hey all, looking to buy a kayak and need some advise. i used to have a 14’ sit-inside, and looking for a sit-on-top now. i’ve found a 9’ mainstream jazz, and i’m hoping it’s big enough for me because it’s in my price range. problem is i’m 6’ tall and about 250 lbs. while looking at another friend’s kayak he’d sell me it has a label that says 250lbs max. what’s the worst that can happen here? i’ll be boating in still water around the boat harbor primarilly.
help a new guy out, please!
9’ SOT’s
generally do not track well at all. A paddle draw on one side will make the boat swerve considerably to the opposite side, etc., etc.
We have 5 adult SOT’s and one 9’ OK Kea for our 8 year old grandson, besides several Sit insides.
Most likely, at your heigth and weight, a boat will sit lower in the water and be quite slow.
Two of our SOT’s are Ocean Kayak Capers (11’)and my son and friends use these and like them as they track much better than the shorter boats we had. One grandaught has an OK Scrambler which she likes. OK now makes an OK Scrambler XT or XLT which is slightly longer.
My favorite is a 14’ Heritage Sea Dart. It’s a heavier boat due to its length, but for me a great ride and has hatches with storage. I purchased it used from a rental vendor 4 years ago for $325.
Word of advice–Try before you buy. You’ll be glad you did as everyones torso, paddling style, your reach and just the way your body moves is unique from everyone elses.
Good luck in your search. Hope this info helps.
Check out p-nets classifieds. Great resource.
Happy paddling and have a great time.
in addition
The prior poster has good points related to length, and great recommendation to paddle before you buy.
In regards to weight - if you slightly exceed the max weight, you likely will not sink the boat. What will happen is the boat will change its performance in ways that the manufacturer wouldn’t recommend. Maybe its stability will change. Or it will bog down (so not paddle well). Not something that is published, so there isn’t any way to know except to paddle it.
I’m about your size
and I;d go with a 12 or 14 footer minimum unless you are just poking around. Paddling a 10 foter on flatwater is a chore and being on the heavy side makes it more so.
I can recommend a 14 foot Manta Ray if youwant to go SOT or a Pungo 14 which is a recreational SINK, but a nice one.
Big guys need bigger boats.
jim
Buy 14 feet or longer
Unless you are strictly a whitewater paddler a 14 foot or longer kayak is almost always better. It has more capacity, it tracks better, it is much faster than something shorter.
Lots of good 14 footers for heavy folks that are SOT’s
Try the Bic Scapa (only 50 pounds!), WS Tarpon 140 or 160 (Heavy but comfy), Hurricane Phoenix 140 (Great all a rounder), and many more.