Looking at Kayaks
 

I've been selling off every part I don't need, haven't installed, or have extras of for one reason: To spend more time with my family.

I'm tired of devoting so much time and effort to a machine that will never return my love. Jk, seriously just tired of being out in the garage wrenching when I should be with wife and daughter. I used to get upset they wouldn't let me get things done, and this was why I always left things half-finished or sloppy. But really I've been trying to do too much. I don't need a 300whp Miata.

I'm going to leave my car as-is, clean up some things and keep it reliable.

I'm also going to find more things we can do together as a family. First idea I came up with that made a lot of sense was to start kayaking. We live in a lakefront neighborhood, but not on the water. I can walk back to the ramp, and often take my daughter down there just to sit by the water and throw bread to the ducks.

I don't want a boat. At. All. But figure I can wheel a kayak the two blocks to the water pretty easy, and it's low maintenance and good exercise.


So I start looking and find this deal:

APEX 130 T KAYAK

Which I can pretty much afford now. It was actually $350 over the weekend, and just saw the price went up. I'm going to kill my wife on that one.

She saw it in store and didn't like it. So she gets online and starts researching and decides on this:

Hobie Kona Deluxe Kayak - Austin Kayak - Product Details

That's right, a friggin' $1100 plastic board.

I'll admit, I read up a lot on both (and others), and the Hobies are bad ass. She says if I'm going to get into it we might as well get something quality, as long as I stick with it.



Anyone here kayak?...know what boats are good?

I'm pretty well pegged to a tandem sit on top, and there aren't too many options.

Last time I kayaked it was flood levels on the James. I was used to riding in a long balanced eddy runner, but the day I went out the only thing I could use was some trick kayak that didnt feel balanced to me. Suffice to say the day ended up with my face on a rock upside underwater, then the 2 miles it took to be able to get back to land because the current was so strong was the end....never went back out again!

sorry im no help, I just like the hear myself 'talk'

one of my coworkers is a kayak instructor...

he'll probably call in sick today to go play in the water 3' above flood level.

I have a single Old Town sea kayak out of LL Bean and love it. It been great despite the neglect I have heaped on it on a few occasions as I was moving. It was a (fucking awesome)Christmas gift. I like sitting down in the boat rather than on it, but I also dont do river rapids. I like to cruise lakes and fish all day. It also can hold a surprising amount of cargo. I once went camping with it in a water filled canyon (Blue Ridge Res. in AZ, its pretty badass.) and towed a cooler behind it :LOL:

Kayaks are not cheap, but if you are paddling around with your kid on a lake you dont really need a super high quality boat.

You carry any kayak I have ever seen very easily, you dont even need a dolly or anything. I used to carry mine about 100 yards from where I parked to a lake all the time, and I'm not exactly a body builder.

Gosped, I think a medium sized canoe would give you more flexibility to paddle with one, two, or three than a sit on top two place. A two place is a little difficult to paddle with just you in it, if you just want to get out and have a quick puff :). Plus, I would think it would be hard to get you, your wife, and the little one on it. The canoe can sit three easily, and it would be very stable with three in it.

I would suggest you rent a canoe and then rent a sit on top, then see what you like best. I've got quite a bit of time in a canoe, both tandem and solo, so I'm biased. I'd bet you could get a nice used canoe for $600 or less.

I'm kind of against the idea of a canoe. We used to have one at my parent's and I hated it. Not really, it was fun for slow cruising, but I want to go a little smaller and lighter. I know I can't port a canoe by myself.

I'm also looking at the kayak for exercise. I like the idea of a two sided oar, and the Hobie has seats that can move to the center when going solo.

I'm still just not sure it's worth paying more than twice as much for a first kayak.

That's the kind of thing I'd just watch Craiglist for...or post a WTB ad for. You know somebody has got a kayak or canoe sitting or hanging in their garage, taking up space. Show up with $100 and your kid with you wearing a life jacket, and be happy.

Haha....been trying for a week. The one guy with a good tandem has posted it 3 times, but hasn't gotten back to me after 4 emails and 3 phone calls.

Bought her a good (cute) lifejacket Saturday, planned on bringing her for a ~$100 discount.

You're right though...need to be patient.

Definitely watch Craigslist for a kayak.

I haven't done a lot of open water kayaking, I do have a whitewater kayak (pyranha 4-twenty) and I have to say that a whitewater kayak on open water is about as useful as a shitstain on a tuxedo jacket. That being said, its an absolute blast to be able to turn the world 'off' and enjoy a little peace.

But yeah, get a secondhand kayak if you're just looking to start-up on it.

And in regards to your car:
Damn Quitter!

Also, a properly fitted jacket is essential. If it's off the day tends to be pretty miserable. If it's on its no big deal.

I bet you see some kayaks on CL over the next few months. People will start doing more than just pulling into/out of their garages and start getting into their storage sheds etc and clean out stuff. That and many people figure that they wil get a better price in spring.

My family owns a canoe rental with 250+ canoes and kayaks. By far the most common and best quality kayaks I see customers bring in are made by Perception. That being said we use jackson and old town.

Old town otter's are nice other than Old Towns quality control is currently poor at best. We own mostly old town canoes and kayaks, but they are switching to catering to places like outdoor world and there boats arent built good anymore. We now use jackson kayaks which are nice. Older oldtown kayaks are built better. (At least 2 years old). I would not buy any of there stuff new now.

Theres alot of good boats out there just make sure they arent made with cheap plastic. Personally I enjoy canoeing just as much if not more than kayaking. Just get a canoe made out of plastic (polypropelene), not aluminum, and youll have an enjoyable time.

BTW new canoes arent cheap especially aluminum. You can get an entry level kayaks much cheaper. Just pick up some used stuff on craigslist.

Honestly alot of people have troubles with tandem kayaks, we used to have them and many people found them difficult. Canoes or seperate kayaks are probably a better bet. I bet you would enjoy seperate kayaks best. Sit on tops are awesome other then when its cold.

If your smaller 175lbs or so or less Id try to find a used old town cricket. Which is a good cheap kayak.
We use alot of Jackson Rivieras which are nice for someone larger also. I think youll enjoy sit on tops alot. It doesnt have to be that expensive of a hobby unless you want it to be.

Good to know, thanks. Mine is now ~4 years old. Perception makes some economical stuff relatively speaking:

Products - Perception Kayaks

yeah, we placed an order for 30 old town kayaks last year and over half of them had small holes in them along the seam from where they were formed. Thats bad when new boats are delivered with holes.

-2 pieces molded together - (sit on tops)

You could also tell the plastic was thinner visably than there older stuff. Weve had some other issues with Old Town but I wont go into detail.

Yeah, any of those perception kayaks would be fine Im sure.

You've obviously never had a good canoe. A decent strip-built canoe is like 50 lbs, and by changing the profile (under water) you can have one that tracks great, turns great, super stable, super tippy, whatever. Water line length is what gives speed. Longer = faster.

Same with kayaks, really you should rent some good stuff before you plunk down real money. Anything that is made of fiberglass is going to be heavy unless it has a core of something else. Molded plastic also sucks.

Thanks for all the advice guys....but I'm doing this about like I did motorcycles:

Buy something decent I can afford to start with, figure out what I don't like about it, and then go buy what I really want.

Of course it helps that I found a $250 deal on CL last night...

Sit-on-top Kayak for pressure washer

I really wasn't looking forward to selling off parts to pay for that Hobie, so I'll start saving up now for when we're ready to upgrade next spring.

Congrats!

Thanks man...I'm psyched.

Was gonna pick it up last night, but guy said his kids were at Grandma's...so I said "awesome...see ya tomorrow." :bowrofl:



I hear you guys on the lifejacket. Got a good comfy one for my daughter, and was looking at a BodyGlove for myself, but didn't want to spend. Now that I think about how much every stroke will suck once a cheapie starts chaffing, I'm gonna go get a nice one.

slightly NECRO

How has the kayak worked out? Have you used it much? Any whitewater use, or only the lake?

No experience with this, but I am watching this thread. I have also been toying with the idea of a kayak. Pretty fun, and good exercise. I for sure wouldn't do a canoe.

Damn, I never updated this, but commented in other threads.



We did meet the guy with the Pelican 116 DLX. Kayaks was new, I mean still had the stickers on it new. Came with a real paddle, curved, adjustable and extendable, and a cart.

I mounted some solid hooks in the garage, and it hangs there, easy to lower onto the cart, which just uses two straps and I can wheel it down to the boat ramp (2 blocks away). I put my daughter in the seat, slightly forward of where I position the cart, and carry from the front. The cart folds up and goes on the back deck while we're paddling, with my daughter in front of me.

The kayak didn't track very well, and the first few days we didn't go far because I got frustrated chasing the thing around. I made a custom skeg for it, a "box" design with two uprights, and a plane connecting them at the bottom. Worked like a charm. The third day we went out was windier than the previous two days, and yet it tracked straight as could be. We crossed our little bay, paddled out to an island, and hit 4.4mph according to the GPS in a show of brute masculine force.

We were going nearly every day, but semester projects, finals, and a turbo part-out kind hampered that. We started to get going again, but with work and childcare changes things have been up in the air.


Don't be afraid to buy a cheap kayak if you've read up on it, and may not mind making a few modifications to suit you.


No whitewater use since my daughter's young, but we may try a lazy river cruise. Great on the lake, but I haven't been out in rough swells yet. It's not as stable as a canoe, but once you acclimate to it it's pretty secure, and you start to enjoy the feeling of being "in" the water.

I enjoy paddling, and my daughter could not get a bigger kick out of being on the water. It's a battle to go back to shore each time. Her saying "no, that way" as the bow comes around, and me decided how much further we can go out one more time before I won't be able to paddle back in...