Novice Paddler Looking To Start

My 2 cents. Take a look on the Delta 12.10.

Doggy, 1.5 boats is a slow start. I’m down to 3 and feel nekkid.

Your paddle is part of the engine, so buy the lightest one you can afford and make sure it’s the correct length for you and your boat.

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If you’re in or can get to Saskatoon it looks like a couple of the kayak stores there might be worth a visit. I’m in Alberta and have ended up looking at some Saskatoon stores in the process of much googling. :slight_smile: It looks like Eb’s Source for Adventure has at least one Delta 12S which might be worth checking out if that’s within your budget (very similar to the Delta 12.10 already recommended, but made for slightly smaller paddlers) or Classic Outdoors looks like they have some options as well.

I’m very new at this myself, but I liked the idea of the Delta and Eddyline thermoformed kayaks because they’re lighter than rotomolded. They’re a bit more expensive than the models you mentioned though.

A few people have mentioned this, but you might want to consider the width of the kayaks as well as the length. A Pungo is about 29" wide, whereas the Delta 12S I mentioned is 24" wide, so it’s less of a reach on either side to ensure you’re not bumping your fingers as you attempt to paddle.

Talking to people at the dedicated stores can be really helpful too though. And even if you’re not able to get out to test paddle any kayaks, a couple of weeks ago when we looked we were still able to try sitting in kayaks in the store, and that was helpful.

I’ve sold 4 others, does that count? Anyway I gotta admit, slow start is me all over.

I’ve just sold 2 and given away another.