suggestions for a large paddler

hello. I have a sister who is big, 5’11" 300 lbs and trying to get outside and paddle as she battles illness. Any suggestions for boats that big people can get into and out of? She will be paddling in Maine in protected offshore waters and slow rivers.
Thanks.

Does she have a preference for a canoe or a kayak? Will she have help loading/unloading it? By offshore waters, do you mean lakes or ocean?

Pungo 140…easy to get in and out, put something behind the seat (i used a cooler) to support heavier paddlers. A few Pungo’s ago (I have owned 5 over the years), I slipped in the low tide mud, fell onto the back fo the seat and tore the straps out. Maybe a forum member can suggest some sit-on-top kayaks. For some a Pungo 140 at 58 lbs. is heavy.

I suggest a fishing sit-on-top that has a raised seat. It’ll be the most comfortable, easy to get out of in case of an emergency and you can find them at a good price. I also suggest zero sugar of any kind.

This is an example…
https://www.cabelas.com/product/ASCEND-T-Sit-On-Top-Fishing-Kayak/2711080.uts?productVariantId=5560164&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=05011914&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=CjwKCAjw2dvWBRBvEiwADllhn40u93meOXCtaRll9VyjHTbHa9cI2zos20QlCGPoP8xkwduIjvZFaBoC91sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Do you have a type of kayak you are leaning toward? SOT, SINK, rec, etc? Do you paddle? Are you looking for similar to what you paddle? If so what type of boat do you paddle?

If you are not sure, check out an article on boat types in issue #10 of California Kayaker Magazine at http://calkayakermag.com/magazine.html

@DrowningDave said:
I suggest a fishing sit-on-top that has a raised seat. It’ll be the most comfortable, easy to get out of in case of an emergency and you can find them at a good price. I also suggest zero sugar of any kind.

This is an example…
https://www.cabelas.com/product/ASCEND-T-Sit-On-Top-Fishing-Kayak/2711080.uts?productVariantId=5560164&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=05011914&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=CjwKCAjw2dvWBRBvEiwADllhn40u93meOXCtaRll9VyjHTbHa9cI2zos20QlCGPoP8xkwduIjvZFaBoC91sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I agree with DD on the boat type.

Offshore waters in Maine are pretty cold year round (the ocean). They hover around the mid-50’s at best, which is too dangerous for immersion without protective clothing (wetsuit or drysuit.). It would be unwise to use a recreational style kayak in coastal waters anyway, because most lack bulkheads (to prevent swamping and sinking), And sit on tops, though easier for larger people to get on and off, expose the paddler to the cold water unless they are wearing a dry suit).

People who are much smaller or larger than the average sizes that kayaks tend to mostly be designed for, really need to test models out to see if they actually fit. Height and weight don’t really tell you whether one boat or another will fit. Where you carry your weight, whether one is densely muscular or fluffy, top-heavy or bottom-heavy, long-waisted with shorter legs or short-waisted with longer ones, can also impact fit.

I would say that until she visits an outfitter with a range of boat designs and sizes, and (better yet) finds an option to actually test a few out on the water (Spring demo season will come eventually), it would be kind of a waste of time to recommend any specific models or even styled. And you need to be more specific about her intended waters. The Maine coastline is not a benign environment.

How about a decked canoe which most people think is a sea kayak. Krugercanoes.com also Superior Expedition Canoes, CLipper Sea1, The older Mad River Monarchs. I know of a few 6 ft 11 guys and 350lbs paddling them.

@willowleaf said:
Offshore waters in Maine are pretty cold year round (the ocean). They hover around the mid-50’s at best, which is too dangerous for immersion without protective clothing (wetsuit or drysuit.). It would be unwise to use a recreational style kayak in coastal waters anyway, because most lack bulkheads (to prevent swamping and sinking), And sit on tops, though easier for larger people to get on and off, expose the paddler to the cold water unless they are wearing a dry suit).

Well, thousands of people paddle the Maine coast in the summer without a wetsuit or drysuit. It’s inconceivable that you would go out on the ocean in Maine on a 90-degree day and see hundreds of people wearing wetsuits and drysuits.

On the other hand, you also see huge numbers of people in those same waters (thankfully close to shore) with no bulkheads in a SINK and no PFD.

And on the third hand, when the water is 45 degrees at Ocean Beach there will be plenty of people in the water. One guy in his 70s swims long distances there every day.

Somewhere between those extremes there’s a reasonable midpoint of minimal to moderate risk that doesn’t involve a wetsuit or drysuit but does ALWAYS involve a PFD. I think most people can make that work, with the understanding that there will be some fatalities every year.

I would say that an unfit 300lb woman greatly increases her risk on the ocean as opposed to lakes and ponds, as staying safe does involve some agility as the conditions get worse. Perhaps most importantly conditions on the Maine coast can change very rapidly.

All in all, I would say that the OP’s sister isn’t yet a good candidate for ocean kayaking. There are plenty of beautiful and safer places to kayak in Maine. Start slow on smaller lakes and ponds and she will have a much more enjoyable time.

P.S. I don’t think you can assume that this individual would be able to get back in a kayak of any type, whether SINK or SOT. Nor can it be assumed that paddling companions would be able to help her get back in. Which points again to avoiding the ocean as Willowleaf is correct about the temperature—it can be fatal if you can’t get back in.

I stand by my statements. Just because cold coastal waters are full of people being unsafe and stupid doesn’t mean I am going to recommend another newbie join them.

Swimming in chilly waters from shore IS different. I grew up in New England and swam off north Mass and southern to mid-Maine all the time as a kid. You adjust to the temp as you ease yourself in and you eventually adjust and can feel almost “warm” even in just a swimsuit. But getting dunked abruptly out of a kayak into depth over your head can cause cold water shock reaction with attendant gasp reflex and muscle spasming.

I do concur with WB that I would be anxious about somebody that size having the agility and strength to regain their boat. And unless they are in something pretty wide and high volume, that combination of height and weight could tend to make a kayak pretty unstable and increase the risk of an unplanned dunking.

That said, I would wish all people to be able to enjoy the pleasure of being out on the water, no matter their physical characteristics. I think a solo canoe would offer more buoyancy in a manageable boat weight and be quite a nice option for many Maine inland waters.

Water temp risk remain the same no matter how many others are in there in the same ocean.

A 300 pound novice paddler, who is battling some type of illness, has no business paddling offshore (in protected water or not) in any boat, in my opinion.

The liklihood that a capsize would result is probably high. I doubt the paddler in question would be able to reenter “any” type of boat under her own power. If others were paddling with her; I would question their ability to assist her in reentering the boat, unless they are highly skilled. Are possible paddling partners that highly skilled ???

If she can not reenter the boat, and paddling partners can’t assist her in reentering the boat; the options would be that she either swims, or is towed to shore. What in the liklihood that she could swim to shore , or be towed to shore, from let us say 150 yards out in these protected waters ???

Anybody ever tried to tow a 300 lb paddler 150 yards???
How did that work out for you ???
I don’t see the boat as the “real concern”,
Paddling small ponds, or small lakes with paddling partners, and wearing protective (cold water) clothing are the best suggestions I read.

Just my opinion…
BOB

You’re probably right Bob. I saved a friend from drowning once and in his panic he also killed me (literally). And he was normal weight. Remounting any craft while in the water takes at least a little physical ability.

Look up the thread on Yellowstone incident.

@PaddleDog52 said:
Water temp risk remain the same no matter how many others are in there in the same ocean.

True. And the desire that hundreds of people have to paddle the Maine coast on a hot summer day also remains the same. Safety recommendations need to be realistic for what people can do, what they’re willing and likely to do, what they can afford. A realistic recommendation might be “paddle with a group and stay close to shore” or “go with an outfitter or instructor if you’re not sure what you’re doing.”

Check this outfitter: https://mainekayak.com/kayaking-trips/sea-kayaking/ See any wetsuits or drysuits? How about https://www.oldquarry.com/kayaking-tours-trips/?

The Old Quarry “What to bring” list mentions a wetsuit or drysuit only for lessons, with the caveat “suggested depending on time of year.” The average water temperature in Stonington in August is 58 degrees. At that temperature you lose dexterity in 10-15 minutes but you can survive an hour or so. The USK hypotherima chart calls for a wetsuit or drysuit in water under 80 degrees (albeit a shorty between 70 and 80 degrees). Apparently Old Quarry chooses not to follow that recommendation for all summer paddling.

The water temperature in Kittery, in southern Maine, is 65 degrees in August. The USK chart calls for a wetsuit at that temperature. This makes the entire coast of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts off limits all summer to anyone who doesn’t have a wetsuit or drysuit.

All sports have inherent risks, except maybe curling. You can apprise people of the risks of extreme behaviors like not wearing a PFD in the middle of a raging ocean, but recommendations have to be sensible and achievable or people aren’t going to take them seriously.

An Eddyline Carribean would be a good boat for her. Probably the 14.

I’m in a drysuit till 65° no matter what the air. Then 65°- 70+ I am in two piece pants and jacket or farmer john. Plus a cell and two VHF radios. One VHF n my PFD all year.

@string said:
An Eddyline Carribean would be a good boat for her. Probably the 14.

Pushing already?

@DrowningDave said:

@string said:
An Eddyline Carribean would be a good boat for her. Probably the 14.

Pushing already?

No. But it’s a big boat.