I would caution you to not make a frequent beginner couple’s mistake with boat selection: don’t think you have to get her a boat 2’ shorter than yours just because you think a smaller person should have a shorter boat. Not true. In general, smaller volume or narrower makes sense but not shorter since she will have to work harder to keep pace with you if you start doing more than “floating” and are in a longer boat. Length generally affects glide. This isn’t across the board true, but if you are going to try renting Tsunamis I would suggest you BOTH try the 140 model and not disadvantage her by putting her in the 120.
A lot of boat rental liveries shut down after Labor Day so I would not count on being able to find one in PA that is still operating. Though with the extended summer we are still in that may be an option this year. 87 degrees today – very weird for the first week of October.
FWIW, my spouse was completely disinterested in learning to roll for quite a while while I was setting new records in our local club for how long it took me to get it. Like over a year. He felt that an assisted was enough, I was not personally comfortable with 2 of us messing around offshore in Maine without at least one having more than that in the tank.
His attitude changed when went to a two day training session and I (to my own surprise) nailed a roll when I missed a brace. The feedback at the end from the coaches was for me to get a roll on the other side and for him to get one to start with. After that he did so, albeit it drove me nuts that he got it quicker than I had. But regardless of how uneven the journey, by the end of that time both of us were safer on the water.
So don’t be surprised if you end up going deeper into skills than she does. Just do what makes you feel safe on the water and over time she may join you.
Touring for sure. Some advantages of the more recreational type boats is they could be smaller, lighter and easier to carry, especially if using plastic where everything is going to be quite heavy (but far more durable and not as expensive).
Pungos are great little boats; my brother in law bought a cheap 2nd hand one because he lives on a lake and has a few other lakes, swamps and rivers nearby. That’s what it’s for but they are terrible in wind and waves, trust me. I’ve been seeing a lot of people on sit on tops, reacreational or fishing kayaks; like you said, they don’t paddle much.
Touring gives you room to grow but if you get smaller ones you don’t spend that much more and they are not terribly heavier. If you get something like a pair Tsunami Wildnerness 120ish to 140ish type boats it won’t break the bank, you can get deals on 2nd hand boats but the capabilities are far higher. You’re not going to spend that much more, especially considering you want to explore larger bodies of water.
A lot of boat rental liveries shut down after Labor Day so I would not count on being able to find one in PA that is still operating. Though with the extended summer we are still in that may be an option this year. 87 degrees today – very weird for the first week of October.
I’ve already noticed this by calling around locally. One place in Hershey that would be open isn’t due to the lack of rain, but they don’t offer touring boats for rental anyway.
We can still rent Tsunamis at Blue Mountain Outfitters in Duncannon, but I don’t think they’d let us take them to another body of water for the weekend, so we’d be stuck doing the same 8 mile float down the Susquehanna that we just did in Pungos. I don’t think we’d be able to realize the capabilities of touring boats on that trip, but in the end just getting a couple hours in one may be more valuable than waiting to find a rental place on a lake that is still open and offers touring boats.
We are going to Cape Canaveral this November, and are planning to do a guided “wilderness” kayak tour. I seriously doubt that outfit will offer touring boats either, but maybe I can change things up and find a place where we can get out on a lake for a day.
Buy Marshall’s demo boats and ask for a lesson as part of the drop off. Marshall was my guru when I lived in CT, and my favorite yak is his the demo North Shore Ocean 17 that I bought four years ago.
@abz said:
Buy Marshall’s demo boats and ask for a lesson as part of the drop off. Marshall was my guru when I lived in CT, and my favorite yak is his the demo North Shore Ocean 17 that I bought four years ago.
Funny that I just found a YouTube video Marshall did about bulkheads in kayaks. I wish he was closer… I’ve neglected to mention to this point that I do have some disc issues with my back and a comfortable/supportive
seat and seating position will weigh very heavily on my purchase decision. For that reason I’ll probably need a few hours in whatever boat I end up buying before I pull the trigger on a purchase.
Marshall mentioned that he has some Venture Islay demos available to sell. I can attest to the comfort of the Venture seats (same as in my Easky 15LV). A good friend of mine who I often take kayaking has disc issues and she always prefers to borrow the Easky.
Personally, I prefer the performance of Venture’s models to the WS Tsunamis, which I find sluggish. One of my friends has a Tsunami 140 and I have paddled it several times and also rented them (they are common in rental liveries) . The Venture boats of similar dimensions are slightly narrower and have a sportier feeling hull. Also, the Venture boats come in LV (low volume) versions which would be better for your wife.
Funny that I just found a YouTube video Marshall did about bulkheads in kayaks. I wish he was closer… I’ve neglected to mention to this point that I do have some disc issues with my back and a comfortable/supportive
seat and seating position will weigh very heavily on my purchase decision. For that reason I’ll probably need a few hours in whatever boat I end up buying before I pull the trigger on a purchase.
Well then you should look at a Pygmy Pinguino sport. I believe they come from maybe 13 to 15 feet, beautiful wood, something to do over the winter, larger recreational boat cockpit for your ease of entry and movement plus lighter weight with back issues to think about.
Kind of a light touring / recreational blend with reasonable speed and higher stability. I believe you have two bulkheads and hatches.
If you were closer to Puget sound you could also test paddle at Pygmy boats but since they’re kits the only hours you’re likely to have in them before your first trip to the water is the 80 to 100 hours you’ll have into building it!
The Ventures now come with veritable Barcaloungers that should be supportive of your back. This feature will invite 'ye olde argument of tall back rests vs. sprayskirts and proper torso rotation but if you’re back is killing you you’re not going to care much about that sprayskirt nor technique.
I sent you a PM regarding some PA travel in my future.
Huh, that new Venture seat back is different. I kind of like the older convertible one on mine that I can keep folded down as a lumbar backband. But my friend with the vertebra problems likes to unfold it and use the full higher support.
Marshall, is that red tab for sliding the seat or the footpegs? I don’t have one of those either. But then my Easky is nearly 10 years old.
That is a nice feature. I can do that in my folding kayaks by altering the inflation of the seat but having a tab for instant change is very cool. When I use my rigid boat I carry a 2’ square of 1/2" Ensolite which I can fold or roll to add under my thighs to elevate them. Also gives me something to sit on during shore lunch breaks and a kneeling cushion when I have to adjust the foot pegs and flotation bags before launching.
I’ve bought kayaks that I found uncomfortable knowing this upgrade will fix it. It takes 30 seconds to secure the seat cover and found every boat so equipped it to be tied for most comfortable boat I’ve ever paddled. All the kayaks I paddle will have it, so they of course are all tied for first, I just keep putting it on whatever boat I’m paddling that day! Any boat with this upgrade should and will be that comfortable.
I wouldn’t build a wood kayak, not this early in your hobby. I did and regretted it. If you want light and stiff you can do better with a secondhand composite. The material, resource and especially time investment of building a wooden kayak is ENORMOUS. All this laborious process really does is open up the door for you to screw up in dozens of places you weren’t aware of and end up spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on something that’s not what you expected. You can buy a 2nd hand composite for what you spend for a wooden boat and you eliminate the hundreds of hours of work and turning your house into a hazmat area as well.
I think your Tsunami idea is wonderful to start. We have some and they are super stable even in 1-2 foot white caps and chop. They’re not exceptional; think of them as the family wagon type kayak. They will give you the room to grow, are pretty affordable when bought second hand, and they are so popular and easy to handle you can re-sell for close to what you paid 2nd hand as they are in demand. You may wish to do this when upgrading in a few years, or if you tire of this new hobby and find they are collecting dust you won’t lose much money at all. Or you can keep them as spares and the ease of handling makes them great backup boats to let your kids, grand-kids (depending on age and family status) or guests borrow.
@willowleaf said:
I would caution you to not make a frequent beginner couple’s mistake with boat selection: don’t think you have to get her a boat 2’ shorter than yours just because you think a smaller person should have a shorter boat. Not true. In general, smaller volume or narrower makes sense but not shorter since she will have to work harder to keep pace with you if you start doing more than “floating” and are in a longer boat. Length generally affects glide. This isn’t across the board true, but if you are going to try renting Tsunamis I would suggest you BOTH try the 140 model and not disadvantage her by putting her in the 120.
A lot of boat rental liveries shut down after Labor Day so I would not count on being able to find one in PA that is still operating. Though with the extended summer we are still in that may be an option this year. 87 degrees today – very weird for the first week of October.
This is true with a caveat: longer boats have higher potential speed but are less efficient when paddled below their top speed compared to a shorter boat.
Let’s say the 12 foot 120 Tsunami has a top speed of 3 knots, and the 140 has a potential top speed of 4 knots. At everything below 2.8 to 2.9 knots the 12 foot long will take less effort to sustain that speed as it has less wetted surface area thus less drag. Once you get close to a boat’s top speed then no matter how much more effort or power you apply you really can’t go much faster as the resistance to further speed will rise hugely, this is why a longer boat will require less effort at higher speeds and will be capable of being faster.
So if she only wants to go say 2.5 knots all the time, maybe she will be happier in the 120. Not saying this is the top speed but for comparative purposes this is how it works. Maybe a 20 foot kayak could have a top speed of 6 knots but going at 2-3 knots both the 140 and the 120 will take far less effort to move than the huge 20 foot torpedo kayak. Then again if you’re strong and fast you will find that a shorter boat gives you a “glass ceiling” past which no matter how much harder you paddle you won’t be able to use your extra strength and endurance.
I hear people talking about these all the time but despite the fact that I’ve been kayaking 15 years I never used one, I’ve never even seen one up close!
I hear people talking about these all the time but despite the fact that I’ve been kayaking 15 years I never used one, I’ve never even seen one up close!
Skirt’s obviously not needed for a surfski or SOT, but is handy to keep waves out of a touring/sea kayak.
