Be Honest with Yourself
Best to check out other bicycle racers and see what they are paddling. You can bet it isn’t some recreational kayak? They paddle top of the line boats, just like their bicycles. That are made of carbon fiber and weigh around 22 pounds. They’ll raze you down, if you show up on anything less than an elite boat. Get yourself a used intermediate surfski racer or if you got the confidence, start out with a used elite ski and persevere. If you’re serious, and put in a minimum 10 hours a week of water time, you should be able to equal your target heart rate that you get on a bike. Fly to Florida, Oklahoma, California or Hawaii for expert instruction, so by the time Spring comes, you’ll be way ahead of the learning curve.
some thoughts
Thought #1: Skegs vs. rudders
I have 2 kayaks, (17’x22", 17’x22.5"), the first with skeg and the second with rudder. I prefer the skeg boat, but if camping the skeg box in the rear hatch makes stowing gear more awkward and affords less room - so I’ll use the rudder boat.
Thought #2: Foot braces on a rudder boat
Avoid/replace sliding foot pegs. Accelerator pedal style are preferable allowing adequate bracing.
Thought #3: Kayak reviews
Reading these involves a learning curve. Novice and first time kayakers too often write glowing reviews about their new baby - reviews that are on the far side of useless.
Thought #4: With your budget, you’ll need to haunt all nearby Craigslist sites and be VERY patient. Good kayaks for decent prices, sometimes with spray skirts and paddles, do appear. Both my kayaks are kevlar composite and were each less than $1600 and in good condition. But I did ratchet up to them via interim purchases.
Thought #5: Renting boats and taking lessons from a reputable and competent outfit will teach you what type of boat you really want - likely saving you money in the longer term.
willowleaf
Hey Willowleaf:
I tried emailing you 2 times and it keep coming back. I’m new to the site and see that there is a privacy email link check box which I have no clue what that is.
Here is my email. I’m off Thurs. the 19th and would be up for coming out as long as no rain is in the forecast or super cold weather as yes I have the fever bad.
luvGodsoutdoors@yahoo.com
Thanks
Larry
as a second boat to carry a dog in
a used $100 canoe could satisfy one whose main intent was sea kayaking.
echo the surfski recommendations
based on your description as a cyclist. In many parts of the country are competitive events consisting of running/cycling/paddling.
On top of that, a surfski can be more fitness-inclined, it’s intended to be paddled at a brisk pace. And it’s a great way to hone your paddling technique. Once you have your technique down on a ski I’ve been told that paddling a kayak becomes much easier and more efficient.
Really?
My main point was to be realistic about this. Do you even see $100 canoes in your area that any real paddler would want to use? I think that having interests that trend toward sea kayaking will probably make a person less accepting of a barge, rather than more so. Anyway, the main thing is that saying that one can easily find a decent canoe for $100 (not one that’s badly damaged or something akin to a Rogue River brand) doesn’t make it so. Three to four times that price would be more reasonable for bottom-of-the-barrel choices.
emailing
Never had problems before getting emails forwarded through P.net. I think the problem may be that YOU have to set up a profile yourself before you are allowed to connect to other site participants. It does help when you are on the forums to set up a basic profile - you can put as little or a much personal information as you want in it but it helps people give you useful answers if they can see where you are located and what your interests are.
I’ll email you.