never ever kayak

my 16’ canoe is set up for rowing, but at 90lbs it is getting to heavy for my 70 years. now i am thinking kayak to paddle on small lakes and ponds and maybe take a fishing rod along. i have my eyes on an ocean kayak sprinter, how would this boat work for a never ever, to much boat or not? thanks

I’m not familiar with that particular
boat, but another alternative to the 90 lb tandem canoe is a light weight solo canoe, in addition to the kayaks.



Solo canoes can be as light weight as 15 lbs for the pack canoes.



Something to consider.

Yes on solo Canoe
I would also highly recommend a nice lightweight solo canoe for your purposes. Easy to paddle with a double-blade paddle and stowing gear like a fishing rod and tackle is so easy. Once you own and paddle a dedicated lightweight solo canoe after slugging a heavy tandem, you will be hooked.

kayak
years back i had a 12’ swift kevlar well north of $1k back then. the sprinter is a sit on 17’ x 24" round about 50lbs, the one i am looking at is in the low $400 range. i will be down to the canoe/kayak shop today to rent a kayak and give it a try. i will check out the canoes while there.

It’s Rotomolded and Still Heavy
Designed by Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Barton, many years ago, it is more of a collectors boat. For your purpose, you’d be better off in Scupper Classic instead of this narrower SOT.

Why not get a much lighter canoe
set up for rowing? Check out the Coho and Souhegan on the millbrookboats.com website.



I kayak, canoe, pole, rowed and sculled competitively. If you already have the rowing skills, why a kayak?

kayak
as i stated, @ 70yrs i am not getting any stronger and the american eagle 16 is getting to heavy for me to move around. got to realize your strengths or lack of. i also am a condo dweller with a garage so i need to hang the boat with a pulley system. near 50lbs is easier to haul than near a 100, then there is getting it off and on the car. i have a buyer for the canoe for around 400 so that is what i have to spend. to me that spells kayak. this boat is mostly to do laps around small lakes and a little fishing thrown in, just exercise and some time away from the bicycles.

Romax
Since you already row how about building your own boat? Have a look at Romax at http://flo-mo.weebly.com/two-sheet-boats.html



It would be lighter than the sprinter which is probably less stable than you would want. I only had one brief paddle in an OK Sprinter and think it would be too unstable for fishing.

I’ve got a Sprinter
and it’s one of my favorite boats. Very narrow and efficient for a SOT. I would think that it’s a little tippy for fishing though. Let me know if you have any specific questions about it.

i have 1 too
I like my sprinter a lot but as already mentioned, more tippy than most SOTS. Also not sure about your weight and hip width. that being said, “400 range” is a good price for one in decent condition.

Hornbeck and Placid
make nice uber light canoes that you can double blade. The weights are dipping under 20 lbs… You can literally throw them with one hands

My Hornbeck
will be here next week!

Placid Boat Works
Makes ultralight canoe’s. These are the finest boats available. http://www.placidboats.com/index1.html

I, too, am a septuagenarian
and boat weight has become a very important consideration. I bought a Feathercraft Kurrent not so much because I needed a folder but, simply, for its light weight. My Caribou, easily the best sea kayak that I’ve owned in twenty-five years of kayaking, feels so much heavier than it did when I bought it eight years ago that I’m now thinking of replacing the Bou with a Placid Boat Works Rapidfire. That way, there will be no reason to compare its paddling qualities with the Bou or any other sea kayak because it isn’t a sea kayak. I might even try single blading just for a change.

tippy
i thought 20" might be a little narrow for my purpose. i went and rented a necky 10’ for 1 hour, very wide and stable, my first kayak ride. for sure i could go with less width. next week i am going to try one of the longer thinner more $ rentals and see how that goes.

$400, people. Pack canoes.
The OP says he has $400 to spend and people are recommending $3000 pack canoes.



Well, it’s hard to get something really light and in good shape for $400, even a kayak.



Nevertheless, I would seriously prefer an open pack canoe to a decked kayak. They are lighter (as low as 12 pounds), easier to get into and out of, and are easier to stash and remove gear. Decks are a hassle unless you are paddling ocean, big water lakes or whitewater.



Finding a light composite pack canoe such as Hornbeck will be difficult, and probably impossible for $400.



An alternative would be the 33 pound Old Town Pack, which is much more readily available used. You can probably rig that up with oars with some ingenuity, as it is quite stable, or it can be paddled with a single or double paddle quite nicely on small lakes and ponds.



http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/17724?productId=88353&attrValue_0=Green&mr:trackingCode=395FD896-B0F0-E211-A497-90E2BA285E75&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla&mkwid=tUFiweUw_dc&pcrid=46031022320&qs=3091386_google

Speaking as a one-time competeition
sculler, I would not attach rowing gear to anything less than a quality boat. No Spring Creek. But if he’s used to rowing inferior canoes, how can he lose?

You can get a nice fishing yak

– Last Updated: Jul-12-14 8:48 PM EST –

at Academy Spt Goods for about $500. The Pecador made by Perception. It is not a barge like the one you rented.
60 # for 12'.$529 at Academy.

$400 possible for used solo of 50# or
Less, if persistent and patient, in most parts of the country.