This was not the start of my husband's love affair with Point 65N Sweden boats. No, that started a few years ago with a chance encounter in an REI during the winter attic sale. There, with the other used and returned boats, sat a Point 65N XO 16. The boat's lines attracted him right away. It is different from any other boat we've seen in our club. It had a pair of holes in it. Fork lifts and fiber glass (composite) boats really don't get along.
We had the chance to buy this completely unknown boat for a thousand bucks. The price seemed reasonable, and James said the repairs would be easy. Our confidence in the purchase was bolstered by James's "mad" glassing skills, experience gained during his semi-pro surfing days.
This boat has woven itself into the fabric of my husband's mystique; his long dark blond hair, his Thor's hammer around his neck, and this Swedish boat. My Viking husband. I say "Viking" in case there is some misconception of my husband being a "long-haired hippy." No, he is a long haired rock climber and surfer, neither laid-back nor a pot-smoking-peace-nik.
We often receive offers to buy the XO 16. We always say "no," but we can't blame other paddlers for wanting the boat. James makes it look good, and it is well sized for a tall lanky guy. It is too large for me. When I sit in it the cockpit rises up around my rib cage. It is like the XL sweat shirt I stole from my dad as a kid. Huge.
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| Pea Island Bird Reserve, Outer Banks, NC, 2013 |
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| Coltons Point, MD, 2013 |
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| Coltons Point, MD, 2013 |
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| Kathleen, James, and I on our first outing on the Potomac with the Whisky. credit K Ecott 2014 |
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| I really love the bright blue lines. They pop with color and character. |
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| The new compass. |
James put together a boat stand (prev. post), purchased some boat cleaner, ordered bright blue line and bungee from a climbing supply place, and went to town on his new boat. Years of grime disappeared and the boat looks amazing! He also installed the compass we purchased with the boat at Annapolis Canoe and Kayak.
He said "drilling the holes for the compass was the scariest thing I've done lately." Who puts holes in their boat on purpose, eh?
It still needs an application of 303 on those hatch covers but otherwise, "she's" ready to go.
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| Even though Brian asked us not to, we continue to call this the "Brian Stevens maneuver." The challenge: push oneself out of the cockpit and on to the back deck and then balance there, paddling around. The maneuver is especially helpful when landing. Performed before one gets to the beach there is no need to struggle to rise. Instead, one simply stands when one's feet touch the sand under the boat. |
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| Crossing Belmont Bay |
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| Two Gulfstreams meet. Just wish I had been a tad closer. |
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| Me in my Current Designs Solstice GTS. I've been using the rudder some with my injured shoulder. Just means I don't have to correct much with strokes. |
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| James and Becky. Becky is in our Gulfstream. Upon landing back at Leesylvania she promptly made us an offer we couldn't refuse. |
We had to say goodbye to a boat in order to have room in the quiver for the Whisky. We sold our Kevlar Current Designs Gulfstream to Becky, our good friend. We know the boat will have a good home with Becky, she's a known boat coddler. I had bought that boat for the husband at Christmas last year but for one reason or another the boat just wasn't comfortable for long days of paddling. As it didn't work for me either, it was wise to re-home it. We hope "she'll" be better suited to her new owner!
In the meantime another paddler offered to buy the Whisky. He offered a thousand bucks over what we had paid to get "her." We said "no" but gave it some thought, even after the fact. Boat flipping, hmm...
Some comparisons of the Whisky:
It, hands down, catches waves and surfs better than the Gulfstream we sold. It is more nimble and has a bit more initial stability. It accelerates more quickly. It weighs more as it is fiber glass composite rather than Kevlar. The 6 or so pound difference might make it a bit harder to car-top than the Gulfstream.
In comparison to my NDK boat, it feels a bit less substantial in chop than the Romany Surf. It skittered a bit in confused water. This is likely an effect of that shallow foot print Nigel spoke of during his video about the boat. While not really a negative, it is something both James and I noted separately.
We found the finish on the Whisky to be top-notch. It is silky-smooth inside the cockpit and hatches, well-finished. The finish speaks of attention to detail in the factory, even in this several years old boat. There are no rough edges or hanging fiber glass burrs to catch one's skin or clothes on. Very nice.
All in all, probably a 7.5 out of 10. We'd buy it all over again.
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