Kayak recommendations

[amirm]

Hi guys.

My wife and I love to get a couple of Kayaks. Our vacation house is in a heavily sheltered salt-water bay that other than a wake from an idiotic power boater, is glass smooth. Main reason to get one is to get out, smell the fresh air, and get some exercise. It will be for short rides around the bay so no camping or carrying large gear.

Questions:

1. Do we need to take a class first? I see many people who just buy them and use them. Do we not need to learn how to roll over and such? The water temps here are in the 60s at best so I worry about getting caught in that and not knowing what to do.

2. What is a good kayak for this kind of use? Should we get a double or single? If double, can they be used comfortably by one person?

3. We need to drag the kayaks up a hill to store them so weight is an issue.

4. Having an occasional back pain, how comfortable is it to sit in these things with your legs in front of you? Is it hard on the back? Do people get better seats than what comes with these things?

Appreciate any advice.

 

[flez007]

Amir, my wife and I took some kayac lessons at Loreto some years back, as you surely know there are saltwater and lake ones. We needed to take some basic lessons which relate mostly to:

a) get in the kayac - there are some places on salt water ones that are very thin, one can just brake or make a whole while stepping on those parts, you don't like that to happen.

b) some sport pedals in the back to make turns faster, left pedal goes for right turns and vice versa.

c) turn the kayac back once you (and your wife) have turned upside down.. This is very important and needs some practice, you need to take lessons for this.. but it is not difficult.


Aahh..one last thing... The dry compartment... Just use it!

Lots of fun, it is great to do side-coast kayac, stop wherever you want, build a fire and watch the stars!.

 

[DonH50]

All imo, as a long-ago and brief but no longer kayaker:

1. Get singles. More fun, easier to handle, and the second is a backup in case somebody gets in trouble or you have visitors that want to try.
2. They make "touring" models that are broader and more stable, plus some have a more stable hull design perfect for noodling around the bay (less so in white water). REI used to have some nice hand-outs as well as classes.
3. Take the class. For your safety and to maximize enjoyment of your new toys.

 

[Steve Williams]

I was in our local Costco today and much to my surprise, they were selling kayaks

 

[amirm]

My wife said the same thing. Just don't know that without experience I would know what is the right and what is not.

 

[Ron Party]

I hope you and your wife are fit. I did some ocean kayaking near the Great Barrier Reef. It was a heck of a lot of fun. It also was a heck of a lot of work.

 

[JackD201]

I hope you and your wife are fit. I did some ocean kayaking near the Great Barrier Reef. It was a heck of a lot of fun. It also was a heck of a lot of work.

One day I'll show you guys a hilarious video of myself kayaking with one of my daughters in Palawan. It was a run of the mill "tourist" kayak. It's too embarrassing to put on the net. I admit it. I am not very fit nor am I fit for kayaking!

 

[The Smokester]

There are many styles of kayaks. How about going to a place that rents kayaks and gives introductory lessons? This would give you a taste of the possibilities.

One possibility is the "sit-on-top" (sot) such as the Scrambler made by Ocean Kayak. These are stable and easy to recover from after getting dumped. In the cold waters you are talking about you should be wearing a wet suit anyway. This in addition to a pfd (personal floatation device) will also provide helpful buoyancy to get back on the kayak.

Lest you think an sot is for wimps, get the knee straps and an upgraded seat. Bring it down here to open Northern California waters and we'll show you how to use it.

You might be tempted, like I was, to get Kevlar because it's lighter. I wouldn't do it again. Every crunch on the rocks is very jarring and ultimately they will break although it obviously takes a lot. Polyethylene is nearly indestructible and cushions the blows against rocks.

Another advantage of sot's is that they are stackable. Having a bunch of regular kayaks in storage takes up a lot of room.

Of course, there are many other possibilities too numerous to mention. If you want to whale watch in the open Sound a closed kayak is best but then you would be faced with a higher learning curve.

Sitting in a kayak for hour(s) is a question of acclimatization. Learning how to take a leak in one is a question of practice.

Hope this helps.

 

[amirm]

It definitely helps. I was really interested in the sit-on-top units but kept thinking it is a toy. Great to hear they are a good option.

As to the wet suit, how much fun is it to kayak wrapped up in one? Does it take the fun away from it? And how much do they go for?

 

[The Smokester]

Maybe I am recommending stuff for more extreme conditions that you will encounter. If you assume you will never tip or that you won't be caught out in a cold rain then you may never need a wet suit. I think that could be a fatal assumption but I really don't know the condition of either your environment or physical ability. Based on my experience (which may be comparatively wild) I am fairly conservative about self-rescue in cold water. I never went out on the ocean even in my zodiac without everyone in a wet suit.

Usually only the bottoms (a farmer john) is a wet suit. A looser jacket is worn for a top and this gives you the freedom in your arms and torso to paddle. A jacket can be just a wind breaker or it can have seals at the waist, neck and wrists. You don't want anything on that will soak up or trap large amounts of water if and when you do get dunked. There are also complete dry suits which is probably overkill.

In an open kayak the water will come up through the drain holes and get your butt wet and probably cold so it is best to wear at least a farmer john. If the water is not too cold and you are a little practiced you can probably quickly get back on an open kayak without getting chilled even if you don't have a top. The PFD helps both in getting you back up and also keeping you a bit warm.

In a closed kayak and if you are really good and a bit cockey (mainly cockey) you can just wear a dry top and a good spray skirt and if you ASSUME you will never come out even if you flip then you are good to go without the wet suit bottom. Personally, I never would make that assumption in cold water. If you come out of a closed kayak any rescue, self- or assisted-, is a bit of a production (you have to get the water out of the kayak somehow which takes time, training and practice) and you will be in cold water for at least a few minutes.

I haven't needed to buy gear in a while. I was into ocean kayaking big time for a while so may not be the best one to talk about doing this on the cheap. My (closed, kevlar) kayak is custom fit to my ass so that I can flip it back up quickly by flicking my hips. Buying the accessories for cold open ocean kayaking is relatively expensive. A good, light paddle can be >$400. Wet suit (farmer john made of very pliable neoprene and loosish fitting so it's comfortable) maybe $150. Spray skirt (for closed kayak) $100. A comfortable PFD is $100-150. Jacket >>$150 (if temp is >65F may not need). Pumps, compass, dry bags...

There are portable, folding wheeled cradles which you can place a kayak on and "wheel barrow" it up to the car or storage. Got one for the wife.

I equipped the three of us for open ocean...Wasn't cheap, but paddling way out in Monterey Bay amongst the whales and dolphins is a priceless memory.

I think Seattle is a Mecca for kayakers is it not? I would go rent and take some lessons from a good local place. A lot of times there are deals on equipment associated with a class. It will be fun and start you with enough judgement to make you safe.

End of ramble.

 

[amirm]

Not ramble at all. Quite useful info! I am a boater and religious about safety on that so we are good to go with excellent PFDs. I just hand't thought through the kayaking aspects of that, seeing people wearing normal cloths all the time. The bay we are in is very, very sheltered. I will try to upload a picture later. It is the only place we will be kayaking. That said, it is a good 400 to 500 yards to each side so in 60 degree temp, it is not going to be fun getting to ether shore. I am relieved that the farmer john wet suit is not too expensive so I will definitely explore that.

And yes, we have some of the most incredible kayaking venues here. There are some 400 islands and far more than that many bays you can explore. The south sound where we are is much calmer so easier to navigate. North sound can have currents of 8 to 12 knots! But still, gorgeous.

Don't have my own pictures handy but here are some of the web:

Deception pass is one of our jewels. Imagine Golden Gate bridge but smaller, and far more beautiful down below.

 

[The Smokester]

I've had the good fortune to have friends who are good kayakers. I have also belonged to clubs and taken many training sessions. I reckon if you paddle enough you will dump. Maybe you are handing off the camera and come up a bit short just as that speed boat goes by. Then you will need to know what to expect and what to do. Do you swim where you would be kayaking? How long do you stay in?

That others paddle off without a thought means little. A bunch of us got to the point where we would not go near the surf zone in heavy weather because we were afraid. Not because we couldn't handle it but because we would be drawn in to rescuing inexperienced people who were in over their heads with the real possibility they would take us with them. Same with scuba diving. That just isn't fun.

 

[amirm]

In summer, I have stayed in the water at at the shore for half hour or more. But with 12+ foot tide changes, the middle is bound to be a lot colder and we like to kayak in spring also. So your safety points are definitely heard .

 

[flez007]

Beautiful place Amir, I can only say that maybe you waited too long to start it... Enjoy!