Any kayakers here? Can you recommend a n00b a nice beginners kayak?

[vi edit]

Looking for some relaxing ways of getting more exercise. I drive along a big public lake everyday on my to and from work. Thought it'd be nice to be able to toss a kayak on top of the 'ol station wagon and do a little paddling for an hour a couple times a week. Maybe toss a fishing pole in with me and take a little fish home for dinner while I'm at it.

I'm looking at budgeting out about $700.

I'm looking at around $400 for kayak, $100 for a paddle, and $200 for roof rack for my Passat Wagon. Is this possible to do? Any brands/models I should look at? I just want a one man boat, and I'd prefer it to be under 12' for ease of carry and the fact that I don't have to get a license for it on the water. I'm pretty capable when it comes to canoeing and kayaking, so I don't need something with a super high balance or anything if that matters. Over anything else would be seat and leg comfort. I'm 6' and most of it is leg. Need room to stretch out.

Got any suggestions or hot deals?

🙂

 

[Jzero]

Sit-On-Top or Sit-In?

 

[vi edit]

Probably sit-in. The only sit-on-top's that I've seen are the junky rental's they give you at beaches and stuff.

 

[RossMAN]

LOL I can just imagine a pricing error on a kayak, stack some coupons, go through eBates.com to save 10%, free upgrade, toss in FREE shipping and $100 MIR.

Kayak here I come!

😛

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Probably sit-in. The only sit-on-top's that I've seen are the junky rental's they give you at beaches and stuff.

Most of those rentals may appear junky, but they are usually good boats. Rotomolded Polyethylene is damn near indestructable. They get scratched up and worn-looking, but they are generally as seaworthy as the day they rolled off the mold.

Anyway, I'm fairly knowledgeable about sit-on-tops but I don't know much about sit-ins. $400 budget for the boat may be a little on the low side, but you should be able to come up with something, especially if you go used. Don't forget that you're also going to need a life preserver.

As for size, 10-12' is probably adequate for just paddling around or fishing. If you are going to be fishing, take into consideration the prospect of stowing your bucket/pole/tackle box. Some boats are very suitable, some are not.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
LOL I can just imagine a pricing error on a kayak, stack some coupons, go through eBates.com to save 10%, free upgrade, toss in FREE shipping and $100 MIR.

Kayak here I come!

😛

I was able to score a 10% discount and a free helmet because I bought a "BLEM" kayak. Apparently Ocean Kayak welds out cosmetic errors in the finish of the boat and then stamps them with "BLEM." You are supposed to get a 10% discount, but I paid full retail. I e-mailed OK and asked them what those "BLEM" stamps meant and they told me I was supposed to get a discount.

FWIW, customer service at OK is VERY good. They sell a few sit-in models now, but I don't know anything about those.

 

[vi edit]

As for size, 10-12' is probably adequate for just paddling around or fishing. If you are going to be fishing, take into consideration the prospect of stowing your bucket/pole/tackle box. Some boats are very suitable, some are not.

I figured I'd rig up some kind of rack on the side of the boat to fasten the pole to when not in use. I don't need much of a tackle box. I mostly go for pan fish with small jelly lures. For the caught fish, I'd just drop a stringer off the side of the boat and pull them along.

 

[vi edit]

Yeh, the only sit-on's that I've used were ocean models at a resort. All the ones that I see for sell around here are sit-ins. Being that I'm.....oh 900 miles from the nearest ocean they don't carry many ocean style ones around here 😀

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Yeh, the only sit-on's that I've used were ocean models at a resort. All the ones that I see for sell around here are sit-ins. Being that I'm.....oh 900 miles from the nearest ocean they don't carry many ocean style ones around here 😀

Well, don't take sit-on-top to imply that it's meant for use in the ocean. Water is water. It's an unfortunate occurrence that Ocean Kayak pioneered the rotomolded polyethylene sit-on-top design and called themselves what they did--there is no technical reason that any of their boats aside from the surf-specific Yak Board and rrRapido should be thought of as "Ocean" kayaks - it was just the name of the company that was designing deckless boats for sale on the coast of Washington state.

There are pros and cons to each style (sit-in or sit-on-top), it's more a matter of choice. Your best bet is to go to a large dealer that will let you "test paddle" their boats. You will be try different ones, see how they feel in terms of stability, weight and maneuverability. And COMFORT 🙂

 

[FortFunFoSho]

I work at a specialty sporting goods store that sells boatloads of kayaks.

I would first ask you where you plan to be kayaking?

Rivers and Lakes I imagine?

Do you plan to do any fishing from it?

Kayaking is a booming sport thanks to the ease of use, excellent exercise factor, and the pleasure of riding on one. This in turn has spawned all sorts of features.

Some cool kayaks (I love these) are the Hobie Mirage series. They not only give you a paddle, but also a foot pedal system. So you can have a complete body workout. The pedal system is amazing. It gets you moving too. Of course these are a bit more expensive. It is a sit on top.

Check out:

Walden Kayaks: Makes excellent sit ins..
www.waldensports.com

Hobie Kayakas: Makes great sit on tops with the pedal system.
www.hobiecat.com

And lastly check out Ocean Kayak: Makes a huge line of sit on tops that are great boats that can with stand some serious beatings..
www.oceankayak.com

 

[Jzero]

Those Hobie boats are awesome. I was looking at them but I decided that having the pedal/rudder system was going to be counterproductive when surfing 🙂

Seems for fishing it would be handy to be able to move the boat without having to put the rod down and pick up the paddle.

 

[vi edit]

Maybe it's just from the pictures - but it looks like the sit-in kayaks have a much more "normal" seat to them. Like an actual chair instead of a contoured piece of plastic that you sit your but on.

 

[vi edit]

Yeh, the hobie cat is indeed very cool. Nearest dealer is a two hour drive away though 🙁

[EDIT] I'll only be going out on still water. No waves or anything. Just mirror like rivers and lakes.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Probably sit-in. The only sit-on-top's that I've seen are the junky rental's they give you at beaches and stuff.

If you're 6', you might want to consider a sit-on-top instead of a sit-in.

Not to mention that sit-on-tops are somewhat more easily-recoverable from mishaps than sit-ins for newbies.

 

[vi edit]

The on-tops also appear to be more accomidating to fishing as well. More open area to put stuff.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Maybe it's just from the pictures - but it looks like the sit-in kayaks have a much more "normal" seat to them. Like an actual chair instead of a contoured piece of plastic that you sit your but on.

Most sit-on-tops have a detachable backrest. Depending on which backrest you buy, there are ones that have a padded piece to sit on, and others that just cradle your torso. It is surprisingly comfortable, probably because the plastic is so "soft." I have spent 8 hours at a time on mine and I've never felt uncomfortable.

FWIW, Dimension makes SOT kayaks that have entirely molded seats. They also are NOT self-bailing, which means that there are no holes in the hull to drain water out of the kayak. That's a good thing for flat-water. You will stay drier.

But this is all moot if you get a sit-in, but it's a good bump 😀

 

[vi edit]

My only experience with a on-top was not really pleasant. It was uncomfortable as sin and after 20 minutes my left leg went numb. 🙁 Other than that one boat though, I don't have many problems with canoes. I did a 100 mile canoe trip over the course of 5 days several years back without any problems. And I have no troubles sitting in one for 4 or 5 hours at a time. It was just that one sit-on one that I used for a rental that hurt.

I would just buy a canoe but they are way to big for just one person, they are expensive, and are a pain in the but to load up and launch with one person.