HI,
this is my first post and hoping to get a little expert advice.
So, yesterday I bought my first kayak the Pakakayak Bluefin 142. A sectional kayak, flat bottom, plastic, 55lbs give or take.
I took it out on it’s maiden voyage on Puget Sound and found it fast, maybe not as fast as Id like, but cut through chop and waves well. I didn’t have any complaints until I Oru Kayak which are also sectional Kayaks. But they are 30lbs and I believe fiberglasses fiberglass.
Now I’m just not sure I made the right decision.
Any help is appreciated.
Oru kayaks are basically the same material as bandit signs you see on the side of the road/light poles for yard services, Sell Your House Fast, ObamaPhones, etc.
Enjoy your Pakayak. There is a local (Michigan) paddler who has one and it has shown to be a fully functional Great Lakes kayak. I have seen its owner doing self rescues in 2’ Lake Michigan seas and surfing in 3’+ waves.
And the Oru kayaks are not really self-rescuable in deep water. We had one on a club paddle and it did go over. The material and the way the top decks are assembled mean there is not a lot of strength there, so the paddlers can’t use the back deck to get back in. This is a problem for both solo rescues (paddle float and cowboy scramble) and assisted rescues (t-rescue). Emptying the boat was also an added challenge, with the boat not having bulkheads (it did have float bags).
Potentially someone with a solid roll could use this as their rescue mode, but you wouldn’t have a backup should the roll fail.
Without being able to do rescues, the Oru should be treated as one would treat a recreational class kayak - a kayak that should only be used close enough to shore that you can swim to shore should you flip over.
It sounds like your Pakayak is a more seaworthy vessel.
