new to paddling and need recommendations

So I have always enjoyed paddling the few times I have gone. Mostly I am going to be on lakes and ponds. I do have the canadian and cimmeron rivers close by.granted they are only full after a heavy rain. My dilemma is i want a smaller boat but i am 5’11 230lbs. Looking for no larger than 10ft preferably

I would recommend
A kayak, or maybe a canoe.





If you indicate what you are looking for and what you want to do we could be more specific. Overnight camping? Fishing? Solo or four kids under five and a Russian Wolfhound? Sit on top, sit inside? New used? Gonna learn to roll? I’m bigger than you and like my Peeception Swifty at 9.5 feet. I also like my Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145.

Yes, I’ve seen the Canadian north
of Amarillo, and it is braided into a maze of channels that, even after good rain, are rather difficult and sometimes dangerous to navigate.



I think you should research your paddling options within reasonable driving distance. There are some reservoirs near I-25 cities such as Trinidad. For rivers, you would need to go west to the Rio Grande. There are several reservoirs south of where the Chama enters. As for the Rio Grande itself, the only section I have done is the Pilar run, which is mostly easy whitewater but has one class 3 called Toilet Bowl.

my uses

– Last Updated: Jul-22-13 12:29 AM EST –

I am interested in going solo. I am hoping to find a rack for my nissan 370Z hince the interest in a short poly kayak. I do have access to a pickup but its a company truck and while i can use iit would prefer to use my own.

My job is in the oilfield so my schedue is 50-80hr/wk and on call 24/7 except for weekend here and there when the boss stsrts feeling sorry for us. I cant travel too far from home even when I'm off. With 3 bodies of water within 20 miles is why i think ts feasible. I want to paddle a couple times a week.

I dont fish. Really want to paddle for fitness. I hear its good for shoulders and back. From what i see there isnt much of a local msrket for kayaks and shipping is high so I unless stumble on to a used one n good shape I plan on buying new.My brother isn't interested in using a benefit from his employer. They will pay for half of thecost of fitness equiptment up to $300 or $350(their half). So he said I can use it.

length
If carrying the boat on your car is the reason you are limiting yourself to the 10’ kayak, you should realize that it is perfectly fine to carry a longer boat on even a small car. A friend of mine hauls an 18’ sea kayak on a SmartCar. It is actually easier to load longer boats since you can lever them up from the rear and shove them up onto the rack. At your size you would be better off with a longer boat for most paddling. To get the displacement you need for your weight a 10’ or less kayak will have to be wide and thus more sluggish to paddle. A shorter kayak may indeed be best for what you want to do, but don’t let your car size limit your selection range.

rack concerns
The angle of the hatch is what im worried about. I’ve heard of people using thule racks from a mini cooper on thehatch of my car. The door windows close into he body of the car like the new mustsngs. You can’t put rack on he roof.



I have long arms. I have 78in wng span. For my hieght i have rediculious reach. At 5’11" i can touch 8ft. I have nearly the same reach as a 6’7" guy. Going by the chart at dicks sporting goods were you have to wrap fingersover the top of the paddle. i need the longest paddle they had in stock.



Im not trim at24% body fat. A wide openng may be ok.

Go with a good quality inflatable
Innovas are good, dry fast and quick to set up. Can be found used every now and then on craigslist and ebay. www.theboatpeople.com has good info.

Ack, Dicks!
Dicks is NOT the place to be getting advice on buying gear. Or buying gear, period. There are better ways to determine paddle size. Don’t pick a paddle until you have a boat, because boat width and depth have an impact on paddle length. A 250 cm paddle (which I am guessing they claim you need) would be a miserable boat anchor in the cheap models they stock.



Don’t you have any independent outdoor shops that stock kayaks or, better yet, kayak outfitters in your area? Even the “big box” outfitters like EMS, REI and LL Bean would be better choices for your boat shopping.

go see these folks
http://www.okckayak.com/



There is an excellent outfitter in Oklahoma City – can you do a day trip out there?

Looked at your car model
I see the car issue. Unless you can use a company pickup truck I think you need to concentrate on a folding kayak or inflatable. A folder would be better for fitness (most inflatables are slow). Look at the Pakboat Quest 155 or XT15. Either boat would fit in your hatch and fit you physically. We have an XT-15 – it can be set up in 20 minutes with practice. And being light and soft bodied you could, in a pinch, carry it set up on the Nissan using foam blocks and nylon straps and fore and aft safety lines to the bumpers (no rack needed). You can even carry one of these as luggage on a plane (handy for the career you are in, I imagine.)



http://www.portablekayaks.com/quest155

roofrack for the 370Z
Where there’s a will (or a kayak), there’s a way:



http://boofsquire.com/

roofrack
Those havent been produced since 2009. I saw one come up for sale on the a forum and it was snatched up immediately.