Recommendation for kayak or canoe

We'll be cruising the Inside Passage to SE Alaska, leaving in May. I carry an 8' Portland Pudgy dinghy on the boat deck of my Willard 40, but want something light weight and fun to drop in the water to explore and exercise. I have no experience with kayaks but would like to add one or two for the trip (1 person boats). Any recommendations? Inflatable vs. rigid? Thanks!

nwboater said:

We'll be cruising the Inside Passage to SE Alaska, leaving in May. I carry an 8' Portland Pudgy dinghy on the boat deck of my Willard 40, but want something light weight and fun to drop in the water to explore and exercise. I have no experience with kayaks but would like to add one or two for the trip (1 person boats). Any recommendations? Inflatable vs. rigid? Thanks!

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Make usre what every kind you get that you also have a means to get in and out of the Kayaks? Plastic because they get drag up on to the beachs/rocks . They are very difficult to get in/out of from the boat and they require a lot of upper body strength.

Might want to rent before you buy? You can rent at the Everett Marina and on Lake Union.

We have 2 Advanced Elements inflatables, and love them. The bottom is reinforced and has held up well thru repeated groundings. Best of all, we inflate in the spring, carry them ondeck thru the fall, then deflate and pack them away.

They weigh 45 lbs each.

Hello Boater:

I recently bought an inflatable Seaeagle 370 and love it very much. Although my wife and I are not the athletic type, after 7 times out on sea water we are now capable of rowing it straight nonstop for more than a mile on our local bay. We are training to have it on board of our Trawler.

I like it!

P.

I usualy carry a canoe FRP , a kayak plastic, and an inflatable kayak.

The canoe gives us an option with the pup.

Something we do along the inside passage is to check out lots of the lakes , streams, rivers, inlets via one or more of these toys. Some lakes are so close to the oceans edge , they are easy to access via portage.

From trout fishing to swiming or just simply getting out and away from some of the busy anchorages. Lots of exploring to be had.

But I recomend the plastic kayak since that seems to get the most use and abuse. By abuse I mean the rocks , shells, etc found on so many beach landing zones here.

But I have no specific brand's in mind.

See EddyLine Kayaks online and look up the 12' Sandpiper. Has a large cockpit that even a small child can get into with you .. or dog if you lead that kind of life. Wide and stable (28" I'm guessing) is very maneuverable and fun to paddle. Usually $1200 they have 2 last years models w small hatches for $900. Carbonlite construction slick like FG and very light. I've personally paddled them and can recommend.

http://www.eddyline.com/kayak-models/sandpiper

We too are leaving for Alaska May 1st. and wanted to try our hand in a kayak so I bought 2 at the Seattle Boat Show from LFS Marine in Bellingham. They also rent kayaks so you can rent the same one as you might want to buy. They are plastic and have a wide cockpit. I would consider them a beginner or entry level kayak. Check them out on their web site.

We've used an Advanced Elements tandem inflatable for 4 seasons and have been very pleased with it. Like Peter we inflate it in the spring and deflate and store it in the winter. It is a little scuffed and faded but holding up better than I expected.
We board it either from the swim step or the gunwale boarding doors depending on where the dinghy is, it is much more stable than a hard-shell. It tracks well and is surprisingly fast, and is much easier to deal with on the boat than our two Pygmy Cohos.

A boat that can be used by one person is fine ,

But I would select an aluminum canoe , carries more when desired

and the best you can get at resisting damage being dragged up on the beach.

Thanks for the comments. I don't expect we'll go ashore much (bears and cougars!) so inflatables are probably the way to go. And when we want to go a shore, we'll have our sturdy dinghy to take us.

nwboater said:

Thanks for the comments. I don't expect we'll go ashore much (bears and cougars!) so inflatables are probably the way to go. And when we want to go a shore, we'll have our sturdy dinghy to take us.

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We have been looking at kayaks as a means of augmenting our Pudgy as well. As you say, for shore trips the Pudgy works well and laughs at the rocks & barnacles. Seaward Kayaks (Chemainus BC) makes a 10' kayak that is designed more for exploring/sightseeing rather than being hauled up on the rocks. While not cheap, it can be had with a viewing window for watching the denizens of the deep below you.

Without a swim platform you may need to launch your dingy and board the kayaks from there. Don't even think about stepping into them.

We had Necky Manitou 11' kayaks on our Meridian 48 and carried them on the swim platform which was really convenient. The Neckys are plastic and indestructible. Drag them over the rocks-don't care.

We tried carrying them on the foredeck but they are not easy to lift over the rail. If you carry them up high you may need to use your boat lift or boom.

They are fun. We used ours almost every day we were out. Being able to float in just a couple of inches of water lets you go everywhere. Learning curve for operation was about 5 minutes.

Hobie Cat Company - Mirage Revolution 11

We just bought one of these and it is the slickest kayak I have ever seen! Hobie has a lot of different models that come with/without Mirage Drives.

hudramsay said:

Without a swim platform you may need to launch your dingy and board the kayaks from there. Don't even think about stepping into them..

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That has not been the case with the Hobie.

Walt, do they make a 2 seat version with that drive system?

Adding another layer of complication and source of mechanical failure?

What can I say Mark, I like to tinker

CPseudonym said:

Walt, do they make a 2 seat version with that drive system?

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They sure do! Go to their web site and check out all the models. I don't have a business interest in the company but it's not for the lack of trying.
P.S. Flywright has seen ours, check with him.

CPseudonym said:

What can I say Mark, I like to tinker

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There's really no tinkering involved. Here's the captain of the kayak.

Thank you Walt, my wife sitting next to me wanted to know. She loves the picture of the 2 seat version.

I suppose that means we will own one soon

CPseudonym said:

She loves the picture of the 2 seat version.

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Craig:

When we went to buy Renee's kayak, we were advised by the woman who owns the dealership (27 years) that Renee would be better off with a single. (Two singles if both of us want to kayak) The tandem is longer, heavier and more cumbersome to handle. (Also, a lot more money!) Note: These boats are the "Flemings" of the kayak world. Nothing else comes close! (Renee's was $1,600.00.) All I can say is: I looked at everything and the engineering that went in to these boats is phenomenal!

Iv'e got an Outfitter, 2 Outbacks, and a Tandem Island. They are the best, hands down. The Outfitter (2 seater) is on our boat as it saves space and the other ones are at our lake house. The Tandem Island is for sailing and is fast as you know what. All the others are especially great for fishing as it's hands free propulsion.

For people that like traditional paddling, no problem, but the Mirage Drives are much faster and a lot easier.

Mark, not one problem. And Craig, if you ever want to try one first, come on down to Benicia and try the Outfitter anytime (before we hopefully head back to the PNW in April). By the way, women love them as they're easy to propel, or, they'll sit back and let you do all the work!

Nsail said:

The Outfitter (2 seater) is on our boat as it saves space and the other ones are at our lake house.

For people that like traditional paddling, no problem, but the Mirage Drives are much faster and a lot easier.

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Where, on your boat, do you put the Outfitter?

Up top next to the tender (probably can't make it out in my avatar). I need to use the davit to get it up or down from there though. However, if I'm not going too far to the next location, I'll just simply secure it to the stern rails on the swim platform. Very easy to launch and board.

Hobie Cat Company - Mirage Revolution 11

We just bought one of these and it is the slickest kayak I have ever seen! Hobie has a lot of different models that come with/without Mirage Drives.

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This is exactly what my wife wants.

Rusty,

Same offer to you as well as anybody else on the forum - if you want to try one first, come on over to Benicia an give it a whirl. You'll (and her) will be glad you did! Let me know.

My sister at 5' tall loves her Eddyline for its lightweight. I, at 250 lbs and lazy was going to buy the Hobie tandem with Mirage drive for one seat and a Torqeedo electric drive for the other seat. The Torqeedo units were back ordered so went with the Ocean Torque. Not a fan of loading a 60 lb Group 27 battery into the battery compartment for a 16 mile range, so rolled my own using LiFePO4 cells. Have two packs made up of these cells, the outbound battery and a return battery. Good for 40 miles out and 40 miles back.

SeaHorse II said:

Craig:

When we went to buy Renee's kayak, we were advised by the woman who owns the dealership (27 years) that Renee would be better off with a single. (Two singles if both of us want to kayak) The tandem is longer, heavier and more cumbersome to handle. (Also, a lot more money!) Note: These boats are the "Flemings" of the kayak world. Nothing else comes close! (Renee's was $1,600.00.) All I can say is: I looked at everything and the engineering that went in to these boats is phenomenal!

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Thank you Walt, what sold Jennifer on the idea was your photo's of Renee using hers. I agree with her that it would be a lot of fun in our cruising area. Al, Ray and I saw the Hobie at the Sportsman show and it is a well built product. Wish I'd gave it more attention at the time now.

Pricey but worth it IMO. We'll try some out in the coming months and make a choice either one tandem or two singles. She wants one sooner rather than later.

Nsail said:

Craig, if you ever want to try one first, come on down to Benicia and try the Outfitter anytime (before we hopefully head back to the PNW in April). By the way, women love them as they're easy to propel, or, they'll sit back and let you do all the work!

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Thank you for your generous offer! We may just take you up on that. I'll send you a PM if we have a chance to come to Benicia before you leave.

My wife already admitted that sitting back sometimes and letting me do the work is part of her plan.

The admiral and I each have a 12.5' "perception" kayaks, that have been a lot of fun. Walts Hobies' look like even more fun! They are the cats pajamas!