Paddling a Walrus

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
OK, that opening has been used before, but it sums up my feeling standing beside the car. It was a beautiful day on the lake, perfect for pushing a canoe across the 1-2' waves, enjoying North Beach and Apple Tree Point. But alas, no canoe this fine day. It was kayak time.
Ben, a paddling pal of the Vermont Paddler, was bitten by the paddling bug and is now ready to dive full-fledged into the paddling addiction. He is looking to buy a boat.
"No, I don't want a stinkin' canoe," he said. "I want a kayak."
So the search began for a kayak to suit his needs: big lake paddling, rivers and camping. Originally he was all about durability and an Eddyline Journey from Canoe Imports seemed just the thing. 15' 5" 49 pounds of thermoform plastic that offers great rigidity and will take a beating. 
Yeah. No. Too heavy.
So we start looking at boats. He likes the P&H Cetus but not that much. Besides, it weighs as much as the Eddyline. (Yeah, longer, lighter material ... didn't matter).
We we're about to head (gasp) out of Vermont to increase our choices when a small Vermont company came to mind: Walrus Kayaks. Heck fire, they're right there in Winooski. 

A quick exchange of email with co-owner Mark Berenblum and we have invitation and directions in hand. Off we go to see what they have in the shop.
Mark starts to show us around the small shop explaining the two, soon to be three, models they offer. Off to the side is a guy in a white jump suit looking all the world like the professor in "Back to the Future." It's Andy Singer, co-owner and designer for Walrus. 
yes. The same Andy Singer who designed great boats for Wilderness Systems (Tchaika, Poquito, Shenai) before they were acquired by Confluence.
Walrus has a unique system to apply resin to cloth, one shared by Epic Kayaks and high performance sailboats. They build them light and strong. From their website, "We adapted techniques and materials from the aerospace and yachting industries and produced a line of expedition-worthy touring kayaks that offer greater rigidity, strength, and durability than even the burliest boats on the market but at only a fraction of the weight. We build every boat by hand in our Vermont workshop using epoxy resins, the highest quality reinforcements available, and a vacuum infusion process."

Yeah, right. That's why we were at the Sailing Center and the Vermont Paddler was jamming his fat ass into a Jaeger, preparing to paddle until his legs fell asleep.
And they did, but it didn't matter. The Jaeger was a fun kayak, steady under hand and solid in the water. The minimal outfitting in the cockpit was comfortable without a bells and whistles seat.
A light cross-breeze didn't require using the skeg, even by this canoeist gone temporary insanity. Ben liked it, too, and the conversation between the four of us continued on its merry way as we bobbed along off North Beach, discussing kayaks, the business and design.
Andy was paddling the proto-type of a new design, the Ibis. 15' 6" with a taller deck, it is more what Ben is looking for, especially since it weighs in at about 41 pounds in fiberglass.
Yes, fiberglass. Mark estimates, when pressed, that the weight of a carbon/kevlar layup will come in "in the upper 30s." 
Yikes, that approaches canoe weight.
Ben didn't want to get out of the Ibis, so the Vermont Paddler had only a few minutes to take it for a spin. It is a "corky" boat, but feels solid anyway. So many kayaks that feel like a cork in the ocean get all "bobbery" and silly in the waves. This one didn't. It accelerates quickly and was comfortable in the puny seas available. 
Mark said to come by and take it out again. "It just sits in the rack," he said. "You might as well use it."
Hm. Could the Ibis be enough to induce the Vermont Paddler to leave his beloved canoe at home? 
Maybe one more time.