I’m looking for a light touring kayak with decent foot room. I’m 6’0, 200lbs with size 13 feet. I’m looking for a boat around 12 feet. I spend my time on lakes, 1-2 class rivers and inshore areas. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Welcome. When you say light do you mean light weight or a kayak for doing daytrips and recreational paddling? Also a budget will be helpful.
You might check out the current design kestrels the 120 is fairly roomie and there is a HV 120 also
I go on 2-3 day trips, so light tours. I like lighter boats for their turn ability for my river trips. I tried the Eddyline Sandpiper 130 and found it a little tight but manageable. I’m looking at a Delta 12.10 but it’s challenging when you can’t sit in it
My budget would be as little as possible for as much as possible but I’m comfortable sub $2k
Look at the Dagger Stratos 12.5
The Delta is a nice boat. My son paddles a kayak with a lower deck height than the Delta and he has no problem with his size 12 feet. I would be worried about scuffing up the hull on rocks however.
WS Pungo .
Old Town Loon 126. https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/kayaks/recreation/loon-126
I have a 105, and I have loaned it to 2 friends both of which have very big feet. One wears a 12 and the other a 13-1/2. Both were fine in it, and they do make the same kayak in the 12-1/2 foot size.
If you want a touring style kayak I can’t say what to look at. Other then making one (or having one made) foot room seems to be a problem in man y of them for men with big skis as feet.
I intend to start making kayaks in the next 2-3 years and one thing I am going to address when I do is the very problem we are seeing because of this issue. But that’s not going to be for a while. I still have a 3 year deep back-log on my work, so I can’t start a “new job” for at least that much time.
What issues do you know of regarding thermoplastic boats and rocks? Is it prone to cracking and does cold conditions make it worse? Is it a scratch prone material? Is it easy to repair or are repair shops fairly easy to find? All the replies have referenced RM boats…
There are some discussions here that talk all about different kayak construction materials and the Pros and cons of each.
I use rotomolded boats because I spend a lot of time in rivers where bumping rocks and dragging in the shallows is normal.
Although I still cringe when I do hit / scrape a rock it is not as concerning then if I was in a themoformed or composite boat.
I wear a size 13 shoe. My feet fit fine in my Pungo 120 and my Dagger Stratos 12.5L FWIW
The Delta 12.10 is a much better boat than the Eddyline Sandpiper. Very stable and an excellent touring boat, lots of volume for your gear in the hatches. I can’t swear that your feet will fit in it, but Deltas have a deeper cockpit than Eddylines.
Thermoformed plastic is not a good choice for whitewater or very cold water. You don’t want to hit a rock at high speed, especially in cold water, with a thermoformed hull. It does everything else fine. Sometimes it’s hard for one kayak to meet all of your needs in various conditions. If you want to paddle whitewater, rotomolded plastic is the better choice, but it will also be heavier.
Any kayak will be pretty scratched up on the bottom after a couple of years. A thermoformed deck will hold up well to scratches and hold its shine well. Scratches can be repaired but after a while you won’t care so much about the bottom. Straight, even cracks can be repaired pretty easily on a thermoformed hull with heated patches—I did that on a 5" crack in the bottom and the repair has held well for several years now with no leaks. (I ran over a submerged tree stump in cold water.)
I highly recommend the Delta 12.10 if you fit in it and can find one. Their customer service can advise you about your shoe size.