) was the year for me to get a new boat, and a lot of paddlers
from other parts of the country kept trying to steer me to a different
boat by a different manufacturer. I got to try both boats in some very
rough conditions (five foot breaking waves coming in against an outgoing
tide), and although they both handled the rough water well, the Shadow
was infinitely more comfortable. Hence the reason for my ordering it.
This boat is faster, carries more gear, surfs, and handles following seas
much better than my previous boat which is also a "British Style"
boat, but shorter and with a soft chine instead of hard chines.
It took a while to get used to the hard chine and I'm still getting better
at it. I'm not used to a boat that likes to sit cocked to one side or
the other. The initial stability is on the low side (which gives it better
rough water handling) but the secondary stability is awesome. I'm also
still getting used to how far over the secondary stability is, so I tend
to get a little "twitchy" because I haven't let the boat settle
all of the way onto a chine.
For the first time, I feel really comfortable with large following seas.
Although the bow will wander a little from side to side, one doesn't start
to feel that the boat is about to broach.
I've paddled the boat in winds up to a steady 30 knots with gusts to
40 and 45. Paddling into this wind was a chore for all of us that day
and all of the boats were having problems with the wind blowing our bows
downwind if we got just a little off of going exactly straight into the
wind. This was the strongest wind I have ever paddled against and I was
at my limit. I'm not sure the boat was at its limit though.
In smaller winds of 10 - 20 knots, the boat exhibits a slight tendency
to weather cock. That's good, because a little bit of skeg easily corrects
it.
The Shadow is a dream to turn. Just a slight lean and the boat will turn.
Instead of having to use sweep strokes, it is easier to just keep paddling
and edge the boat slightly.
All in all, the boat is fantastic. The quality is superb and the water tight
compartments stay completely dry.
To top it off, I purchased the boat from Seaward's closest distributor
to where I live.(Aqua Adventures in San Diego) Jen Kleck and her staff
were absolutely terrific to do business with. It was because of the quality
of your dealer network, coupled with the quality of Seaward Kayaks, and
Nigel Foster's design, that I chose to drive 200 miles each way to both
demo the Shadow and then to pick it up when it was shipped.
Steve Holtzman
Southern California - February 2006
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