Picking a kayak - odd criteria?

Purpose
I know a proper rowboat like a Whitehall can be a joy… at some point in the future we will be picking up a good-rowing rigid dinghy to use as tender to tow behind the mothership on longer overnight trips to other destinations.



For now, I’m looking for something else. Let me clarify:



Getting between the sailboat and shore IS a criteria, but it’s not the only one. Our marina has a pretty reliable launch service that my wife and I use 95% of the time, and I’ll use it whenever I have a particularly large load of stuff to bring out.



I’d like a kayak as a fun harbor toy that can also get me and a modest amount of stuff to and fro, and can get me quickly from ship to shore during off-hours when the launch isn’t running. Plus something fun and quick to explore the harbor when I’m not sailing.



A traditional rowboat of any sort isn’t what I’m after for this particular mission because, among other reasons, I simply don’t want to face backwards. If I were after a rowboat, I’d get a sliding-seat ocean shell (believe me, I’ve thought about it). I rowed in college and loved it.



Other criteria that point to a kayak for this mission: must be easily portable between the marina dock where I’ll launch it and the roof of my car. Which means I need to be able to easily get it in and out of the water and up/down a narrow and sometimes steep ramp between shore and the floating docks. Storage space at the marina for tenders is limited and expensive, so this boat will have to be always either on my car’s roof or out on the mooring with the mothership. Needing a trailer or another person to move or get it on the roof is a disqualification.



I guess to narrow it down, I’ve pretty much made up my mind on a kayak, just trying to find one that will suit my purposes most effectively.



One more criteria: really want to keep cost for the basic boat right around or under $1000.


cockpits are not that small
The seat in virtually any sit inside kayak is strong enough to stand on (unless you weigh 300 lbs.) And standard keyhole cockpits are not THAT small. I have five kayaks with them and I can pull my legs out while seated and straddle the boat or even lift myself onto the back of the deck, place my feet on the seat and stand.



I have a suggestion. Rent or demo some kayaks at an outfitter and get a feeling for how easy they are to get in and out of. Or consider a sit on top, like the Venture Islay 14.



The Tsunami isn’t a bad choice, versatile workhorse of a kayak.

Pack canoes are not
the canoe that is in your mind. 13-16 feet long. Under 30 lbs. Some are as narrow as a kayak. In essence the Adirondack Pack Canoe is a deckless kayak. They are almost always solo craft. Some can beat the pants off similar sized kayaks for speed.



Much easier to load and lug but if you feel you must have a deck that is your prerogative.


standing in kayak
I was looking at models for somebody else and came upon a photo of somebody standing (balancing on one leg, no less) in a Hurricane Skimmer sit on top. You might want to check this out. Third photo down on the right. I rest my case.



http://hurricaneaquasports.com/our-kayaks/sit-on-tops/skimmer-140/

LOL you are doing better than I am
I have a pic of my hubby balancing in a pack canoe throwing stuff up pn a chickee. ( four feet up…the tide was out)



I have 1 tb of photos. You think I can find it?

you are missing information

– Last Updated: Sep-07-16 10:11 PM EST –

You can easily carry 50+ pounds of gear securely and dry on a properly outfitted SUP board. And nothing else will be even close to equaling the ease of moving between "it" and your sailboat. Any kayak that will allow you to "easily" stand upon is very likely to weigh up to twice what a SUP board would weigh. I really believe that by dismissing a SUP for what you want to do, you are missing the boat.

Guess I got the one…
WL wrote: “The seat in virtually any sit inside kayak is strong enough to stand on.”



I guess I got the rare one–The seat of the Azul broke when I stood on it. Maybe broke is not the correct word. The seat pan cracked. I’m sure if I had turned my foot sideways on the seat it would have been okay. But my weight on the leading edge of the seat pan was too much.



Excellent suggestion to go sit and stand in some kayaks. Even in the shop, OP can get the feel for how it will be to move from sitting to standing in the kayak and see how much foot room there is on the floor of the boat.



A pair of my shoes, side by side, will not fit through the forward end of my keyhole shaped cockpit, which is where I must stand if not on the seat. So, if I stand there, my ankles need to be touching each other, which is not a well-balanced position. I looked at the picture of the woman standing on one leg in the Hurricane SOT. For me, I think it would be easier to stand in a SOT, which perhaps is WL’s point. Also for me, one legged standing is the obvious solution for my kayak’s floor space. One foot needs only half the space, although I do believe the woman on the Hurricane was headed for a swim immediately after the photo was snapped.



I apologize for being a bit of a wise guy on this, as it does not help the OP, but I can’t help myself. Linked photo shows the correct way to stand in a kayak, and overcomes issue of foot placement.



http://ogcacrobaticgymnastics.blogspot.ca/2012/09/summer-handstand-photo-contest-claire.html



And isn’t Freya Hoffmeister fond of headstands on her seat? Well, WL was good enough to rest her case, and I should follow her lead.