Please rent or buy used
Go with a club to check their boats. They have demo days. The worst boaT IS LIKE MY WILDERNESS SYTEMS WITH PEDAL RUDDER. It did not need rudder at 16ft6in. No place to push off with feet. Tiller is best. I am an adrenalin junkie who love to fast. Please check lutz liwowski video. www.kayaksport.net technique
As light as you can afford
– Last Updated: Nov-16-10 2:42 PM EST –
I haven't paddled anything heavier than 30lbs in six (6) years, and I don't miss it. If money is not an issue, there is no point to paddle a heavy boat...
It's like: if money is not an issue why would you drive anything other than a Ferrari (on the highway)!
But, you need a place to store the
trailer and have room to park it at the put ins and take outs. I can see how it would work for many people, but it wouldn’t work for me on most of my short outings.
SOF
Just build a Skin On Frame and weight becomes a non-issue.
My 19 1/2’ long Yost highly modified Sea Ranger only weighs 32 lbs. It’s really nice to pick up a seriously light boat and it handles really nice too.
Bill H.
Could say the same about the vehicle
For a while I’ve been and will be toting my kayak on a kayak cart, less than a 5-minute walk each way. Parking at the launch costs $1.50 per hour, and they DO ticket violators. Just saw the meter police this afternoon, checking for scofflaws.
But you bet I’m not selling the truck or the trailer even with this handy situation. Most of my paddling requires both of them. Not to mention their other uses.
Resistance
A 25 pound increase in weight results in about a 4.5% increase in resistance and a 1/4-inch difference in hull depth. John Winters, in the Shape of the Canoe, tells us a 2% gain in efficiency at 4 knots means that the paddler will gain two minutes on an hour. Or if you don’t go any faster, it means less energy spent for the same distance.
That same decrease in weight means a reduction in momentum. For me at 200 lbs. in a fully loaded sea kayak equals about 7%. Kayaks don’t slow down enough between paddle strokes for the reduction in momentum of a fully loaded kayak to make a difference in energy output. The other argument is that more momentum helps in rough water. It can, but your feel in the boat is more important. I.e. my loaded Explorer doesn’t feel any more comfortable in rough water vs. it unloaded. It just feels less responsive and slower and if it goes off-course, it’s harder to get it back on course.
If you can afford it, get the lightest, toughest layup. If you can only afford a light boat or a light paddle. Get the lightest paddle you can afford.