kayak
First off canoes dont weight less. first off theyre way wider than kayaks overall,with much higher freeboard and seats and guwales and all.
Sure, high end layups can be about 50 lbs,but most are significantly more weight than that. And way more awkward on land. Kayak-just toss all your gear in it,throw it over the shoulder and go(long as it all weights under 75 lbs)
Btw a Prijon beluga would probably be good for your purpose since thats what its made for, if you can find one it’ll be cheap. R5 should also be good.
kayaks lighter than canoes?
thats a sweeping statement. might need to research that…there are a lot of different canoes and kayaks.
You must be very strong if…
you can throw a 75 lb loaded kayak on your shoulder and take it to the water. I would say that you are way above average for strength and fitness. I can’t even comfortably carry a 30 lb kayak on my shoulder, though, so I’m probably weaker than the average paddler.
I think that you may be unfamiliar with canoe options if you think they’re always heavier than kayaks. Many fast solo canoes are available in weights as low as 25 lbs and often cost less than kayaks in a similar weight range.
canoes
Ok i wouldn’t really wanna shoulder carry 75 lbs more than a few hundred feet, but i carried 65 lb of boat and stuff for a block or 2 a couple times and would again if i had to,though i ended up building a cart that made my life much easier for longer hauls. don’t really consider myself to be of any outstanding strength or nothing. I know there’s ultralight canoes out there but i still think throwing a kayak over the shoulder is a much easier way to carry everething to put in ,in one shot, than in a canoe unless you use a cart. That and featherweight canoes are usually almost as expensive as real kayaks and i would imagine more fragile.
thank you
For a moment there I was wondering what’s wrong with paddling my Pungo for exercise, seems to work for me. Even a long day paddling slow and leisurely should beat a day sitting in front of the TV or the PC. My Polar Watch thinks I burn more calories in the Pungo than in the recliner. Not sure how accurate it, don’t care, it is a guide and an inspiration.
I have three light weight canoes
A solo 18’-6" one that weighs 19 pounds
A tandem 18’-6" one that weighs 29 pounds
and a 17 foot tandem rec one that weighs 39 pounds
cheers,
jackL
JESSE-FITNESS OR WIMPNESS…???
All these otherwise well-meaning folks must not have really read that you wanted “fitness”…
I suggest a 65#, 12’ X 24" OK (Ocean Kayak) Malibu II.
It practically SCREAMS fitness!
We used to have one. We were kinda happy to see it go (it was stolen) because we -me in particular, as I was the one who paddled it solo -were a little tired of being so fit.
Putting on and taking it off the car is EXCELLENT anaerobic workout stuff I garan-damn tee you. Especially if you have a tall SUV.
Hauling it to & from the put-in/take-out is a masterful mix of anaerobic and aerobic conditioning.
And once on the water, ‘tis a revelation of the most extraordinary epiphany: that is one helluva WORKout boat, my friend.
You get into that M-2 in a 10-15 kt wind, a 1-2’ chop, and a steep current under a bridge with a lot od boat traffic, and you will most assuredly work your butt off, not to mention receiving excellent CV benefits. And your HEART? Let me tell you, friend Jesse, it’ll get a HUGE workout -especially as you battle the current, the washing machine, and the boaters (not to mention the occasional Herculean angler with a big surf rig who can cast a 8 to 16oz rig about a hundred yards or so off the seawall with all but invisible 40 or 50# mono).
You’ll return back to base knowing you’ve had one STELLAR workout. And that’s BEFORE the 3rd bout (or 4) of anaerobic strength training AKA putting the boat back on the car!
So kindly ignore the otherwise well-meaning but uneducated among us who suggest ultra lightweight stilettos of either canoes OR kayaks.
NONE of them will provide you with HALF the workout that an old OK M-2 will when you -TRULY-
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
…
…Have ta’ admit it, as far as working the abs, the rotational motion in using kayak spoons beats the single canoe paddle, that is…if you’re staying on flatwater. Once you get into WW in a canoe, crossing-over with the paddle & power hand/arm…to the other side…gets the abs into play more than flatwater, but there IS ab-work in flatwater canoeing, if you correctly make it that way, it’s just not of the scale that flatwater kayaking brings.
Frank, I believe I pointed that out,
just not as verbosely. The hardest paddle I have ever done was in a 12 SOT. Almost killed me. Only kayak I ever saw that created a real wake.
Ditto Frank & String!!!
If it’s a WORKOUT you want, heed the advice of Frank & String.
When paddling a pig becomes easy for you, start towing around a five gallon bucket.
Rowing is also a great work out. Same thing w/ the bucket.
Yak I dubbed that thing “pigboat”.
Scupper Frank is right!
You’ll get the workout of your life with an O.K. Malibu Two (by the way Frank erred on the dimensions, it is not 24" wide, but 34" wide!!!).
The point is, whatever kayak you use, you can paddle really hard. The difference is, in a Malibu Two, you’ll go a lot slower than with the same effort in a Seda Glider. If speed is important to you to keep it interesting, then go with the long, skinny boat, otherwise, as one poster already said, any boat will do.
Tony
Form
Well, there is the issue mentioned previously of the paddling form you’ll have with the wide boat being different that would you would have with a narrow boat.
So, the best solution is the racy narrow boat towing the 5-gallon pail.
Mike
Party Barge Fitted With A Stairmaster
This Canoe/Kayak debate would be enough to drive a newbie off the water and back into the gym. Any boat mentioned here will work, and then the next one will work better. Paddle well, have fun.
So how were the lower Keys?
Did you guys "paddle on " while you were down there?
Or just chill out and bask in your new found freedom ?
Cheers,
JackL
“Fitness” Mindset
In the local bicycling community I see two kinds of fitness riders.
There are the middle aged folks riding alone in the neighborhood before the sun comes up.
Then there are the folks who ride in groups who almost always wind up competing with one another.
If you’re a loner, it doesn’t matter squat what kind of vehicle you push. If you want to compete it matters a lot. (I’m fixin’ to go compete in a few minutes).