Do you Kayak? opinions wanted..

[dvd]

I'll add my 2 cents here - spent many years in the PNW kayaking whitewater, surf, rivers, & ocean. It is true, there are as many kayaks as there are things to do with them. I now carry a couple of 16 ft. Pygmy Osprey I made about ten years ago. They are incredibly sturdy and light (38 lbs.). Once, one flew off a roof rack at about 60 mph, just scratched up the surface (had loaned it to a friend -- don't ask). Like many things (motorcycles, bikes, boats), if you get into it, you'll find yourself with a whole stable of different kayaks. Fun, but your car will never again see the inside if a garage.

Attached is a picture of one of the Ospreys on a three week trip down the Columbia River & the Oregon Coast.

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[Carey]

One thing I failed to mention in my original post is to read all you can about kayaking before leaving site of the big boat, and carry a waterproof handheld VHF wherever you go, and make sure someone on the big boat monitors the radio. Wind and current can have their way with a novice. PFD must be worn at all times, unless of course you are swimming out of the kayak. I you do choose a sit inside boat, I can't recommend highly enough that you learn the eskimo roll. It's intimidating when you see it done, and takes a trained instructor to teach it, but it will open up the world of kayaking by removing a lot of fear. For us cold water paddlers, it guarantees you will only get your upper torso wet and cold.

 

[Carey]

We too are looking for kayaks. The intent is to have two on board so that we can explore the bays and coves wherever we happen to be anchored, primarily along the BC coast. Due to stowage space limitations we are only looking at 10' models.

The two that we have looked at extensively are the Necky and the Seaward.

The Necky is Polyethylene and therefore a rough and tumble, pull it up on the rocks kind of kayak, which is great for mixing water and land exploration.

The Seaward, at least the model that we are looking at, is Thermoform, which I think is a kind of plastic, but it is somewhat fragile. Meaning that you would have to be careful when beaching the craft. The attraction for the Seaward is that you can get it with a bottom viewing window which would be great for exploring the shallow waters. So this kayak is meant more for just water exploration. Some say that the viewing window is just a gimmick, but it entirely depends on what the user wants.

In my limited kayaking experience, I have found that a 10' kayak seems to track quite straight, which is not what I keep hearing from other, more experienced, kayakers.

Check out Ocean Kayaks for another boat with a plexi viewing window. Necky is also a good boat. I have owned a couple different models over the years. The Necky Tesla was my favorite touring boat.

 

[Conrad]

Thanks for the recommendations.

Carey, I've checked out the Ocean kayaks, and they look very interesting, although they are just a little bit too long for us to stow. But somewhat indestructible, and yet with the viewing window. Well thought out.

Dwhatty, the Airfusion model by Advanced Elements appears to have taken the concept of inflatable kayaks to a whole new level! Who knew?

And DVD, a 16' kayak that only weighs 38 pounds? That is less than most of the 10' models we're looking at!

Again thanks for these recommendations and other helpful comments. Lots to chew on.

 

[dvd]

Good luck! With the variety of kayaks out there I'm sure you'll find something to fit your needs. Mine are so light weight because they are sandwich construction with 3mm plywood core covered by fiberglass. It's like paddling a sports car versus a station wagon!

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