09 Tarpon - anyone tried 'em?

n00b to the board here, but been lurking off and on for awhile.  Was curious if anyone has paddled the 09 Tarpons yet, and if so how dry are they?  Only kayak I've ever used was a Prowler 13, which was a bit wet for me - think I was sitting in water the whole time.  Have the 09 Tarpon on my short list but haven't been able to find a lot of real-world feedback.  Thanks.

I recently bought a Tarpon 160i, but I suspect it's an 08. It's pretty dry... I think, it's not something I pay much attention to. My other ride is a 12.5' Perception Caster which is definitely not a dry ride. I'm not in great shape but I can maintain 4mph in the Tarpon pretty easily compared to 3mph in my Caster. The Tarpon is a touch more tippy at 28" wide compared to the 32" of the Caster, but not at all unsettling.

FWIW, I'm very happy with it so far.

Ben

i have been paddling my t-140 for years and i love it. it is the perfect balance of primary,secondary stability and tracking. i think the hull-design on the 09 is the same. i highly reccomend the tarpons.

love my tarpon, its an 08, all the things that i would change about it looks like they have been done on the 09, ie locking hatches, more of a upward slope on the bow, and the accessory rail looks like a great addition for bringing things close to you when needed and further away when not. havent paddled one yet but am planning on it this summer, cameron

Appreciate the responses.  I (like all n00bs I guess) am still trying to decide which kayak I want for that balance of speed, stability, comfort (I'm 6'4) and price - and this one is definitely on the short list.  Too bad most of the deals I'm finding seem to be in Sacramento shops or down South.  C'mon Bay area stores, step up with some sales!

I have a 160i.  I don't sit in puddles all day like on my prowler but it definitely has some water flow through the cockpit.  Given the ease of paddling its definitely a trade off I don't mind. 

A trip to sac won't be so bad if you combo the purchase up with a fishing trip.  Call the day before and have them get the kayak ready to go, buy in am....fish in pm.

I am dying to paddle the 09 Tarpon! Love my 2006 T140. But the 09 model has a ton of new features that look great (on paper).

Things I like about 09 Tarpons...deeper bow with increased capacity, huge tank well,plenty of storage space and cool track rail.

Dislikes...bow hatches lock,but if the POS weatherstripping they used to seal the hatch gets out of alignment it is NOT water tight.It's a bit heavy at 65lbs for the 140.

Overall, I like most of the "improvements" on the new Tarpons and they're definitely one of my top three fishing yaks for 2009.

If you want to demo the boat and/or the entire line of WS and Ocean Kayak boats come see me at Monterey Bay Kayaks.

I like what I see on the website. Some of the improvements are nice.
My only dislike is that most of the kayaks are getting heavier.

81 lbs. for a 160 compared to 64 lbs. For my 160i of a couple years ago.

Makes a set of wheeleze a must.

Stoggie

Hydrospider is getting one, its been on order for ages.

i seen one at out back looks cool not sure about the hatches and weight, but the seat looks killer and the storage in the seating area would be nice.

There's no use comparing earlier models to the 09 - it's basically a new boat. The hull has a LOT more volume, and the seat mounted up above the cockpit pan. Now, take this with a healthy dose of doubt, because I only have a few hours in the 09 (160i, I've had that one out in all conditions). My impression is the new model is much drier, not quite as fast, but still a sweeter paddler than most fishing SOTs out there. And I concur that the weatherproofing on the new front hatch should be eyed suspiciously (probably an easy fix).

7 ft ocean sticks do fit within the hull on either model, but I still think its a shame WS discontinued the large hatches available on the older dual-hatch models.

heavier is not necessarily all bad. the hulls on tarpons are stronger and more rigid as a result of thicker plastic.

Paddled it today at the REI demo.  Wasn't feeling it, especially after the Trident 15.  The cockpit felt cramped to me relative to the OK, and based on all I've read I expected the boat to feel faster, but it felt slower.

Bluekayak

What are you mistified about?

I was merely commenting about the fact that the '09 seems heavier at 81 lbs than the listed weight of my '06 at 64 lbs.

Are you mistified at my comment or the weight diff?

Stoggie