Gear Locker: Tempest 170 Poly

The Tempest series of kayaks comprises a total of five boats, all based on the same fundamental design developed by Steve Sherrer, Bob McDonough and the Wilderness Systems R&D team. The kayaks are offered in three different sizes and two material choices. The 170 represents the ‘medium size’ with the 165 and 180 models being smaller and larger respectively. The 170 and smaller 165 are available in both composite and polyethylene construction, while the ‘big man’s’ 180 is offered only in composite. My test boat was the Tempest 170 in polyethylene.

A tremendous amount of work went into the Tempest’s cockpit, and it pays off. This may be the easiest sea kayak to tailor to an individual paddler.

The Tempest fits the ‘British boat’ style with a relatively narrow 22” width and 17’ length, a drop skeg instead of a rudder, and three rubber hatches, including a small day hatch.

This is a kayak with a lot of ‘shelf appeal’. Its attractive, crisply molded lines are complemented by an abundant array of shock cords on deck that make securing charts or a spare paddle, a cinch. Perimeter lines and all other hardware are anchored by recessed deck fittings. Almost all mounting hardware is screwed into inserts that are molded into the plastic shell itself. Because so few holes need to be drilled into the kayak during assembly, the result is a drier boat. It also means that there are very few exposed bolts on the inside of the kayak (just nubs of plastic, encasing a nut), and therefore no sharp edges to snag drybags or your skin.

The three rubber hatches provide decent access to cargo space, and three bulkheads divide the interior of the boat. There is a recess for a Brunton 70P compass moulded into the deck, just forward of the 10” round bow hatch. The stern hatch is a large 18.5” x 12.5” oval, while the day hatch is a round 8” unit. All three rubber hatches fit a little loosely, and come equipped with shock cord loops that fit around the base of each hatch to help improve the seal. These bungies make a huge difference and reduce leakage into hatches to a minimal dribble of about a teaspoon after prolonged rolling sessions.

The bulkheads themselves are made out of relatively thick foam, and so a certain amount of volume is lost, but the skeg box is positioned fairly far back on the hull, so it intrudes less into the largest section of the stern compartment. Overall, there isn’t limitless storage capacity below deck, but certainly enough room for a week’s trip for a careful packer.

There are shock-corded carrying handles at each end of the boat, which retract neatly when not under load. The skeg control is mounted to the right of the cockpit. The skeg itself is modest in size, and the slider is a little too small to manipulate easily, but overall the system worked quite well except for getting clogged with pebbles a couple of times.

A tremendous amount of work went into the Tempest’s cockpit, and it pays off. This may be the easiest sea kayak to tailor to an individual paddler. The thigh hooks have enough shape to provide really good support, and easily adjust fore and aft for a custom fit in minutes. The seat itself adjusts too. By pulling on straps, the leading edge of the seat pan can be raised or lowered, providing great support for the legs. The comfortably padded back band is supportive, adjustable and stays out of the way for layback rolls and re-entries. Hip pads are also standard and can be adjusted with foam shims, while the ‘SlideLock Footbrace System’ makes adjusting the pedals very easy, even while afloat.

A tremendous amount of work went into the Tempest’s cockpit, and it pays off. This may be the easiest sea kayak to tailor to an individual paddler.

On the water, the Tempest 170 exhibits a nice blend of handling characteristics. The tracking is good without being too stiff. Initial stability is very reassuring, and the kayak edges very nicely, transitioning from an even keel to an extreme lean very smoothly. While there are certainly more maneuverable kayaks out there, the Tempest will turn quickly when placed on an extreme lean. Well mannered and predictable, there are no surprises on edge and the Tempest feels solid throughout.

Cruising speed is quite good and the bow entry is clean and efficient. Although I had only light winds for most of my paddling, the Tempest remained very neutral and was easily balanced by deploying the skeg or edging. The boat also picked up small waves easily and maneuvered well once surfing.

Due to the excellent fit in the cockpit, the 170 edged and rolled incredibly easily. The stern deck height is surprisingly high, considering how comfortable it is to lean way back onto. Again, some careful consideration went into the balance of storage capacity and deck height. Even a sloppy hand roll seemed to work every time in this boat.

Overall, the Tempest is an extremely appealing package. If I were buying poly kayaks for an instructional program, this kayak would be on a very short list. Heck, if I were buying a poly kayak for myself, it would be on my short list! Is it perfect? Of course not, after all no boat is. In a perfect world, I’d prefer welded, poly bulkheads that take up less cargo space, a drier hatch system and a little less windage (maybe the 165?). But for a do-everything, fun-to-paddle, polyethylene touring sea kayak, the Tempest is awfully good.

• Length: 17’ / 518cm

• Width: 22” / 56cm

• Depth: 13.5” / 34cm

• Weight: 61lbs / 27.5kg in Polyethylene

• Cockpit: 34” / 86cm x 18” / 46cm