Delta Seventeen Long Term Review

Ive been paddling Delta Kayaks since 2006. I have logged thousands of miles in them - the Seventeen mostly, but also the Sixteen, and the Fifteen.5 - And I have been paddling the current Delta Seventeen for over a year. Here are my thoughts.

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[marksmithj]

The day hatch is possibly the best feature on Delta kayaks.
Love your videos!

[derekhanson]

We bought two Delta 15.5 GT kayaks two years because of your 17 reviews. Your reviews are what I would call balanced. No product is absolutely perfect. Delta is smart for keeping you reviewing their stuff, to get better and for exposure. We thought Deltas were better for us than Eddyline. Love the day hatch but only on day trips for the reasons you mentioned. Compass mounts are great! All boats should offer them. If you don’t want a compass don’t use the mount area. We chose Seal for spray skirts because the Delta versions were so hard to get on the rim around the cockpit. Good idea to tell Delta to please build the Seventeen in a more stable recreational version and build another for high performance with hard chines. Go Delta. Huge fan of your opinions and Beta on sea kayaking.

[jakebrakebill]

I have 3 different spray skirts for one boat, long story, all different materials. But, on one skirt, I have to use spray silicone to help it come off. And one of the others, I have to use surfers wax to help it stay on. I never used surfer's wax before this, but I'm glad I learned about it. Even using it on the paddles at certain times. If you've never tried it, it might help.

[iplaycosop]

I had the opportunity to paddle a Delta 15.5 on a 6 day trip on the coast of British Columbia and loved it, it was hard to go back to my rotomolded boat. I agree with you an the quality and storage capacity and with some added Y20 Foam on the seat it made it much more comfortable. I am hoping to upgrade to a Delta 17 when my budget allows.

[inyanmila]

If I had a nickel for every time I wished for a composite boat while paddling a plastic one, and vice versa I could buy a happy meal. A sea kayak is an object lesson in tradeoffs. Friends of mine who paddle very expensive kayaks complain about them too. No make or model is immune from shortcomings, and as much as I want to believe that brands stay awake at night wondering whether I am happy with their kayak, that has not been my experience nor that of anyone else I know.

I paddled a Tempest for 18 years and HATED the hyped phase-3 seat with the burning passion of a thousand suns, as its position caused me to tear up my shins while trying to do a butt first entry. After many years of being a stick in the mud, I finally moved the seat back, but still didn’t have enough room. I finally connected with a Tempest devotee (in BC… lol), who told me to rip out the seat, buy some cell foam and carve my own which I did. Not only did it easily allow for butt-first entry, but the boat really came alive, allowing me to put it comfortably on an extreme edge. I also used something akin to gaffers tape on the cockpit combing which added a lot of grip to my spray skirt. Don’t be afraid to pimp out your boat.

[MillerSean]

A company I've Guided for has used Deltas in their fleet for years, and I recommend them to anyone interested in getting into sea kayak touring. Good value, lighter weight, and good secondary stability for folks learning to edge. I think you're spot on in pointing out this gap in their line-up though.

I'm also not overly fond of that awkward little day hatch. The worst thing about it is it means the bungees are further away, so depending on the skirt you're using if you lean forward to get something (like a water bottle) it'll pop the skirt off in the back. That's the first thing I have folks check when fitting them out.

I also HATE the rudder system. For some reason they use elastic in their deployment line, and that just always seems to break.
The gas pedal style footpegs for steering are also problematic. I don't know if it's folks fidgeting around or what, but they just come unlocked randomly. Would much prefer a more simple track system.


Wish they had stayed with neoprene hatch covers. The new "press-lock" covers can be a real beast sometimes, especially in the cold. Some liberal application of 303 or chapstick helps, but then they're even more of a sand magnet.

Anyway, all hating aside the Delta is a great boat for what it is. I wouldn't sweat the smaller volume of the Explorer. The Delta is a barge in comparison, and unless you routinely like to bring the 2-burner along you're not going to miss that extra space. I've lived comfortably out of an Explorer for over a week at a stretch no problem.

[TrigonometryforStudentsa-vtbg]

I love the day hatch, great place for my snacks and electronics. Not in the way at all and easily accessible. I use a GearLab deck pod and can still get in and out of the day hatch. The cockpit combing could be a little bit deeper but haven't had too much trouble using the Delta neoprene skirt.

[myxpxsr]

Love the review of the new Delta 17 versus the old 17. I noticed you also have a 16 that you talk about in the video. I have an opportunity to buy an old style Delta 16. It has the compass base molded in and has the turnstile latches on the hatches. I thought it was a tight squeeze to get in and out of the cockpit. What do you think of this model?

[myxpxsr]

Thank you. Once I’m in it, the fit is great. It’s attempting to get in where my lower legs and knees hang up on the aggressive knee bolsters. The day hatch was unexpectedly in the way when entering the cockpit, also.

[georgerawley]

Is it possible that you could add some bracing under the cockpit cover when stored on the roof to prevent rain water from pooling in the cover. It looked like a large amount was pooled in the video.

[mosulmedic]

Very frustrated, your videos convinced me to order a Delta 17.

I ordered one from the local REI. I waited about a week and finally got the notification that it was ready for pickup.

I get a call from REI letting me know that the kayak was broken beyond repair.

I am now awaiting the replacement which is showing "delayed" again.

I'm really hoping they didn't also break this one 🤣

[hrmacdonald]

Boreal Design have been making thermoform kayaks for several years...I always thought they were a canadian company from Quebec, but I think they are now making them in China. Are you familiar with this company...and if so, what is your opinion on their touring kayaks. Thanks.

[TrigonometryforStudentsa-vtbg]

Third thing, I would like to see Delta bring out a 24.5 wide, with a larger cockpit for us larger paddlers. I understand the 15.5 is 24.5 wide but not sure if the cockpit is larger than my 17. Eddyline has a Sitka XT that is about 15.5 long, 24.5 wide, larger cockpit and deeper, more aggressive combing. I was looking at this model for my second boat. I will not get an Eddyline now because they shut down shop here in Washington State and moved their manufacturing to Mexico and headquarters to Arkansas. More on that later.

[dianeunderhill]

Hey Brett, thank you for the review of Delta's. I bought a 15.5 in 2020 as a beginner kayaker. Wondering if you have added thigh bracing to your Delta's or any modifications at all? Thank you for this platform and discussion.

[markb]

You opened up the proverbial can of worms there Brett🙂 I’ve spent 30 years and lots of money searching for THE boat. There isn’t one. But I am amazed at the lack of innovation in sea kayak design. I’ll give you a few things that I reckon would be easyish to improve boats. One a decent foot bar like surf skis and k1 have- the Epic 18X was pretty good for that, two a means of adjusting seat height. I use 5 epic seat pads which worsens stability of course and I’d like to be able to adjust the height lower ‘on the go’ occasionally in rough conditions, third why can’t a sea kayak have a Venturi valve to empty the boat of cockpit water like surf skis do, fourth why not have water ballast fore and aft adjustable from the cockpit to fine tune handling in wind/waves (for skeg boats). I think innovation like this might make more kayaks better ‘all rounders’. Anyway, thanks for interesting review. I’ve never seen a Delta ‘in the flesh’, looks a good boat. Surprised when you said it’s a plastic, looks on video like a composite so the finish is outstanding cheers

[MichaelB-wujv]

Hey Otaku, I am getting ready to do a Source to Sea trip down the Mississippi next year and I'm between the Delta 15.5, 17, and WS Tsunami 14.5 - curious what you would recommend.

[hoser]

Great summation. Their new cockpit combing is atrociously shallow and the only reason I have not bought one. I hear Seals and Brooks skirts are good on them. Otherwise, really nice boats. Built in Canada too not offshore. Boreal TF boats are nice too but terrible seats. Are you going to install a backband?

[wisenber]

Not being able to find exactly what I wanted was why I got into making my own boats. Then I discovered how hard it is to figure out exactly what I want. Then again, all boats are a compromise. A coaming that won't hold a skirt just isn't one that I'm willing to make.
The thing I don't like about freight loaders is that most don't tend to paddle the same sitting higher in the water with less weight, but that's just how displacement works.

[michaelflynn]

I agree with a few of your comments. The day hatch not so much, that just seems to be a personal taste issue, and not a performance or usability issue. If you throw a deck bag on then it may negate the use, but it doesn't get in the way and do you use a deck bag everyday? The other issues regarding missing performance items that matter ring true. Straps for reentry are not a small deal if you are paddling something other than quiet water. Lack of a compass is not huge, but if you want to really explore or use for more expedition type paddling, I'd much rather have a designated mount than have to strap one on amongst deck bags, extra paddles etc.

I was pretty certain I was going to buy a Delta 16, but I wanted the boat to be capable of some more adventure paddling and started looking at the P&H Volan and CD Sisu, and ended up ordering the Volan partly due to some of the things the Delta was missing. I can afford it and decided to buy a boat I would love rather than one I would like.

I think that you are right that Delta seems to be orienting more toward the recreational paddler. I also agree that there is a market for an expedition oriented boat in the Delta line. I mean the storage capacity, the weight and the cost makes Delta sooo attractive for that kind of boat. As you mentioned a 17.5 ft. 22.5" with the expedition type features you noted would still be VERY attractive at a price point $500-700 more. I can see that type of boat in my future but with the current Delta offerings, I'd likely try to find a used Cetus, when what I'd really like would be a slightly better appointed Delta.

[Seakayak_Craig]

I can relate. I had a D17, and a D15.5GT but found them lacking in performance. Wound up with an NDK Explorer HV and a NDK Sport. I don't understand how the Explorer has been used by others as a multi day (multi week??) expedition boat...the hatches are small and the skeg box takes up a fair bit of room in the rear hatch. The Sport is about as perfect as a rotomold boat as I've found - your mileage may vary. Fair review of the Delta kakak.