Kayaking Newbie Question

[EagleFan]

Recently I tried kayaking for the first time and absolutely loved it (though I felt it big time in my arms the next day). One of my friends mentioend that if I got a kayak he would also get one and I could keep mine at his house (I live in a condo development and have no place to keep it at all).

The question now is just what kind of kayak do I get.

I am pretty certan that I want to go for the sit in kind as opposed to the sit on. Our idea are to basically use them to get in a little excercize and take in some sights; casual kayaking I guess it could be called.

Any recommendations on brands, models, sizes, etc...

What should I look for and what should I avoid?


Thanks in advance.

[CleBrownsfan]

A few years ago I went to Dicks Sporting Goods and they have a pretty decent selection for a fair price. You could spend thousands of dollars on a yak but I went with just a simple Old Town Otter Kayak to start. I'm glad I did 'cause I don't go as often as I want/should.

hxxp://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2228183&cp=2367826.2672651.2674153.2291570&pg=2&parentPage=family&searchId=2291570

[scooter]

Just a word of warning: if you can find one, take a class on proper use of your kayak before you go out on your own. My wife had taken a class and knew what she was doing. She talked me into trying it. She told me how to get in and out of it on land, but not things like bracing and water re-entry. We were on a fairly calm lake, but I was pushed over by a boat wake as I was turning. I almost drown, seriously. So I tell everyone that is thinking about getting into kayaking to look around for a class. The time invested may save your life. It also might be a good place to try out a few different types of kayaks to see what you like before you buy one.

[DaddyTorgo]

avoid: sharks

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

avoid: sharks

candygram

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

avoid: sharks

Or whales:

hxxp://youtube.com/watch?v=GHKsRETLPTY

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Or whales:

hxxp://youtube.com/watch?v=GHKsRETLPTY

well-played

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Or whales:

hxxp://youtube.com/watch?v=GHKsRETLPTY

Hahaha!! What the hell. I bet that whale was just waiting for the right time.

[cartman]

If you plan on doing any swift water kayaking, stay away from ones that have a collapsible frame. I was kayaking with my cousin a couple of weekends ago on the Guadalupe below Canyon Lake dam. Usually the water flow on the river is around 200 CFS, but because of the rain, the river was at 5000 CFS!

Anyways, we were having a blast, since the water was flowing fast, and we were the only people on the river. Usually this time of year there are hundreds of people tubing, but because of the high flow tubing is currently banned. As we approached a set of rapids, the current starred to turn the boat around. I was in the back, but wasn't able to steer at all, because over the course of the day, we'd gotten a bunch of water in the kayak, and the weight took away any control we had. The current ended up turning us around, with me now in the front facing upstream. I tried to grab a tree, thinking that if I held on, then the current would swing the front end of the kayak back around. It did start to work, but then somehting happened, and the middle of the frame hit the tree
sideways. When this happened, the frame buckled them snapped due to the force of the water, wrapping the kayak around the tree.

But the fun was just beginning. My foot got stuck in the broken frame, and I couldn't get free. My cousin got dunked and washed downstream about 10 yards. Once he got his bearings, he made his way back to me, the kayak and the tree. He tried lifting the boat, but due to the strong current, it would barely budge. I was trying to kick the frame with my free foot, but the current was so strong, I wasn't able to generate any force into it. At this point I was starting to get a little worried.

After about five minutes, I was finally able to wiggle my foot a little, and I made a big push and was able to get my foot free. It hurt like hell, but thankfully it wasn't broken, just sprained really bad. We tried for a little while longer to save the boat, but it was a lost cause. We were about 5 miles upstream of the car, on the wrong side of the swift moving river from the road. We bushwhacked up the hill and followed the river until we found a bridge that got us back on the side of the river with the road.

It was a blast.

[CleBrownsfan]

Cartman - that sounds like a blast - lol

[cartman]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Cartman - that sounds like a blast - lol

Yeah, it was a lot of fun, at least for the first three hours. Then it was 15 minutes of terror, followed by 15 minutes of "Oh shit, what did we just get out of??!!??", followed by two hours of "God damn, it is a long walk back to the car".