Scupper Pro TW - Nice boat
Written: Aug 01 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable, Stable, Durable, load capacity, Good in most conditions. Low Price.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: The Scupper Pro is Ocean Kayak's premier sit-on top with a proven design and quality workmanship/materials make this a great choice for adult paddlers of all levels. Excellent Touring Boat
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| philips949's Full Review: Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro TW |
Ocean Kayaks Scupper Pro is a great choice for quality design, durability, and performance in most conditions.
I now own several models of Ocean Kayak that I use with family and friends. The Scupper Pro TW (Tank Well version) is the largest single paddler general purpose sit-on-top from Ocean Kayak. It is identical to the Scupper Pro(same size as the TW) except that the TW has deck storage in the rear instead of a hatch. The open deck arrangement is great for easy access to your gear and can hold a good size cooler that can be strapped to the boat with the built in straps. The boat was designed with divers in mind who can strap tanks to the deck easily. This feature is why I chose the tank well version over the standard version. The standard Scupper Pro is more expensive because of the second hatch. Performance of the two boats is identical.
As for performance this boat does quite well...
It is very stable even with a heavy paddler and lots of gear. I weigh 260 and added a full 40 quart cooler and lots of camping gear (stored a lot of heavy gear inside the front hatch as well) and it was fine. The boat tracks very well in a straight line. It is a little slow to turn but still not bad considering its 14' length. An optional rudder kit is available. I decided not to get the rudder since I prefer to keep the boat as simple as possible. Paddlers who are smaller or less experienced my find the rudder kit useful.
The boat has a lower profile than the Scrambler and Frenzy (see my reviews on those as well) making it stable and easier to keep straight in windy conditions. It is a faster than the smaller Ocean Kayaks because of its length. This boat is perfect for large paddlers. For smaller paddlers and kids try the Frenzy or Scrambler. Ocean Kayak also makes a kids boat but the Frenzy might be a better boat as they will not grow out of it as fast.
I have paddled the Scupper Pro TW is all kinds of conditions and it performed well. If you want to go in breaking surf a smaller boat will be easier to handle. In light surf I was able to handle the Scupper Pro but its size makes handling and turns hard. The soft rail design of the Ocean Kayaks is forgiving.
The seat is deeper than the one on the Frenzy and Scrambler making it more comfortable. Ocean Kayak makes seatbacks for their boats and I recommend them. The one thing to avoid is the seat with a pouch (Ocean Kayak's top-line seat has this feature) for the Scupper Pro because the deeper seat well interferes with the pouch. I would try the boat without the seat back as you may not need it. You can always get the seat back later. One nice feature on the Scupper Pro is the depression for holding a can of soda. The Scrambler and Frenzy do not have this simple and useful feature to keep your drink from spilling. There is a place to mount a compass on the boat which is useful for touring. Get a durable compass as you may find that when storing the boat upside down the compass may get in the way. A Flat top compass would be a good idea but will be hard to see.
Ocean Kayak makes side handles now to make carrying the boat easier. If you get this option have the dealer install it as the handle must be placed just right or the boat will not be balanced when using the handle. The boat can easily be carried by two people using the bow and stern handles. For one person it is pretty hard to carry. I can do it by placing the boat on its side with the deck nearest me then reaching over to a sccupper(drain) hole with one hand and placing the other hand on the top cockpit edge. It works the same way with all the Ocean Kayaks. Only good for short distance. You can also use your head and two hands but the Scupper Pro is really big to do this with. There are many folding kayak carts on the market so it would be a good idea if you need to carry the boat alone of over a long distance.
This is a great all around durable Kayak with nice features, a great hull design, and quality workmanship.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
philips949
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Member: Philip Siebert
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 2 members
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