I have been paddling an original Necky Zoar… very secure and comfortable…shoulder problems indicate a much lighter kayak would be better for me get to and into the water…I like a stable boat and paddle on the Hudson River in NY… any recommendations for a new boat??
If you are happy with the boat
which it sounds like, why not use a portage buggy, and keep the same boat?
cheers,
JackL
Or…
JackL has a good suggestion. To add to it if it’s getting the boat to water make the car portion easier. If you have a high roofline vehicle (Subaru Forester or taller) then keep the same boat but add a Hull-a-vator to it so the machine does the lifting. (Zoar’s don’t get lighter with age)
Lighter boats aplenty out there but you might want to try something that has a closer fit giving you cripser control over the kayak as compared to the relative roominess of the Zoar.
BTW if you’re looking for some other folks to go out on the Hudson with that’s where I’m paddling all the time around the Hyde Park area and the club outings wander from New Windsor, NY to Hudson, NY. Exact wanderings can be found at www.hudsonvalleyadventures.com
See you on the water,
Marshall
www.the-river-connection.com
To keep the same boat,
consider a trailer. You can winch in and out of the water with ease. No more cartopping. It costs much less than a carbon/kevlar composite.
http://www.castlecraft.com/canoe_trailer.htm
It’s unlikely that any collection of
carts and gadgets could remove the occasional necessity of lifting a kayak. In my experience, when the boat weight gets down to 30 pounds and below, it makes a whalloping big difference in attitude.
Light weight boat simpler than carts etc
I paddled my 28 lb Poke Boat www.pokeboat.com this evening for the first time in a couple months and the light weight was a real blessing. It is so much easier to carry between boat and car and to load on the car than my heavier boats. The Poke Boat is my lightest boat.