Hello,
I am getting into kayaking and was wondering if anyone could help me.
I would like to buy a kayak for long trips and staying out for a weekend or longer.
I have been reading a lot of articles but everything is really confusing. Can an experienced kayaker help with some suggestions?
I am 6’2" and 200 lbs.
Thanks
Narrowing it down some more
Lets talk about will you do this on lakes, ocean, rivers ? All of the above ? Over night or day tripping ? Lots of people here can help you . Be patient, answers will come, you’re in the right place !
$$$$$$
The other big point that is usually missing from posts like this is some idea about the amount you have to spend. If your budget is $500 you will get a different recommendation than if your answer is $3,000. Get thee to a kayak shop, sit in a bunch of boats, paddle all that you can, and learn about what is available. I am about your size and really like my Eddyline Fathom as a good around boat capable of supporting me for a week in the wilderness.
David
Real simple
– Last Updated: Jul-20-14 10:43 AM EST –
If you were located in the USA, my suggestion would be to go for an NC Expedition, but since I just noticed you are in Germany and although you are a beginner, why fool around with intermediate steps, go for a Valley Nordkapp, or a P&H Cetus--the full-sized models.
Budget
I would like to stick around 1,000 dollars range can go a little over if need be.
More info
I live next to a river that is still, and has a lot of larger ships coming with supplies. I would think of camping overnight and sometimes just going out for the day to some random city along the river and coming back.
“getting into kayaking”
– Last Updated: Jul-21-14 11:16 AM EST –
What limited experience do you already have? What (type of) kayaks have you been in and feel relatively comfortable in? One type of kayak (close to your price range) would be a rotomolded 14 footer, around 24" wide, with front and rear hatched compartments, deck lines (see for example a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 though there are many others in this category).
Another category could be 16 to 17 foot long, maybe 22" wide, would be faster, glide nicely, but some beginner folks consider these too unstable (though a person with reasonable balance and confidence on the water gets used to it in a hurry). In a river with large shiops, I suspect wakes can get big -- best to learn to roll or at least self-rescue (are you planning to solo trip?).
Venture
Venture is a division of well known British kayak maker P & H – it is their moderately priced rotomold plastic line with designs based on some of their higher end boats like the Delphin. Their Jura and Capella models (they have several sizes) are nicely outfitted sea kayaks for a decent price that perform very well in rough water. I’ve had one of their smaller kayaks (the 15’ Easky 15LV) for several years and it’s one of my favorite touring boats of the dozen or more kayaks I’ve owned or rented.
Great kayak for camping …
Perhaps you can find a used boat in Germany in your price range… very good boat for camping trips and very seaworthy. I have done trips on the Pacific Baja Coast with this boat.
http://www.prijon.com/produkte/tourenkajaks/schnelleeiner/kodiak.html