The wife and I have rented kayaks for the last year and have decided to purchase a pair this year. After researching them, we settled on the Emotion Glide. However, we are having difficulty locating two Glides instock that aren’t overpriced or take weeks for delivery.
We selected the glide as it has a paddle holder, rigging, and a semi-v bottom. 90% of our paddling will be small ponds and lakes with only the occasional river (no whitewater). We have a budget of around $800 for both.
Can anyone suggest an alternative? Everyone has spoken so highly about the Glide and Edge, and I can’t source either locally.
Some of the available local ones are:
Old Town Vapor 10
Perception Impulse 10
Future Beach Trophy 126
Perception Sports Swifty 9.5
Future Beach Fusion 10
Old Town Otter
Perception Sport Rhythm
Have you considered the Ultimate
line from Native Watercraft?
swifty
I have a swifty. It’s safe dependable, not the fastest yak, but loads of fun.
Bought my first kayak one year ago
And I sweated out comparing all the different boats in my price range, trips to the store to look at them, pouring over the flyers every sunday.
Total waste of time.
Basically you’re like someone wanting to get start wine tasting brooding over the Midnight Train or the Mad Dog 20/20. I didn’t check every one on your list but a low end Rec boat is pretty much all the same. Big cockpit and no bulkhead, forget about eskimo rolls and paddling over the horizon.
Not saying they are bad boats but they are what they are - cheap boats to get on the water with. I own two of the swifty 9.5. Great boat lot of fun. gave them to the kids and bought a Potomoc 12 foot, little faster, great boat lot of fun, not so cheap, low end kayak. Then I bought a Potomoc 10 for my wife, I don’t think you can buy a cheaper boat. Great boat, lot of fun, cheap rec boat.
What you want to look at is how much storage you can reach while your in the seat. Get one with a bulkhead if you can. Put your money into a comfortable PFD ($80) instead of the $25 boating vest at wally world which will kill your back in a kayak, and buy a decent paddle. I’ve used the heck out of my cheap boats and am looking to upgrade to a touring boat but will still keep my rec boat for banging around the swamp in. But then again I like Mad Dog.
Like Jimmy says Breath in, Breath out, Move on. Buy a boat, get on the water.
i love my first boat.
Pick a boat in that price range based on the seat. That is absolutely the most important thing. It will keep you in the boat and enjoying.paddling. So then you will buy a more awesome boat later. All of them will be stable and slow. In an expensive boat the seat is really not important because that can be modified. But for a cheap boat spending more money to change it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. In my opinion and experience the simpler, less adjusting, and sometimes less padded seat is more comfortable. Cheap padding can always be added. Good luck
Ryan L.
Update
After contacting Emotion, I learned they currently have a 2-3 month backorder on every model. So I decided to switch gears a bit.
Pirateoverforty described a scenario that I’m sure is quite common in the paddling world. However, with me he was just a kittle off base. See I wasn’t drinking MadDog 20/20. We had been renting a pair of 12’ Daggers. I don’t know what the comparison is in the wine world, but I’m sure it’s not MadDog. So we decided to up out budget a little and go for a step above basic rec boats out of fear they may not satisfy us after using the Dagger.
We ended up settling on a pair of Pungos with Bending Branch Sunrise paddles. We spent more than we set out to spend, but hopefully the Pungo will satisfy us better than the others we were looking at.
Later,
Chrome…
Pungo good choice
very stable, great glide, good all around boat. If I was just starting out with the requirements you stated it would be my first choice.
Have fun with them!
Paul
With your budget, I would just get the
longest, lightest and cheapest!
Jack L
Are you the same size?
The reason I ask is that large guys or tall can find that the 10 footers plow water or are a tighter fit. They often find that hey need to go to a 12 footer.
You asked
for comments on a specific list of boats and specified a pretty small budget for two to begin paddling on.
If your gonna max out the credit card and go for the Cold Duck that’s always a nice option.
LOOK FOR USED BOATS, TOO…
All but one of our 8 boats was bought used, all were just fine, ditto for much of our other equipment as well.
Don’t forget that you’re not just buying a boat -or two, you’re buying a kayaking system…
You’re also getting two good (good=comfortable, non-chafing so you’ll wear’em) PFDs, two good paddles (they’re the extensions of the engines -you! -to the water, and it behooves you two to get good -not great, good -starter paddles and not those inefficient slab-sided cheap, heavy plastic and aluminum ones), a decent roof rack (it really makes it a LOT easier to transport your boats with a good one, and you can get them for a lot less, used) -and possibly saddles or similar -and straps, along with a dry bag or two to keep your car keys & cell phones and wallets and such nice and dry.
Don’t sweat not having a paddle holder -you can buy inexpensive nylon or plastic broom clips at the hardware store and screw them into the boat (and use ONLY stainless for the screws!) to make one for yourself if it’s something you really think you’ll really need.
Have fun with your new outfits, and may you have many years of joy on the water as you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami