On the basis of the following ad on eBay, I bought this boat in November 2016:
NOW SOLD
Yellow and white Tahe Marine Reval Mini sea kayak. I bought this kayak new from Kayaking Kit in Fordingbridge in 2014. It is the carbon Kevlar hull, not just the normal fibreglass construction.
It is a very attractive boat and always gets lots of attention when I take it out. It is suitable for small to medium sized paddlers. If using the foot pegs I would estimate 5ft 10 to be the tallest the kayak would take but if the foot pegs are taken
out and the bulkhead used to brace against, a taller person could fit in. I am 5ft 8in and 70 kg and it fits me perfectly. Two friends have tried it and it fitted them both – one a small 5ft 4in and one a larger built 5ft 10in. It is definitely a low volume kayak and is the smallest in the Reval series. I have used it on the Jurassic coast and in Scotland plus some trips across to the Isle of Wight but it has not been abused. There are marks on the hull as would be expected from two years’ use but no damage.
I had a keel strip fitted to protect the V section of the hull. The kayak is very manoeuvrable and playful due to a lot of rocker. It keeps up with longer sea kayaks.
Length 483cm 15ft 10inch, Width 52cm 20.5inch
There is a review on Solent Sea kayaking:
http://solentseakayaking.co.uk/reviews/equipment/sea-kayaks/review-tahe-marine-reval-mini-sc/
I would agree with all of the above. In calm conditions, this kayak is a joy to paddle. It is certainly the quickest boat that I’ve ever owned. Its first outing was a solo return trip from Crosby to Burbo windfarm, and I felt very comfortable in it. However, in rougher water it feels just a bit too tippy for me. For a smaller person, or one with more refined paddling skills, it could well be ideal.
At around 19kg, this kayak is very easy to manoeuvre when off the water. I can lift it straight onto the car’s roof rack without any difficulty. A concise summary of the boat’s features can be found at:
https://paddling.com/reviews/product/tahe-marine-reval-mini-kayak/
Any trial is possible, at the Docks maybe or Kingsway? The asking price is £875.
Robin Emley
0151 426 3472
07855 297068
rae1066-kayak AT yahoo.co.uk
