Kayak question

“Ok I have been looking at buying a kayak and I really don't know what I should be looking at.

The only things I know to look for is if it is big enough for me and if the capacity can hold me, other then that i have no clue what to look for.

What I plan on doing is mainly going to be in rivers or lakes anywhere from 30mins up to 3 hours at a time. Eventualy I plan to go Kayak camping but until I lose more weight or find a kayak with a really high capacity then that will be on hold.

Now I have seen 2 different types of Kayaks, and I still do not know the correct termnology for this so bare with me. The first type is the kind that you sit inside of and the second is the kind you sit on top of. Is there any reason why I should go with one over the other or is it personal preference?

Thanks!”

“My sugestion is that you take a class and try to find an instructor with a few different types of boats for you to try out. It's all personal preference and what fits your budget and needs best.
A general stroke and rescue class is invaluable and will give you an idea of how much you'll enjoy the sport and how different boats perform.”

“http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/guille/wiki.pl?HomePage

http://www.kayakhelp.com/”

“www.paddleing.net is a good site too”

“I'm a big guy and I have the Old Town two person kayak. you can move the seats around for single person use. It holds 500 pounds and is a great recreational kayak. It's not too tippy or expensive so was a great starter. It is long, 16 feet, so it moves easily through the water. I once raced two strong canoers and beat them soundly. I was paddling backwards. I use mine for fishing and hunting. I also have a perception Swifty for fast water that holds up to 350 pounds, but I wouldn't recommend anything over 325. Hope this helps.”

“I LOVE my swifty ...it is a great recreational and very stable.....GREAT for beginners...!!!!!”

“Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160. You won't need to lose weight, but you'll still love it if you do. A great camping and fishing platform. If you don't like it you can sell it in one day. Check it out and see what paddlers say about it.”

“Wow, Thanks for all the great Suggestions and Responses.

I found a Bike shop in my city that sells and Rents Kayaks as well. So for $25 I will be renting a Kayak this weekend to see what i think about it. For the $25 I get to pick it up on Friday and return it on Monday, along with the Paddles and a life jacket.

It is a Pungo 120, can hold up to 400lbs and seems to be big enough to hold me. I will defintely be checking out the other kayaks Suggested here also.

Hey squirrelbait, Thanks for the info on that kayak. I had actualy looked at that one online but didn't realise you could change the seats around for 1 person. That could be a big possiblity so that if my wife ever wanted to go out with me she could.

Ok I'm going to check all the links out now and start looking for these kayak models too.

Thanks guys! I love Trailtalk :)”

“I'd like to suggest you wear a helmet & life vest. Many stores (especially in the boonies) will actually let you try out many different models on an adjacent lake/river.

Also remember slow water summer kayaking is very different from fast moving spring time rivers.”

“Inside the two man Old Town they have a tubular rail system. The seats slide along the rail and lock when you lean into the seat. the forward seat is the primary with foot pegs. I would suggest a rudder set up that costs an extra 100 bucks. It can be a pain on a windy day.”

“Thanks Cat, I havent thought about a helmet as such, but I wont even get close to a river or lake without a life jacket. I use to do volunteer work for the red cross and there has been several times I got a phone call to go to a lake to help the crews out while they search the water for some guy who wasnt wearing a lifevest and fell out of his boat.”

““Inside the two man Old Town they have a tubular rail system. The seats slide along the rail and lock when you lean into the seat. the forward seat is the primary with foot pegs. I would suggest a rudder set up that costs an extra 100 bucks. It can be a pain on a windy day.”
squirrelbait
4:31:35 PM
8/02/05
ignore this user

Can that option be added on later or does it have to be ordered that way?”

“Does anyone have any opinions about these two: Necky Manitou or Dagger Catalyst?”

“OK so I have been doing some more research and I came accross this Kayak for $499.

http://www.mainstreamkayaks.com/boats/sitinsidekayaks/pages/patriot.html

Anyone have any opinions about it?”

“a kayak should fit the individual using it. Any one else's opinion on it may be useless because they're sized different than you. If you want product reviews look at Paddling.net, there are thousands on just about every boat. You'd be hard pressed to find any honest enough to say they made a $400+ mistake and bought a boat that doesn't perform or fit, so they're a bit biased.”

“You can add the rudder on later, it's a pretty simple set up.”

“http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/22621,-1.php

The TT Kayaking Club thread may have your answer.
Well over a thousand posts.
That should keep you busy. ;-)
last edited: 8/03/05 10:33:01 AM”

“Once again thank you all for the suggestions!

Sass, Thanks I will go check that out, I missed the product review section some how when I was there yesterday heading over now.

Cool Squirrel! Thanks man!

Thanks Stove, Gonna start looking at that in a bit ;)”

“Toejam has a good suggestion. That Tarpon is a fine boat.

Unless you’re whitewater rafting or you live in Maine, Washington, or Canada, a sit-on-top will suite your needs. Sit-on-tops are easier to get in and out of. You don’t need a spray skirt. You don’t need lessons on bracing and rolling. And you can fit more camping gear in a good sit-on-top than you can a sit-inside.

I have a Cobra Tourer and can fit all sorts of junk in it. It’s fast, it’s stable, and it holds more gear than you’ll need. Check out the smokey girl hot pixs thread (by StoveStomper) for some pictures of our trip to Cumberland island and all the junk I brought.”

“http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/39287,-1.php

http://community.webshots.com/album/397365651BBRwUV

True Dat!!!!
I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. LOL!”

“LOL, Wow that was alot of stuff you had. I will defintely keep that in mind, but seeing that 90% of all my camping gear is for backpacking about the only thing I might do different is bring a small cooler with meats and my 3 room tent instead of my solitare LOL

In all honesty I think sit on tops appeal to me slightly more then a sit in because I can stretch out easier but the idea of a sit in is growing on me.

I have already given them my money so this weekend I will be renting a Pungo 120 so that is the first kayak I get to test out.

I'm gonna go check out the Tarpon now ;) Well after I finish looking at the pictures from the trip, thanks for sahring that link, I havent been around the site in awhile due to things getting busy and I missed it :)”

“Just got some great news, A friend of mine is buying my paintball gun so that puts $550 towards the purchase of my kayak :)”

“ya know.....i read this and said to myself--we have a bike shop here that rents kayaks too!! hooray for bike shops! lol. i had to look....and yep, you're from the same place i am!!! i can lend you my 120 and you can ck it out for free if you haven't already reserved one from steve. he's a great guy, and if you do rent a kayak from him he puts the rental toward your purchase price if you buy w/in a certain amt of time.”

“Wow! I never thought I would bump into somebody from here on this forum!

Thanks for the offer but I have already reserved it from Steve :)

Mind if I ask where you kayak at around here?

Thanks :)”

“Hey Frantic...Bondage called me last night to say there was someone else from RM on TT. We're both pretty shocked.

I got my yak from Steve...good people.

Where are y'all planning to yak this weekend?”

“That is what I have been trying to figure out. I was thinking of the Tar river but not sure if I should start there seeing this is my first time doing Flat water/river kayaking.

I will probally end up at the Resivoir. When I spoke with Steve on Tuesday, He made it sound like they will give me some suggestions of places to go.

Any suggestions on where I should "Get my feet wet" at would be greatly appreciated :)”

“I'd suggest putting in at Sapony Creek just to get a feel. If y'all want to go down the Tar too..I'm free Sunday and would dig a run. I haven't been in a while and I'm sure bondage would want to as well. She just got her yak a month or so ago. Up to you but if you want to run it Sunday...we can put in at Lamons Ferry..then coast on down to Sunset or even Battle park.

The river is probably about as safe as it can get right now with no rain. I passed over the bridge this morning at Steves and the bolders are still showing. Realllllly slow moving right now.”

“That is a big possibility, I just have no clue what time would be good for me on Sunday. As soon as I find out I will post up here if it is going to work for Sunday.

Thanks for the suggestions I think Im gonna check that out!”

“Cool..I jsut sent you an email with my digits. Three RM folk on TT...UNBELIEVABLE!”

“Cool! I'll contact you so we can set a time, Looks like Sunday should work for me. :)

I always wanted to meet people from TT but never thought they would be in RM :) LOL

Oh and I just picked up the Kayak......The life jacket makes me look like a dork, It is one size too small in my opinion but it does fit and I can still breathe LOL. It just reminds me of the old SNL episodes with Chris Farley wearing the tiny clothes LOL.”

“you're gonna dig it! OH and Roanoke up at Weldon is a fun run for another time..put it on your list.”

“It has been noted!”

“WHAT FRANTIC!!! How can you possibly kayak without a color tv?

Seriously, I brought a little portable fan. It isn't in the pictures.

With a sit-on-top you can bring a hard cooler. With a sit-inside you'll probably need to bring a soft cooler.

I do enjoy kicking back on my kayak. I strap my pfd to the top of a cooler that I put in the dive well behind my seat. It makes a perfect pillow for floating down river.


Three things I must mention:

1. If you plan on paddling where the waves can wash over you, a sit-on-top turns into a bathtub. In that case, a sit-inside with spray skirt is a good idea. Although I've been in 3ft waves and handled it reasonably well.

2. Except for a fiberglass boat, like the Kajak Sport Millenium that I will probably purchase in the future, StoveStomper has the best sit inside I've ever seen. It is one fine boat. It'll hold enough camping gear and it's fast. I'm sure he has pictures or a web link.

3. Rudders are for weenies. And rudders need to be carefully secured when traveling by car. If you must have an add on, get a skeg. Skegs are cool. The Millenium comes with a skeg.”

“Oh no, is this thread going to devolve into another "skeg v. rudder" religious flame war?”

“Can you add on a skeg?! I always thought the boat must be made w/ one.

SS has a wilderness systems kayak. What is the name, what is the name.....? It escapes me. BUT, it is a great boat, has a nice day hatch feature but made for smaller paddlers, according to the website. We will be getting one in about three weeks as one of our boats never came from the factory. Now Birch and I will have to wrestle for who gets the wilderness systems boat and who gets the Perception avatar (which is a gorgeous very nice performing kayak).

If you're looking for a sit-in boat you should try before you buy. Sit in it at least if possible. You want a snug fit, no more than one flat hand able to squeeze between you and the sides.”

“I have a Wilderness systems pungo 120 that I rented and picked up during lunch today, About to go sit in and adjust it then tomorrow to the lake I go :D, then Sunday to the river With bondage and Carlette!!!

WTH is a skeg? Sounds like a way to drink beer to me lol Guess I will have to research that”

“It's a small fin that pops out of the bottem of the boat. It helps the kayak stay on track in waves and wind. You're able to pull it up or pop it open from in the boat by a mechanism of one sort or another. They generally are considered better than a rudder because a rudder will rise out of the water in big waves, becoming useless until the boat drops back down into the water.
Alot of folks who have rudders depend on them soley to stear their boats, never learning the correct method.”

“I say a skeg is an "add-on", Sass, because many boats come without skeg or rudder. Skegs cannot be added after the fact without a whole bunch of rebuilding.

I must have missed the rudder/skeg debate.

But there is one thing I know for sure: REAL MEN DON'T USE RUDDERS!”

“then Sunday to the river With bondage and Carlette!!!

HOT DIGGITY...Bondage you're in charge of the TR. with the names, Carlette, Bondage and Frantic the thread title independent of the actual TR oughta be a hoot!

See y'all Sunday at Steve's”

“Well I defintely don't want to use something that could prevent me from learning all skills needed for when a situation might arise, So no skeg or rudder for me.

Carlette, We are gonna have to be carefull when typing our names together because it might come out as "Carlettes Frantic Bondage" LOL j/k!

See you two on at Steves!!

Very excited!!
last edited: 8/05/05 6:51:59 PM”

“Opps just noticed my Typo, It was suppose to be

See you two at Steves”

“I just wanted to add a special Thank you to Carlette and Bondage for a fun time today kayaking. It was alot of fun, even if I did get burnt up. Luckily alot of it is tanning nicely already but what isnt tanning is ouchy LOL.

Hope to do this again soon. It defintely has given me some things to look for and think about along with the fact that I have met 2 great people today :) was alot of fun.”

“I'm suffering from a bit of the burn myself. Summer is growing a bit long now with the heat! and the river is certainly SHRINKING.

Had a great time with y'all. My bags are packed and I'm headed for airport. Y'all have a good week and will holler when I return.”

“Sass, I have the WS Tempest 170

It's NOT made for smaller paddlers.”

“http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47895699&parent_category_rn=4501491&vcat=REI_SEARCH
This is my yak, Sass.
The only thing I notice is it seems to have a bit of windage up front, due to the high volume. It is considered an expedition kayak designed to carry a lot of gear and it does that great.
I'm pretty dang happy with it.”

“Nice Kayak Stove!”

“weather was great and so was the company! the water was so low that i counted the jags, scratches, and gouges on my kayak and said damn a hundred times :( woulda been alot more fun in a rental.... ;) we'll have to get another in before the weather turns, more put-ins to learn!”

“I can honestly say this was the first time I had someone consider me lucky for having a rental LOL.

Oh and for some reason I keep having all these butterflies hanging around my house, I think they got a phone call about me :(”