| Picking a kayak. Where do
I start?
Recreational kayaks are confusing to say the least when
it comes to picking a kayak for your kayaking trips. We have some
tips for you you to consider when buying your recreational kayak.
First off, a recreational kayak is a boat made for the "go out and
have fun kayaking purpose". This is for the average paddler
that has no intention of learning the kayak roll, a self rescue method for
bigger bodies of water or adversely big whitewater. These boats are
used for easy rivers, smaller lakes and ponds, fishing, or just enjoying a
canoe trip with your friends, you paddling a kayak as your boat of
choice. We have identified a few pointers that should help in your
selection.
Length is speed. This also means kayak length is
efficiency. A short boat might be good for the "little
woman" as an example, but she will have to paddle to keep up with you
in your longer boat. Keep that in mind when you are buying a boat
that will be joining you, or you joining others. A short boat is
fun, turns easy, but is a chop of a paddling effort to keep up with
others.
Keel ridge for lakes. The keel ridge down the
middle found on some boats is great for improved tracking, and helps in
wind. If you do paddle shallow shoals in a river however, and get
crossed up to the current and rocks as you go over the easy shoals of a
river, the rocks will catch that keel ridge and give you whip lash!
It will jerk the kayak and yourself as you hit that rock, and after making
it across that rock a little bit, you start to relax to find it hits and
surprises you! We do not recommend keel ridges on kayaks unless they
are for lake only.
Rocker from front to back makes a boat turn easier, but
also makes it a little slower. If you want to be able to make turns
in rapids or have tight bayous, we do recommend rocker from front to back,
(the curve like a rocking chair). If you want to show up your sales
person that you are working with, set the boat on the ground, ask him if
the boat has rocker, then stick your toes or foot under the front and back
of the boat. Some boats have rocker in front only, and the more
aggressive boats for easy steering has rocker in the back also. Keep
in mind the rocker in a kayak will also make it wander, but if you stay in
the current throughout your trip, speed is not the only thing of
importance. Rocker makes it easy to steer, but not track so
well. No rocker makes it faster and more efficient, but more
difficult to steer.
Cockpit size is for comfort, or a tight fit. Why
would I want to have a tight fit you ask? You can lean your kayak
for better control if you choose to pull the sides with hips and
knees. With a small cockpit however you would probably get out of
your boat every 45 minutes or so, so that your stiff legs can get some
circulation from that tight kayak fit.
Room for gear in your kayak is also a
consideration. One must keep in mind that you pack a kayak, backpack
style. This means keep the gear small. Leave the steel cooler
at home and go to soft side coolers. Leave the lantern at home and
use a headlamp, as well as camp fire if allowed in your area. Tricks
to pack light are utilized, as a backpacker can take as much as they need
and wear it on their backs like a turtle. For them to have a kayak
to toss their gear on is a huge rest on their legs, and any size kayak
would be workable for a multi day trip. If you are a backpacker, to
pack your kayak would be easy, moving your gear to the kayak with dry bags
and adding the luxury of the soft side coolers and containers for water.
Are any Kayak hatches dry, even with bulk heads or
panels in the boat? Don't count on it. Use dry bags to keep
your gear dry in your kayak.
What about the kayak cross section or width. This
will add stability, and give you room for your hips both. If you
look at the cross section of the kayak or beam of the kayak as it is
called in the paddling industry, look at the flatness of the bottom and
the roundness of the sides of the bottom. A shallow v hull kayak is
fine if it feels tippy on the showroom floor. It will sit in the
water and you will only feel that advantage of the shallow v as a tracking
aid for your kayak. The sides of the bottom however if has some
width to it, as well as a harder rounded side will give initial
stability. A wider kayak bottom area will give you stability as well
as allow you to look around and not concentrate on the balance all the
time. You can relax a bit!
Foot braces. Kayak foot braces are a must in our
opinion, so that you can apply pressure to the foot brace and allow your
paddle pushes and pulls to be more effective.
Seat height. A tall seat when leaned back on does
make balance more difficult, but can kick back like a recliner when in
pools and just "hanging out". Keep in mind you will want
to be in a forward position when paddling and concentrating on balance,
say through an easy rapid bend, as the hips will let the boat move and
move with the boat, and your head and shoulder balance will keep you
straight up in your kayak, and improve control a lot! Let the hips
pivot, and you shall be a pro, even using a little body English and allow
yourself to balance with pressure to one hip or another. You will
find seat height is lower in technical boats for this reason, and higher
in easy stable boats. A taller seat is not a bad thing, if you can
sit up with good posture, butt back in the seat and feet braces utilized.
Short boats, are an absolute blast for surfing class one
rapids, finding a glassy wave, and once you ferry your kayak into it by
using boat angle to the current direction, (pointing kayak upstream), you
can slide right in that rapid wave and surf all day long! It is such
a blast. Watch for rocks under the surface, and be careful doing
this. Work your way up to it, and know you can get hurt if you
spill. Use your good judgment! We also start kids in short
boats too, as again they are super easy to turn compared to a long
boat. Just keep the trip short for them! They will be worn
out, and it is not their fault.
Sit on tops are wet rides, so keep that in mind.
They are also more buoyant for lakes or bigger water, so that if tipped
over, it can be flipped and used as a floatation device, unlike a sit
inside. Sit inside kayaks if spilled out far from shore will not
help you at all. You are in for a big swim! That can be
dangerous. Lakes are warmer water so a wet ride kayak might not be
that bad. Rivers are colder water if spring fed, but on hot summer
days, that might be just fine! Sit insides can lengthen your season,
also a good thing if you want to stay warmer and dry. Be much more
cautious in cooler weather, and do not take the risks you would in warm
weather. Have a way of getting dry and warm with clothes, a towel,
and protect your body heat in cool weather outdoor situations.
Do I need a skirt for my kayak? Great for weather
changes, great for keeping warm as a cool front can change things for
sure, quickly! Sure!
Can I take my kayak on the "Missouri
River?" Bigger water is dangerous if you see the top of the
water looking sedate, but the bottom has undertows. We never
recommend big water CFS or cubic feet per second unless you are with a
rescue savvy group, and know what you are doing. The Missouri River
is not recommended for any beginner! Nor is big bay areas or
extremely large lakes with channels. Again this is no place for a
beginner! A kayak roll is suggest to learn in bigger water of any
kind whether it be bay or lake, or big cubic feet per second rivers.
Be careful out there!
We have a saying; "A day in an area is better than
passing through it". Shorter trips are so much more fun, for
playing around, hanging out on the river or lake beaches, and you do not
get as tired getting out at the end of the day. Enjoy our outdoor
sport time in your kayak, and get out of the car for a while. You
can paddle a kayak where ever there is water! That is very nice for
sure! You have a boat! Most of all, please be careful out
there! Wear your life jacket, and do easy stuff first, and work your
way up to the rivers. Do not get too far away from shore if you are
in a lake situation, as if you spill, you must make it back to
shore! Just keep that in mind! Contour if you like, keeping a
safe distance to that shore. Any lake channel is most likely big
water. Make sure you can swim it! Paddle with a buddy or
someone that can help you, or get help. Lastly, have fun out there!
|
