Lincoln Canoes and Kayaks
I have not tried these but they are light. Check out the Quoddy Lite and Chebeague.
http://www.lincolncanoe.com/kayaks.htm
go lite!!
The new thermo-formed kayaks I think you are referring to (Trylon-Airlite) are very much worth it.
Now take this from a guy who has owned several composite boats. My Tracer is every bit as cool as my Seaward was at about 1/2 the cost! My wife loves her Tampico way more than her former boat: a Valley Skerry RM. Good luck cause there are a lot of great choices in the 12-14 foot range. It really depends on your size. You are wise though to think about the weight loading and carrying.
Phoenix Isere: 14’ 9"L, 24.5" W, 29lbs
http://www.pokeboat.com/ky_isere.htm
I have one of these that I bought used about a year and a half ago. Very light weight at 29lbs. Much faster than the Phoenix Poke Boat, but doesn’t track as well. Turns very nicely. Biggest problem for me has been making the seat comfortable. Expensive new, but you might get lucky and find a used one.
Hurricane Santee…
My wife and daughter-in law have Hurricane Santee’s. They weigh in at 32 lbs. and are a great kayak for women.
Theirs cost $745 ea. Don’t know what they might cost now.The Santee is 10’lg and the Santee XL is 11.5’ lg
I’ve lost their website but you can “google” Hurricane Aquasports for their website.
CD Kestrel
I just bought a plastic CD Kestrel 120, and love it. I am female, not strong at all and not an experienced paddler. Part of the reason for choosing this one was the weight, but it also handles wonderfully. I briefly considered the more expensive ultra-light model, but felt the slight difference in weight didn’t justify the great difference in expense. I can get mine in and out of the water by myself,and can carry it short distances alone. I can put it in the back of our pickup, but I think if I had a roof rack with the rollers at the back (know what I mean?) I am pretty sure I could get it up and down myself. A low stool to stand on would probably help. I don’t have heaps of experience, but that’s what I’ve found so far.
3rd suggestion for a folder
Check out the Atatl http://www.atlyak.com/
I also really like the Feathercrafts. Expensive but great boats.
Check out these two…
If interested in Composite, check out the Lincoln Chabeaque. In all kevlar, it is 28 Lb. At 14’ long, and 24" wide, that is one light kayak, It is Strong, and and it handles well. The Kevlar/fiberglass layup is 33 Lb, and that is the one I had. It was a nice kayak!
if interested in Thermo formed plastic, check out the “Hurricane Aqua Sports”, Tampico. it is 13’6" long X 24" wide, and weighs 38 Lb. My wife has one, and she really likes it.
I think you will like either one!
Worth it
If wrestling with the boat on land is a royal PITA, you’re not going to use it as much. If the cartop struggle adds more stress than being on the water takes away, it’ll discourage you from doing those short after-work paddles that can be such a great way to unwind.
For my wife, getting a boat that she could carry by herself was a huge win.
Graphite canoe…
…I’m not a kayaker, but I just acquired a graphite We-no-nah Vagabond canoe, a 14.5’ solo. It weighs 22 lbs, about half as much as the Royalex version and about half what most kayaks seem to weigh. It was a big investment, but I have NO regrets. Far easier to
hoist onto the car top, although I usually carry in the back of a pickup. Also a cinch to carry to the water, and I think it’s faster than the Royalex. Like you, my body doesn’t like lifting heavy weights, so
I think the graphite will increase the number of outings and extend my years on the water. I’m not urging you to get a canoe, but do urge you to get a light boat ASAP.
Boat Specs
– Last Updated: Jun-20-05 12:26 PM EST –
I just do not trust the advertized weights. Not even a little bit.
I was extremely burned on a Seda Revnge that was supposed to be 50# and is more like 65#.
The weight of fiberglass and kevlar boats is going to vary greatly from one boat to the next.
If you are buying based on weight, try before you buy, or you might be very disappointed!
Fitted Kayak
I’m a 5’3" female who lifts as little as possible. I would buy a kayak that fits you, your pocketbook and serves your purpose first, then weight second (although fiberglass and kevlar are obviously easier).
Get rollers for your roof rack.
-Put a pad on the back edge of the roof to protect van.
-Lift bow of kayak to pad,
-Go to the stern side of kayak, lift the stern and push forward at the same time until the boat catches the rollers,
-Then push & let the rollers do the work.
I’ve self-loaded plastic, kevlar & fiberglass boats. They all load fine this way. I actually hurt my shoulders more when someone helps me “lift” the kayak to the roof, especially if I accidentally leave stuff in the hatches.
and if you can’t build…buy
there’ve been several p.netters (Greyhawk included I believe)who’ve had wood kayaks for sale in the classifieds.
To be sure, unless you plunk down the heavy cash for a redfish or guillemet or boat expertly done by a craftsman, you’ll probably have a cosmetic glitch somewhere (God help me…I discover a new imperfection every time and I thought I did everything right)but you’ll have a beautifull lightweight easy to lift easier to paddle boat that a lite sanding and new coat of varnish will usually bring up to like new…try that with a CF or Kevlar…
HULLAVATOR
– Last Updated: Jun-28-05 5:04 PM EST –
get this rack, then buy the boat that's RIGHT for you, NOT LIGHT for you....
http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/featured_product_hullavator.asp
Then again, for a couple of hundred more...a trailer...
http://www.castlecraft.com/canoe_trailer.htm
Second that
Weight is less important than other variables.
To avoid having to shoulder your kayak, you can spend maybe $100 for a good kayak cart.
Several things to consider…
Most mini-vans have fairly high roof lines so you wont be able to self load like I do. I have a very low wagon and I am able to pick up an eighteen foot kevlar boat and set it down in the roof rack. If my roof line were higher, or if the boat were any heavier I would not be able to use this method.
I paddle with a friend on occation and he loads and unloads on his own from the top of a new GM SUV which has a much higher roof. His boat is glass and a bit heavier than mine. He has a cool accessory, (dont know the name of it) on his rack. There is a retractable bar that will slide out about three feet from the end of his front cross bar. He slides it out, lifts the front of his yak up and places it on the bar, then moves to the rear and lifts the stern of his yak up onto the rear roof rack. He then moves to the front and moves the bow over from the bar extension to the roof rack. Pretty slick.
happy paddling,
Mark
interesting method
That gadget does sound interesting. But I disagree about high roof lines. We have a sedan and a 4W pickup with a shell which is a pain because it is high. And, although it isn’t the slickest method, you still can make it work by using a stool when you raise a stern end on the roof. I have to bring a stool anyway to tie and untie the lines.
I’ve seen the hullovator type of gadget and it sounds interesting but I noticed that the kayak still needs to be lifted fairly high onto the gadget when you’re loading it.
WS Pungo 120 in Duralite. 39lbs.
I Didnt Explain Well Enough
when I was talking about lifting my yak onto my rack. I place the boat on the ground next to the car and lift the boat with one hand under the boat near the rear of the cockpit and the other hand on top of the boat griping the cockpit coaming. I then place the boat on the rack. If I had to use a stool, (knowing me), I would end up on the ground with the boat piled on top of me. I have not wanted to lift one end up first then the other as it is a new boat and only has the first couple of battle scars, so far.
Mark
I like lightweight
when quality isn’t sacrificed.
I’m female AND old (comparatively) and I vote for the Impex Mystic in carbon/kevlar if you can afford it. The best kayak I’ve found for small paddlers and in this layup weighs about 35 to 36 lbs at 14 feet. Too many great features to list here.
I also second the vote for the Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 if you want to build one or know someone who will build it for you. Mine weighs 37 lbs but I think with different hatch hardware it would weigh about 35 lbs.