Hurricane "Skimmer 116" Hot

Are you taller than 6'1" ? Do you weigh more than 220 pounds ? Do you cram your Kayak with every bit of gear you can stuff into any nook or cranny ? Do you fish "big" water ? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, stop reading...The Hurricane Skimmer 116 is NOT your boat.

On the other hand if you travel light and enjoy quiet waters, the Hurricane Skimmer 116 may be the ideal boat for you. The first thing you need to know about this boat is that it is manufactured using a different material (Trylon) than most roto-molded kayaks and as a result it is LIGHT...VERY light. Hurricane says their boats are 10 to 15% lighter than the typical roto-molded kayak but my Skimmer 116 is almost 50% lighter than my previous yak, a Ride 115 (42 pounds vs 76 pounds). Even with a bum shoulder this 58 year old guy had -no- trouble getting the Skimmer on to and off of the roof of my SUV. The cockpit of this boat is a bit more cramped compared to some of the other fishing kayaks I've paddled and I do not recommend this boat for people who exceed (roughly) 6'1" or 220 pounds (which happens to be my height and weight). Nor do I recommend this boat for those paddlers who require a copious amount room to store all your tackle and electronic gizmos. I'm not saying the Skimmer doesn't have room for a crate, etc...it does. It just does NOT have the room and storage solutions of many of the roto-molded yaks (e.g. Jackson Cuda, Wilderness Ride, etc).

As far as the ride, comfort and ease of paddling go I would put the Skimmer 116 on par with any of the yaks I've paddled. Initial stabilization is just a teeny-weenie bit "twitchy" but the secondary stabilization is outstanding. 30 minutes in the seat and I was as comfortable, perhaps even more so, than when I paddled my Ride 115. Speaking of seats, the Hurricane does not have lawn chair seating, it's an old school pan seat with a very comfortable (and adjustable) back rest. I have not had the boat out for any long periods of time but the seat is plenty comfortable for an afternoon of paddling. The one thing lacking in the Skimmer is any -real- storage or under the hull access. It has a small hatch on the bow (plenty big underneath but too narrow to fit a PFD through). The hatch in the cockpit is basically just a small bucket big enough for keys, a wallet and cell phone). Note that both hatch covers are made of rubber, so they are relatively water tight. Aft of the seat there is room to add a couple of Mighty Mounts (which I have done) and there is plenty of room for a standard crate system.

As a casual fisherman who takes a (comparatively) minimalist approach to angling the ultra-light Skimmer is a GREAT little boat and I highly recommend it.