My friend Bob giving my Betsie Bay Manitou a skills run through.
Trying out different boats is popular with my kayaking friends. I found a vintage Betsie Bay Manitou for sale in the early fall. The Manitou is one of the first 10 of that model made by Al Anderson from Betsie Bay kayaks. New Manitou’s weight less than 35 lbs. My vintage version is about 45 lbs., heavier than new Betsie Bay’s but lighter than my other boats.
The Manitou is a larger volume greenland style kayak. It’s 22 inches wide and 18 feet long and it built with more depth for larger paddlers which I really appreciate with my size 13 feet. The Manitou has become my favorite kayak to paddle. It’s fast and very maneuverable for an 18 ft kayak. A little lean and it responds quickly. The Manitou is almost an equal in speed to my Current Designs Extreme.
My friend Bob likes to roll. He wanted to put the Betsie Bay to the test of his rolling and bracing skills. The Manitou was a little too roomy for him but he gave the boat high marks for it’s rolling and maneuverability. Check out some of the photos I snapped while Bob was playing.
Rolling and Bracing Slideshow
For another view check out the video of Bob playing in the Betsie Bay.
Hi, I saw you post. I owned a BBK Valkyrie. I found it had too little volume for my weight and a bit tight. i way 200lbs and i am 6′, albeit with a 31″ inseam. I traded the Valkyrie for a Tahe Greenland T, which i love. But i have always wanted a Recluse. I cannot find a used Recluse but a Manitou is available. How is the primary stability on your Manitou. I was wondering how big is your friend who found it too large. Have you ever paddled both boats, if so can you compare them. thanks
My friend is a small guy. probably 5′ 6″ or 7″ and not much more than 150 lbs. I’m 5′ 11″ and go 195 lbs. plus size 13 feet. The Manitou fits me nicely. He needed more padding. I find the primary stability to be very good. I have not had the pleasure of paddling a Recluse yet so I can’t give you a comparison. The guy that I bought the Manitou from also had a Recluse that he was keeping. He said the fit was quite different but we didn’t get into a detailed conversation about paddling differences between the boats. The Manitou is my first greenland boat. I’ve had it since August and it’s become my favorite all around boat. It’s almost as fast as my Current Designs Extreme and is more fun to paddle.