Tahe Marine Greenland T

Before reading the review of the Greenland T conducted by Sea Kayaker magazine, checkout the video footage of our Tahe Marine demo day............

Greenland T by Tahe Marine - Review in Sea Kayaker Magazine

BEST FEATURES:

• Rolling

•Handling in wind and waves

TO IMPROVE:

• Footroom

Reviewers

CA: 5' 5", 150-pound female. Day paddle. Light breeze, light chop with occasional boat wakes. 15 pounds cargo.

TW: 6' 1" 180-pound male: Day paddles. Winds to 10-15 knots. Wind waves to 2 feet. No cargo.

TE male: 6' 1" 200-pound male. Day trips. Winds 22 knots, waves to 3 feet cresting to 4 feet in shoals. No cargo.

Follow up:

Tahe's composite Greenland T "is a remarkable blend of Greenland styling and conventional convenience and safety features. This boat has a sleek low deck and a high ‘lust' factor. Molded into the back deck is a channel that provides stiffening and drainage and two bars for lockup security" (CA).

"Very pleasing, classic lines complimented with the dark finish make one sexy looking craft. The hatches are recessed resulting in a minor reduction of space but providing ease of movement on the deck and authentic appearance. Finish throughout the kayak was exceptional. All edges were nicely de-burred and the interior has a layer of white resin giving the kayak a very bright appearance inside" (TW).

The Greenland T "has a heft to it but it is well balanced for single carry and the smooth cockpit coaming rides nicely on the shoulder" (CA). "Toggles on either end were held down with shock cord so they don't bang on the hull when paddling, a nice touch. It was easy to carry the Greenland T with two people; the slender ends made grabbing the hull the best choice" (TW). "Recessed deck fittings route a sensible and thorough deck rigging" (TW). "The beads on the deck lines were great for making it easy to stowing a Greenland paddle on either deck" (TE).

Fit

"The keyhole cockpit allows for easy entry and exit for a person my size. Once situated in the cockpit, the knee braces provided a secure feel. The foredeck does not interfere with high angle strokes" (CA). "The cockpit opening was plenty large enough for me to slide into. The overall height of the deck was low and the cockpit was narrow but perfectly comfortable. I was wearing size 11 flexible foot wear and my feet were bent over the foot braces" (TW). "The low profile made for a snug fit. With size 13 booties I had to push the footrests forward and keep my toes pointed. I was sort of wedged in" (TE).

The back rest and seat "provided near perfect comfort. The back band was low, providing good support and allowed full range of motion for paddling" (TW) TE found the seating "very comfortable. It fosters an upright posture. Layback is not limited by back band or aft deck." (TE). The thigh braces are "integrated into the cockpit coaming in an ideal location. I had full contact without feeling cramped and locked in without a significant effort when I desired better boat control" (TW). "The foot braces were very secure and easily adjustable and very comfortable with their large surface area" (CA).

The Greenland T is equipped with a skeg. The control slider is "easy to see and operate. The blade deploys smoothly and has a considerable amount of area when full deployed" (TE).

Stability and maneuverability

CA found the Greenland T "unexpectedly stable, even enough so for photography. The boat was quite comfortable edged to the point of having the spray skirt in the water" For TW the initial stability "provided a comfortable platform. Edging onto the secondary required more attention and the ability to brace if pushed too far." For TE the initial stability was "on the light side of moderate. In flat water I felt at ease, but made regular subtle adjustments with my hips. The secondary stability is also light to moderate."

"Tracking was quite good on calm water and in a chop. The Greenland T had very little tendency to wallow or wander off course. It is a fun boat to turn. Just dial in the amount of lean and the hull provides graceful turns" (TW). "When edged the Greenland T carved moderately tight turns. It maintained the turn between sweeps but the stern did not skid around" (TE).

Speed

CA found the Greenland T "quick enough to accelerate to catch boat wakes. I could cruise at 4 knots with relative ease and sprint to 5 knots." "This kayak felt fun and fast. Acceleration was quick and cruising seemed effortless" (TW). "At a relaxed pace I could hold 4.25 knots, at an exercise pace 5 knots and at a short sprint hit 5.5 knots" (TE).

"The Greenland T has a low profile and I fully expected the deck to be awash in light chop and it was, but I did not get unexpectedly splashed by waves breaking over the deck" (TW). "The low profile made it a pleasure to paddle in wind. Most of the time I paddled with the skeg retracted and had no trouble with weathercocking. I could paddle any direction without correcting strokes. I put the skeg all the way down for a downwind course and the skeg made the bow swing downwind and stay there. A slight degree of deployment is all that's needed for setting a course downwind" (TE).

"Paddling in a follow sea was just plain fun. The Greenland T was quick to accelerate and catch small wind waves and ride them until they faded away" (TW). TE "caught some great rides. The Greenland T was pretty easy to control. It was best without the skeg or with it slightly down" (TE).

Rescue and Rolling

The "the large cockpit opening made exiting and reentering straightforward"(CA). "Reentry was easy. Lunging aboard didn't require a lot of effort. For a scramble reentry I had to do almost a full layback to get my feet in" (TE). "Solid foot braces, comfortable thigh braces, low coaming and a narrow hull make this kayak a blast to roll" (TW). "The full layback makes Greenland rolling techniques easy. C-to-C rolls are a breeze too. Reentry and roll takes a bit of time to get scooted into place but once locked in the boat's a snap to get upright" (TE).

Cruising

"This is a pretty low volume boat. You could camp three or four days. The white gelcoat inside makes it very easy to slip things in and to see everything in the hatches" (CA). "The shallow compartments won't take large dry bags. A compact sleeping bag might be in order" (TE). "The solidly installed fiberglass bulkheads and KajakSport hatch covers are absolutely watertight after considerable rolling and rescue practice" (CA).TE reported "only 1/4 cup of water in the day hatch. The recess for the hatches are all fairly tight against the hatch, especially the aft hatch. If I pushed a fist down just inside the edge of the hatch its rim would curl up and then removing the cover was easy."

The Bottom Line

"Tahe met their objectives of offering the esthetics and handling of a Greenland-style kayak with the advantages of modern technology. The workmanship makes this boat both pleasing to the eye and completely seaworthy. It's fun!" (CA). "The Greenland T was a blast. It is the purists Greenland style kayak with all the trimmings of a modern craft. It is ideally suited for the enthusiast who loves a quick, wet paddle after work or a blazing day trip in rowdy conditions" (TW). "The T was a great performer in rough windy conditions. It goes where you want it to and doesn't catch a lot of wind. A beginner will have to work skills up to the Greenland T. The advanced paddler will find it rewarding. It's an excellent choice for Greenland-style kayaking" (TE).