a good kayak for long trips down river

Hi Jamie
I think a kayak would be your best choice. The wind would be too much with a canoe.



The NDK Romney or other 16 foot boat would be a good place to start.



Do you have any place to take some beginner classes that will teach you the various strokes and how to self resuce, etc… ? That way you can practice these and build up your skill. You can google around and find most of this…



My concern is that if you take off on a long trip half cocked you won’t have good technique and could wind up injuring your shoulders or something.



Or you might be overwhelmed and become discourged thinking it’s all easy when it’s not.



I think two years of training would be on the fast track if you really applied yourself…



I had to switch my technique to avoid a shoulder problem…



good luck!

a good kayak for long river trips …

– Last Updated: Feb-22-09 10:49 PM EST –

...... might better be a canoe , just my opinion though .

nah , I put that badly , sorry ... what I meant to say was consider a canoe instead , fit it with a canvas and cockpit openning for extended weather conditions .

Also consider that the paddling part is probably no more than half the trip requirements , if that much !!

That was
just my assessment for anyone wanting to take a long trip.



I think the Romney would be a good place to start the discussion as to the kayak you need.



It takes a while for anyone to build up their skills and stamina. Just a 10 or 15 mile kayak paddle is not easy on your body. You want to sit up straight and use your lower back rotation and not so much your arms, so you are developing mussels. Maybe you can do all that a lot sooner? Just make sure you have the basic safety and skills covered.

classes
thanks for the advice…i see i got caught spelling canoe wrong.more than once…wow ha but besides all that about taking classes…yes i plan on doing some before the trip im not a newbie in the water but im not a pro but some insrtuction will be needed, anyone out there know of any places around San diego that have classes?

we’re making progress here
Sounds like no canoe and keeping the weight under 50 pounds.

I’m going to still recommend a 16 footer though, because putting all the gear and food you will need in a shorter boat is going to make it very sluggish. I’m also still recommending plastic. A damaged boat can end a long voyage quickly and the plastic will hold up to abuse that the others won’t A couple 16 footers to consider are the thermoformed Delta 15.5 expedition and the Eddyline Fathom. Another plastic boat that would fill the bill very nicely is the discontinued Enlightend Kayaks T-16 if you can find a used one. I did a long trip last year in one and it was super stable and carried more stuff than I needed and was very comfortable.

I train all winter on an eliptical trainer that exercies the same muscle groups you use in paddling a kayak. I combine that with small weights and yoga. About 1 hour per day is minimal I think. Then in the early spring I start paddling at least 5 miles per day at an exercise pace.

Some of my friends, however, don’t start training until the day of the trip when they get in the boat and start paddling. They claim they “toughen up” on the trail. What I see instead is they spend the whole trip being exhauseted and sore, popping IBP and moaning a lot.

I forgot to add weight training
If the difference between a 50 pound boat and a 60 pound boat is holding you back then consider this. I switched from 5 pound to 10 pound weight training and after a few months the heavier boats don’t bother me. Part of my exercise run each day is to practice lifting and carrying the kayak and putting it down gently. Excellent weight training and better boat handling all around.

Place for classes and other thoughts
For classes - if you are anywhere near San Diego, here. You won’t find any better.

http://www.aqua-adventures.com/



Preparation - Starting out with a long trip like this, you stand a significant chance of leaving yourself with a long term chronic injury if you don’t get some practice as well as conditioning in a proper forward stroke. You need a variety of training to avoid that, both in how to paddle correctly and time in a boat actually building your joints etc up to stand the work.



Boat attributes - Going solo, you either need a boat that is nearly untippable or some real time spent practicing capsizes and re-entry, along with a boat with full floatation, perimeter lines and your having habits like hanging onto your boat and paddle. It’d be a bummer if you capsized, lost hold of things and watched your boat and gear go down the river faster than you on day two or three of this trip. It’d also be a bummer if you capsized and watched your boat, if there aren’t bulkheads for and aft, point upside down in the water with you unable to do anything to retrieve the situation.



I am not certain that you are ready to acquire all of that in time for this trip. And as others have indicated, these features are much more assured in a boat slightly longer than you are thinking about than in the shorter end of that range.



I like the idea of a broader, less fast but maybe a little easier to handle craft. Maybe a foldable one with some of this going for it?



Overnights - You haven’t indicated that you have really picked out places for this. Right now the sense is that you plan to carry your boat and gear a fair distance maybe from the shore to stay overnight? Honestly, in that case you would be better off with a canoe if you can handle the craft.

Is this an aspect of the trip that is still to be fleshed out, like setting up primary and secondary camping spots where you know the services available in advance?



But first and first get yourself to the above kayaking place. Everthing said here will make a lot more sense the first time to have to do a self-rescue.

good advice
Celia can help get you set up in the right boat. It’s seems like people around here never agree on anything but a lot of times it’s a matter of personal preference.



good thing you are doing a lot of your own research as well… this is a good website that shows the different forward strokes and self rescue, etc…



http://www.atlantickayaktours.com/Pages/ExpertCenter/main-skills/Main-Skills-1.shtml



the more advanced kayaks are more tippy but don’t be discourged… it takes some time and practice and lots of fun… once you learn the basics it’s safe and fun…



I was an advance windsurfer and I had to start off just like anyone else. Even if you are well ballanced on a bike, it’s still different… and learning the right technique and a few classes here and there is the fast track to get where you want to be…




thanks
thanks for the site to the classes I took a look at it and it looks great…i still have time to train and get some classes in im not going on this trip till next year still in planning. thanks for the help everyone.

I do some time on the Miss. every summer
I don’t go that far, but if I did I’d take my QCC 400. It holds a ton and paddles like a dream. A previous writer suggested the 700, and while I’ve never paddled one, I think that would do nicely also.

you bet
you are lucky you are in an area that has good instructors… if you get a kayak with a spray skirt, you have to remember not to tuck the pull cord into the skirt, and you can be upside down so fast you have to remember to pull the cord… it’s easy but just weird when you are upside down in cold water…



you are thinking about so many things, such as how to get in the boat, then suddenly you are upside down…



that’s why it’s good to practice all these things, because it’s real easy once you do it and know what to expect… getting back in your boat and all that is no problem if you practice…



make sure to keep us posted

I’m gonna use . . .
. . . an Eddyline Nighthawk 16.

Try
New Eddyline Journey kayak.

Oh, and
I won’t be able to be at the JR since I’ll be out of town those dates!