Looking for that Boat! Research shows touring and sea kayacks are the same but also, are not the same. Lol. Can someone break this down?
I trie to cover this way back when in an article in California Kayaker Magazine. Can be read online at California Kayaker Magazine - South West's source for paddlesports information. Issue #10. Article on basic types of kayaks.
Basics are (as I see it) “sea kayak” covers a type of boat, and means the same as both touring and day touring. A kayak with a cockpit someone sits in and usually uses a skirt to seal that is longish and narrow and generally (now at least) has 2 or more bulkheads and hatches. Touring is generally sea kayaks that are 16 feet and longer. Day touring under 16’.
Great explanation by Peter-CA. Only thing I will add is that manufacturers describe their kayaks however they want…and it may or may not be close to the above guidance.
You must have an idea of what you want (usually gained through experience) and not blindly accept how a manufacturer markets their kayak (which is common among new paddlers).
I would consider an Epic 18X to be a touring kayak but not a sea kayak, optimized for flat water vs waves. Never the less people use them in oceans all the time and the same hull is used as a surf ski.
I agree manufacturers don’t help.
My take -
Sea kayak - as in something you would actually take into large open water including the Great Lakes.
Must have at least two bulkheads, perimeter line (rope around the front and back that you can hang onto in case of a capsize). Can have skeg or rudder but usually has one. Smaller cockpit, so that a skirt can keep it dry against dumping waves. Usually skinnier than the starting “touring” boats because that is part of the overall hull design that leaves it better able to recover from waves without capsizing. Usually a lower deck to make it easier to get back in from the water. And the smaller cockpit means the boat takes on less water in a capsize, so it is possible to dump most of it before getting back in. (You will get the details on that when you do some training.)
Within sea kayaks there are “day” boats, meaning one that is more like 16 ft long (really 16 ft and some inches), and “expedition” boats., meaning one that is more like 17 ft or so long. The latter is intended for long trips involving a lot of camping out, so has the greater capacity for gear. Most people these days only need the “day boat” length. the extra foot os another foot of weight to get on and off the roof of the car.
Day Touring, used to be called Transition boats but that apparently was too clear…
May or may not have waterproof compartments front and back. May or may not have full perimeter line, often just some. Usually a bigger cockpit because designers don’t expect it to be in big dumping waves. Usually a bit wider - more like 24" to 26"rather than 22". The greater width goes with a boat that can handle some waves but is not going to be your friend when things get bigger, like when the waves and your head seem to be the same height. Usually a taller deck, because the designers are hitting a market for people afraid of a capsize rather than making sure they can get back in should it happen. Taller decks and bigger cockpits especially with smaller people are not a recipe for making it back in should you capsize.
Then there is the stuff like the Epic comment above. Within the category of sea kayaks, there are ones tuned to specific purposes that would not be a happy match for a paddler who wanted to go out just to paddle, not to achieve speed or record crossing times. They often also don’t turn without strong encouragement from the paddler. Not a great choice for a first sea kayak for most.
And yes, I have a lousy attitude about kayak ads that talk vaguely about boats having full touring capabilities when they don’t unless the environment is a contained, flatter situation.
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See, not clear lines. Same but not the same. I would consider the 18X to be a sea kayak, fully roll capable and with sufficient storage to take ocean going trips, seaworthy enough for what you may encounter, but you are right. The design concept was actually born out of racing. Everything about it was based on a racing boat being re engineered for touring. Actually an olympic sprint racer’s idea of a sea kayak.