Kayaks

[Lohman446]

Ok, I have decided I need a Kayak, I would like a two person one for me and my daughter. Some light river stuff, there is no white water rivers around here to speak of, and some open water (Lake Michigan). Anyone got any experience, point me to things I should know, etc.?

[mr.mag218]

don't get one, they are a slow plastic death trap. i tried one where you legs go in and flipped. i thought i was going to drown cuz i couldn't get back out. those things were built by satan, save yourself the trouble and get a jet boat. its faster and more fun.

[BobTheCow]

don't get one, they are a slow plastic death trap. i tried one where you legs go in and flipped. i thought i was going to drown cuz i couldn't get back out. those things were built by satan, save yourself the trouble and get a jet boat. its faster and more fun.

I think if he's asking specifically about a kayak, he knows that he wants a kayak.

[Lohman446]

My parents already have supercharged Seadoos that I can take anytime I want, boats, and various other things. They don't have a kayak... so I don't have access to one...

[maxama10]

well personally id reccomend two one person recreatinal ones...but if youre sure then here is a nice tandem touring kayak from dagger http://www.dagger.com/product.asp?Bo...=DC&BoatID=136

and heres one from perception http://www.kayaker.com/new/products/...day_tour&ID=87

good luck

[mr.mag218]

My parents already have supercharged Seadoos that I can take anytime I want, boats, and various other things. They don't have a kayak... so I don't have access to one...

hey man its your funeral, your safer on them supercharged seadoos man have fun slowly dying rather then flying into another boat or just snaping your neck.

[maxama10]

hey man its your funeral, your safer on them supercharged seadoos man have fun slowly dying rather then flying into another boat or just snaping your neck.

umm i have a kayak and ive been in plenty of kyaks and ive flipped kyaks and never had a problem escaping under-water...so i dont know what youre talking about but youre dead wrong...

[maxama10]

Here is a previous thread on kayaks

http://automags.org/forums/showthrea...ghlight=kayaks

[Ole Unka Phil]

Ok sit back and let old Unka Phil tell ya a story...

Ole Unka Phil went through a stage of his life as a River Rat. Up on the Chattooga River. Running all stages of the thing in all sorts of boats. Including K1's and C1's (K1 is a Kayak one man and C1 is a Canoe one man). My first wife worked for a company called Perception. Bill Masters, the original president and founder was a neighbor of mine. And he devloped the "roto mold" process that most Kayaks are made from today. They used to mainly be Fiberglass and some even skin or fabric drapped. Now they all are plastic but this guy made the first ones that could take a beating down a Whitewater Rapid. And his company has now changed hands and grown and swallowed up by bigger and bigger. Dagger was one of the ones included. Dagger used to just make Paddles. Bill Masters and Perception just made boats. They used to work together. then they all grew and now I forget what all they call em now...

Anyway I digress... I ran boats and rafts down that river in the 70's and early 80's. I was a lot younger then. Could do it. Could not today.

But only once did I ever do any Kayaking outside of whitewater. And that was a K2 (Kayak 2 man). It was a lot of fun. It was in Surf. At the beach. With a fellow Kayaker who also had a lot of whitewater experience. We enjoyed that as the Surf was storm surf and really beat us up.

I have never done any lake Kayaking. I have done some C2 Canoe in that relm. So I cannot really recommend a lake Kayak but I would assume you want a Decked boat for some reason? Problem with a Deck boat (with or without spray skirts) is you have to roll em back up. And with your daughter you would have to learn to roll as a team. Especially if you want to use spray skirts. And then the advantage of a Kayak comes into play. Its not going to swamp. You can fill it with floatation bags and put spray skirts on and its unsinkable.... as long as.... you know how to roll it back up. If you don't, your screwed. You have to tug your spray skirt off and abandon the upside down Kayak. And then struggle it to the shore and manage to empty water out of two holes. Not as easy as dumping a Canoe out. So...

If your not going to be able to roll. And so then not going to be able to take advantage of the purpose of a Kayak... don't get one. They are too much trouble to empty and upright if your going ot have too. You DO NOT want to have to bail out of a upside down Kayak and then have to get it ready again. They are made to not do this. They are made to turn over and the operator (or operators in a K2) roll them back upright with his/thier Paddle. Never getting out and using a Spray skirt to keep water out while he does this.

For the lake? If it's not rough water where you would perhaps turn over.... get the Canoe.

[skriptal]

kayaking can be fun

I did some kyaking on lake in NH, I got pretty good and eventually learnded how to roll and stuff, any ways you probably want a touring kayak or a rec one. Rec kayaks usually don't have the top, those are less fun if you ask me. Touring kayaks are for paddling around a lot.

[MoeMag]

www.REI.com

[wanna-b-ballin']

maybe a canoe might be safer because you dont get trapped. i personally want a kayak though also.

[Muzikman]

don't get one, they are a slow plastic death trap. i tried one where you legs go in and flipped. i thought i was going to drown cuz i couldn't get back out. those things were built by satan, save yourself the trouble and get a jet boat. its faster and more fun.

That is the biggest load of horse dung I ever heard. If you have ever been kayaking you know very well that you have to hold yourself in, not the other way around. On the other side, just learn to roll and all is good.

[Muzikman]

As for rolling a flat water boat, it's near impossible. I would not worry about needing to try and empty a kayak while on a lake, as the likelihood of needing to do it would be slim to none. You also really don't even need a spray skit for flat water. The only water you'll get in your boat is what drips off the paddle.

My suggestion is to get two single kayaks if your daughter is old enough. If not, get one cheap tandem and wait until she is to get a better boat. If you want a tandem boat, look at the Old Town's. They are decent but cheap. If you want a better boat, look at Ocean Kayaks. If you want to go one step above them, look at Perception (or dagger, but perception makes a better flat water boat IMO). If you want to get a great boat, look at Northwest Kayaks. Remember, a Kayak can range from $200 to $2000+.

Also, be sure to not skimp on the PFD, a cheap or not properly fitted one can be very uncomfortable.

[CameraGuy]

I would suggest looking around to see if you can find somewhere to rent a kayak similar to what you're looking to buy so you can try it out with your daughter before you go out and buy a boat.

My Dad has a whitewater boat I've messed around with a bit on various lakes and calm rivers (I never had a chance to practice rolling it, and I was too young for whitewater when he was active in the local kayak club).

We rented another 1 man and a 2 man lake boat for a day trip around a lake with some relatives who wanted to give kayaking a try - nothing too exciting, but they were fun to play around with.

Its more of a comfort/personal preference thing, but if you don't already have PFDs or really get into kayaking, it would probably be worth picking up PFDs designed for kayaking - they're considerably shorter than one designed for canoeing or powerboats, and much more comfortable because they don't ride up or get caught on the sides of your kayak.