What makes for a best-selling recreational kayak? To answer the question, consider the Santee 116 Sport from Hurricane Kayaks. This kayak is a perennial favorite among paddlers seeking a boat for day trips on their local waterways and road trip destinations. It is lightweight, comfortable, and has a stable shape, yet it glides through the water with ease.
Hurricane has recognized the continual love for the Santee, and rather than changing a shape that already works, they’ve continued to find ways to improve upon it with upgrades to the outfitting and paddler experience through the years.
These features make the Santee 116 Sport an enduring favorite
One of the most unique aspects of the Santee 116 Sport is it is a recreational kayak hull that cuts effortlessly through the water while still providing the stability paddlers on smaller lakes and bays prioritize. This is accomplished on the 11-foot, 7-inch long kayak with what is known as a Swede-form hull, a tapered bow, and a v-hull.
A Swede-form hull design places the widest point of the kayak just behind the paddler. This allows the kayak to maintain a slender profile through the front half, from the bow to the paddler. This tapered front shape cuts through and glides on the water. Meanwhile, the width of the Santee 116 Sport behind the paddler, combined with the soft chines and v-hull provide the paddler the stability.
The lightweight of the Santee is another reason it has become a popular kayak. The boat tips the scales at a mere 39 pounds. This makes the Santee 116 an easy kayak to load on the car and transport to and from the water.
The big reason why is the boat is constructed of thermoformed plastic, which, according to Steve Jordan of Hurricane Kayaks, cuts the weight of the boat down by about 15 percent compared to a rotomolded kayak of the same size and category.
The 55-inch-by-24-inch cockpit also provides some weight savings by being so wide open and cutting down on the amount of plastic on the deck. What really stands out about this large cockpit though is it makes it much easier to get in and out of the kayak.
Outfitting of the Santee 116 Sport
This brings us to the Santee 116 Sport’s outfitting once you are sitting inside. The kayak has what they call the Strongside Seat with Airestream Seatback. It’s a plush foam seat, and the backrest has an adjustable height to decide where you’d like back support. The seat also adjusts in height/tilt under the thighs, similar to newer vehicle driver seats. Having spent time in poorly outfitted boats with my feet falling asleep, I can attest adjustablitiy in thigh support is an underrated feature all recreational kayaks should have in order to spend hours comfortable on the water.
The kayak also has an easy to access rear hatch, thanks to the flip switch and hinge on the deck plate. There is a bungee behind the paddler for deck storage, and a clip to place a paddle when not in use.
The Santee 116 Sport is available now at retailers and you can learn more at Hurricane Kayaks.
Feature Image: Brenna Kelly
