You say "I'm most likely looking at coastal paddling rather than going too far out in the open water". But as long as you do not have a shore on both sides of you within a few hundred feet, you are in open water!
Imagine the wind shifts to blow off-shore, water is a little chilly, you flip for some reason - what do you do? Without a properly outfitted kayak you will likely need a rescue and quickly or you will drown... A sit on top may be safer in that scenario as it is easier to reenter and probably would not easily sink unless severely damaged.
I've paddled what I think was about 12 foot Corbra Expedition (or something similar) sit on top for my first year of more serious paddling and put a lot of miles on it. Definitely a workout and due to the width does not allow a very efficient paddling technique. Still a lot of fun and can actually cover good miles in a few hours... The Tequila will be similar but even less efficient (the Cobra actually had a rather slim center section and the sides that were wide and for stability did very little to slow the boat down in flat water - but they created a lot of slap in even the smallest wind chop). The Tequilla might work as long as you do not want to go anywhere too fast... But may be if you get the 4 section model (a double) you can go faster -;)
As for regularly assembling/disassembling a folder - too much work IMO to do other than just once in a while, as you are guessing -;(
Maybe an inflatable SUP from ULI? The long "racing" model? Totally different but easy to setup and can actually cover some miles as long as you do not have much of a wind against you - standing up against wind is definitely a bog... http://www.uliboards.com/standup.php look at the 14 footer - I imagine one can strap a kayak seat or a milk crate on it and use it with a canoe paddle too -;)
loose boat in surf Keep in mind when you’re surfing your rec boat at the beach, that a rec boat, full of water, rocketing towards shore after you’ve gotten tossed out could really hurt someone. It’s hundreds of pounds, and really hard. In some areas where swimmers have gotten hit and seriously hurt by a kayak, lawmakers have decided to restrict beach access for kayakers, and that’s a bummer.
I have no idea what your price range is Want cheap, build a Yost, find a cheap boat on Craigslist and lock it your car and leave it there. It really is not rocket science. I used to carry 16 ft boats up to my 2nd floor apartments and it really was nothing. When I am Beijing, I carry my Feathercraft that weighs between 55-85 lbs with gear, depending on the season down and up 6 flights of stairs and then lug it about 1/4 mile to the taxi stand and then to a put in, the train station or airport.
another vote for folders We’ve got a fleet of hard, skin-on-frame and folding sea kayaks but I have to say if I had to limit myself to just one boat it would be my Feathercraft Wisper. I’ve had it out in the Pacific, Atlantic and the Great Lakes and for all round paddling pleasure and convenience it is had to beat that kayak. Yes, they are costly at over $4,000 new but I lucked into a used one for almost half that ($2,200) – well-maintained used Feathercrafts do turn up if you keep an eye out for them. The Kahuna and K-1 models are great too (have owned those models in the past) but the K-1 is a bitch to assemble and a bit heavy and the Kahuna is a tad slower than the Wisper. Wisper might be a tight fit if you are over 6’ and 200# but they make a “big guy” version of the Kahuna.
Yes, there is the assembly factor, but you get the hang of it quickly and I have it down to 20 minutes. The versatility of having a 40 pound 16’ kayak that packs down into a duffel bag or backpack for travel and storage is hard to overstate. The Wisper performs at least as well as most mid-performance hard sea kayaks and I actually prefer the way it feels in the water to my hard boats. I would not hesitate to use it in any sea, lake or river conditions (except whitewater streams, though it has survived mild Class 1).
If you ever get up to Vancouver, visit the Feathercraft factory/headquarters on Granville Island on False Creek inlet. If you talk to them in advance they will usually let you test paddle the boats there, right in the inlet.
Very true Just in my short experience bringing my kayak to the ocean (usually just do flatwater or slight whitewater), it can be extremely dangerous on a crowded beach. Just with ordinary surf it will sweep you off of your feet while you are trying to bring it in. It literally does weigh hundreds of pounds and the surf will move it around like it’s a feather (although you can’t, obviously).
When I was a postdoc at U of Wisconsin my wifes’s friend’s boyfriend kept his kayaks hanging from the ceiling in their apartment like ornaments…this tended to evoke strong reactions in the female species … guys seemed to be OK with it.
For several years my wife did not like kayaks lying around in the kitchen when I was doing repairs, slowly she has lost the anaphalatic response, when I came back from Hawaii I had two waveskis drying out in the living room when she had a party and she did not even get upset.
