I am new to the world of kayaking and am looking for the right one to purchase. I have a 15 lbs. dog that will accompany me most times. I plan on paddling the Black River, WI ( I live right on it ) area Lakes, Creeks, & other Rivers. I am also hoping to road trip to other states and explore! I will need some space for gear- maybe 20 lbs. at most. Anyone have suggestions?
okay :) here are my specs: Female, height 5'6, weight 140 lbs, a little muscular but pretty well proportioned, short waist, longer legs.
We need more info… A kayak is something that has to suit your use, and accomodate your weight and size.
We really need to know more about YOU. If you are a skinny little person, there would be great choices for you, or if you are a larger person, there would be other choices.
Right up front, I would suggest a recreational kayak, as they have more initial stability for when your dog wants to move around. But there are MANY good choices in recreatonal kayaks.
Give us your height, weight, build (Male?, female?) broad shoulders?, big belly? (like me), and we can give you some suggestions to look at?
Also note, that the same kayak can feel and handle differently to every person who tries it, as their body weight and build effects the way it handles for them. If someone reccomends a kayak to you, make sure their build is like yours, and TEST PADDLE any boat you are thinking of buying,.
Check Old Town Adventure XL - 120 Old Town makes an “Adventure XL” series. They are a rec kayak, with sea kayak styling.
They make a 12’ version that might work for you. It is wide enough for decent initial stability, and it has front and rear compartments for dry storage.
I had the Adventyre XL-139, and I thought it a nice handling kayak.
I canoe already and tried kayaking once. I loved the speed and maneuverability, so i would like to go this direction. -I think the kayak i've tried was a Loon.
Check out a Wilderness Systems Pungo… maybe a 120. They are really good boats for people that paddle on lakes only and the track well due to the deep V hull. The deep V design is not good for any shallow rivers though. It has a large cockpit for a dog and is really super stable. I would also look at the Current Designs Kestrel 120 and maybe the Old Town Diriago 120. They are all around the same price and will all serve your purpose well with the dog and all. You could also get these in composite(except the Diriago) if you don’t mind spending more money. The advantages to composite is mostly just the weight in recreational boats although it will be faster in composite.
Check with outfitting stores that are the closest to you and see when they are having one.
Also go on line to a popular kayak manufacturer, and ask them when and where they are having one that is close enough for you to get to.
Then try as many as you can so you can find one that you like.
Another method is to see if you can find a paddling club and ask some of the members if you can try their boats.
Ninty percent of the posters here will tell you that their kayak is the best, but what is good for one person might be horrendous for another.
When I was was moving from a recreation kayak to a sea kayak I went to a “demo day” and picked out one that was on the shore that I thought would be absolutely perfect for me. It had the sleekest lines and looked very fast. I didn’t paddle it five strokes when I realized that there was no way I wanted it. It was way too tippy.
Come down to Madison once the ice thaws. Rutabega and Carl and John's Paddling will both let you take out any of their boats, any day. They carry different boats, so try to make it to both shops. For paddling with my dog, I got a Necky gannet (no longer sold, but the Manitou is a similar, but probably better designed, boat)--a 12' rec boat with a cockpit large enough for my 55 lb dog to sit on my lap. She can't go in my other kayaks, but she sure gets excited when I put this one on the car. Try a number of recreation kayaks out, since each one handles a bit differently, and some are a lot faster and more maneuverable than others. You might like a Necky Manitou, and Carl's carries Neckys (Rutabega doesn't).
Canoecopia is a large paddlesports expo held in March in Madison (if you haven’t heard of it yet). There are many rec kayaks for you to sit in there but you won’t be able to demo until the spring thaw. Very worthwhile event to gain an understanding of what is available for you.
