Review of the Frenzy Kayak
From GunGame5 Documentation
The Frenzy kayak by Ocean Kayak is a one-person, 9-foot, tri-hull, sit-on-top recreational kayak. It is popular, ranking in the top ten in sales in the kayaks category at Amazon. Is it right for you? To help you find out, here is an Ocean Kayak Frenzy review.
While a traditional kayak is a human powered boat with a covered deck and one or more cockpits that was developed by the Inuit people, a sit-on-top kayak is really a kayak-shaped raft derived from paddle boards, which is to say, from surf boards. According to the Ocean Kayak company, their company's original founder took an old surfboard and carved out two spots, one to sit in and the other for his scuba gear, leading to their business and product line.
There are both advantages and weakness to sit-on-top kayaks. They are easier to enter and exit than sit-inside kayaks. They don't require special training in executing the Eskimo roll or wet exit. They do require learning how to reenter them by approaching from the side and "swimming onto" them. They are easy to fall off of, which will be a problem in serious white water.
Sit-on-top kayaks are buoyant, and so are much harder to sink--sinking requires a hull rupture. But sit-on-top kayaks don't offer insulation. They require wet or dry suits in cold water.
The Frenzy kayak has a medium-density polyethylene shell which is essentially indestructible under normal conditions. It is firm enough to hold its shape, but is elastic enough to survive impacts. This does mean that the kayak needs to be carried on the roof of a car or in the back of a truck. Many companies produce inflatable kayaks that fit in a small space for transport. The inflatable kayak hulls aren't as functional for gliding through the water. Both inflatable and polyethylene hulls can be repaired if they are breached.
The Ocean Kayak Frenzy is a single-person recreational kayak. Some sit-on-top kayaks have room for two adults and a child. Some kayaks are designed for fishing, some for traveling, some for speed, some for other special purposes.
The Frenzy is short--nine feel long. Touring and racing kayaks tend to be at least two times as long which gives them the capability to hold their direction when being paddled and to glide through the water with less resistance. Short kayaks tend to wobble when being paddled. However, the shorter kayaks are more manoeuvrable and hence more suitable for surf or white water or just fooling around. Touring kayaks also have more cargo storage than the Frenzy. Fishing kayaks need plenty of storage for the rods and equipment.
As with many sit-on-top kayaks, the Frenzy has molded wells for sitting and storage space. The seating well is 18 inches wide, on a par to an airline seat. There are wells for feet at several distances from the seat to fit most leg lengths. There are four scupper holes from the seating and leg wells to the bottom of the kayak to allow it to be self bailing. In keeping with it being a recreational kayak, it has a molded in drink holder. A seat with a back may be attached.
The "tri-hull" refers to the existence of a keel under the center and sponsons, shoulders, along the edges. Imagine two outriggers brought in so close that they overlap the hull. These shoulders give the Frenzy and many other Ocean Kayak models great stability. The buoyancy of the sponsons thwarts any attempt to turn the kayak over.
The Frenzy is fashioned to be paddled with the standard double-bladed kayak paddle. Some kayaks are designed to have a sail. Some are designed to be powered by peddles. The Frenzy has no provision for either of these options.
The conclusion of this Ocean Kayak Frenzy review is that when you are interested in fishing, touring or major white water kayaking, the Frenzy kayak is really not the best kayak for you, but if it is entertainment you are after give the Frenzy a look. Given its limits, the Frenzy is an outstanding kayak for warm-weather fun in the surf, on ponds, or in class 1 or 2 white water.
