Hello everyone.
I’m looking to purchase a kayak. I would be interested in a kayak that would be good for touring and speed. I would like to enter races as well as enjoy a nice day on the river. I realize that I’m not going to have the best kayak on race day, but I just want to compete. I would appreciate good suggestions.
I would like to spend at most around 1k. I’m also 6’4 so I might need some cockpit space.
Thanks for your time.
So you want the best of all worlds, eh? Sorry, everything’s a compromise.
How much time have you spent in a kayak? What kind(s)? That’s where you need to start.
Current Designs Extreme I got one for 800. It’s. 2000 MY one listed here paddling.com and one on eBay
Depends on where you are and what’s near you . Also if you can wait.
Also you’ll need good paddle which could be 400.
Also your experience and rules you’ll race under?
You’ll want to look at used boats to keep the cost down. Keep in mind that you can move the seat back in some boats to make getting in and out easier.
Have you considered a surf ski? This might be your best choice if you are trying to keep the cost down, but also be in/on something that should keep up with the faster kayaks. Keep in mind that there are a variety of skis and not all of them require such a great ability to balance.
At 6’-4", you could have some difficulty finding a touring kayak that would be easy to get in and out of. That would not be a problem with a ski. Not saying there aren’t great touring sea kayaks that might accommodate you, but the price might scare you off.
In general, you will want a longer and skinny kayak, without a lot of rocker. I would be looking at least 17 feet, and maybe even 18 or 19 feet. Probably no more than 22" wide. Probably better for a kayak with a rudder, which lets you focus on going straight fast and the rudder can make the minor adjustments for wind cocking and such.
With your price range, used would be your best option. Current Designs Extreme mentioned above (also goes under the name Nomad) could be one to watch for, and is known as friendly to larger paddlers (Matt Krizan, at 6’7", used one for his paddle along the complete California coastline).
The mention above of asking what race rules you would follow does matter. For example, Cal100 race had a kayak class and a surfski class. Kayak class was 18’ max. (http://www.riversforchange.org/california-100/registration/). Anything above that was racing against surf skis. The CD Extreme is above.
You skill also matters. Generally the faster the boat, the more skill you need to make it work.
You might want to keep an eye out for a home built skin on frame Greenland style kayak with specs like Peter-CA describes. They tend to be long, slender and are very light. I have an 18’ one I bought used for $900. They do come up for sale periodically and often sell for as little as $400 or $500 but you would have to find one made for somebody near your height.
If not skilled and comfortable you may be faster in a Solstice at 24" than an Extreme / Solstice both CD boats. That all changes with time. Extreme has tons of room you can even move pedals forward with few hours work. Doubt you would have to do anything.
A WS Tempest 180 will fit for sure.
If you’re in San Diego go get this kayak.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/spo/d/surfski-huki-s1-special-in/6501577683.html
Wish that was near me I’d buy it.
Bargain for sure glad it’s not near me I’d have three! LOL It’s a 2004 or later and says asking price so I bet 100 bucks would peel off price!
If is a regular kayak type race, two other boats that have performed well and are older hence cheaper are the NDK Greenland Pro and the Nigel Foster Silhouette. Latter for smaller paddlers.
Touring and racing are a bit of an oxymoron. Sort of like finding a good RV that can also hang on the NASCAR circuit 
It would help if you were clearly leaning towards one direction or another–say 70/30 or 80/20.
Plastic skis are pretty cheap and have enough storage space for light touring. The downside is that they are slower and won’t do well for hardcore touring.
About the best I can think of that comes close to splitting the middle is an Epic 18x, an Epic V6 or Stellar S18r or S18s. Look for a used one to save a bit of money but it may still be a bit higher than the $1000 range.
They won’t be racing in the elite category but they can handle both duties pretty well and most races have a separate division for this range anyway.
On the other side of the spectrum, if racing is just a side idea and heavy touring is your thing you’re probably better off getting a Sea kayak that is a bit narrower, lighter and has the ability to utilize leg drive.
@PaddleDog52 said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ocean-kayak-Current-Designs-Extreme/183054121680?_trkparms=pageci%3A95ec1d9f-188b-11e8-9673-74dbd180a2ea|parentrq%3Ac264d2b11610aa1a2daede2cfffc028b|iid%3A1&_trksid=p2481888.c100651.m4497Bargain for sure glad it’s not near me I’d have three! LOL It’s a 2004 or later and says asking price so I bet 100 bucks would peel off price!
The picture of the boat in that ad is a Delta, not a Current Designs Extreme
@Blitzemall said:
Touring and racing are a bit of an oxymoron. Sort of like finding a good RV that can also hang on the NASCAR circuit
It would help if you were clearly leaning towards one direction or another–say 70/30 or 80/20.
Agreed.
However I once entered my touring sea kayak in a race and won. Seakayak, master class, 5k…also lost the race. Enter races where you are in a class by your self and you only have only to compete against yourself. (PS…I beat 13 rec boats on that race.) I got a nice Tee Shirt, medal and a DVD. :*
