As I was looking for a new real sea kayak, see previous post, I've got an option to trade in the Seajett. The Seajett proved to be a nice boat to paddle but now as I want to start with kayak sailing and want a real sea kayak there is no need for a third boat. Besides, adding a rudder appeared more difficult because the front deck is not high enough to put my feet in a vertical position for operating the rudder pedals. May be I can fix the rudder to the Skarabee.
So I traded in the Seajett in favor of a Nigel Foster Shadow sea kayak. This is not a very common boat and I couldn't find much information on the internet. It has an intriguing hull shape with hard chines. The Shadow is the larger, more stable version of the Legend.
In the same time a Legend caught my eye and to make a long story short: on the end of the day I was a proud owner of two Nigel Foster kayaks: a Legend and a Shadow. I couldn't test both kayaks and to overcome my doubts on which model would be best for me I decided to take both. After some time I can always sell one. Or keep both, the Legend for more sporty trips and the Shadow for expeditions. Well, at least that is how I expect how these kayaks will perform on this moment.
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| yellow Legend, blue Shadow |
Both kayaks have the same length but the Shadow has a larger beam. The aft decks have similar height but the Shadow has a higher front deck. My Shadow has a larger cockpit, unfortunately not long enough to pull up my legs when seated. The Legend has a smaller cockpit, about the same size as the Orion. Both need some padding for knee and/or thigh support.
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| the Shadow has a larger cockpit |
The underwater hull shape is quite similar: a rounded shape between hard chines. A typical Nigel Foster design feature. The Shadow has some flat spot in the bottom where the Legend keeps the rounded shape to the full length. Together with the larger beam this would make the Shadow much more stable than the Legend. Both primary and secundary stability.
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| Legend left, Shadow right |
Both kayaks needs some work to be ready for paddling. The Shadow is in good condition but the skeg operating knop needs to be fixated. The Legend seems older and needs more work. It has no vario skeg and there is a fixed skeg glued on. I want to test first but I expect that this skeg should be removed and probably replaced by a retractable skeg. Happily the rear hatch is big enough for making repairs within the aft compartment. The Legend does not have a backrest and also no points to fix a backstrap to. I can probably make a backstrap in the same way as I did with the Skarabee: around the sides of the seat. I am very curious how these Nigel Foster kayaks perform...
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