Yes, I am very familiar with the places you mentioned. Certainly Tramway, Maine is a cool place and enough so that I wrote a book about the area. I really like it there and all its history, being big enough in the 1920’s that it had a semi-professional baseball team! Even now you trudge through there and see so much steel and other locomotive and tramway works and realize ALL of it had to be toted in from 90 miles away… which was down from Canada, the closest town!
Indian Pond is not quite such a pleasant memory for me. I was nearly drowned during a river rafting trip down that part of the river. I had fallen out of the raft and got my foot caught in the line that encircles the raft. Through the worst rapids I was trapped underneath the boat. Only when the guide cut the rope was I able to pop up from underneath the raft to breathe. So it is always with concern when I open the spillway gates at Flaggstaff and let a rush of water go and wish the rafters all the best as they go charging down the river.
But if you like that area, paddling and history, there is a free book you can download of Thomas Sedgewick Steele’s 200 mile canoe trip from Moosehead Lake to the Allagash. It is free because it was published in 1924 so it is beyond copyright. You might like the struggles they faced as they worked their way North in this region though. Here is the link to that free download…
Again, being a writer myself I take copyright VERY seriously but there is no issues here as its an old book long out of copyright protection.
My thoughts were to see how kayaking works for me, and while I do not want to be THAT guy on these forums that asks about specific kayaks to buy, I can buy a 10 ft sit inside kayak for $600 on amazon, then get the life vest, spray skirt and life jacket and be in it for $1000 roughly, then an immersion suit for another $500.
I am not sure what type of suit to get though. At work, one set of divers SWEARS on wet suits and the other on dry suits. But inspecting intake racks is a slightly different application than kayaking!
Ultimately, I want to build my own kayak and have the woodworking and fiberglassing skills to do it, but wanted to see how much I like it before investing all winter into making my own skin on frame kayak.
Any thoughts would be nice though before Fedex shows up with the wrong kayak!
What is your height and weight? Unless you are on a white water river, I would recommend going with a 12-14’ kayak (with some rocker) that can handle class 1 (fast water) and class II (small rapids), but also provide volume and length for paddling larger lakes or protected ocean bays. You can probably find a much better kayak for $600 on the used market. A lot of higher quality kayaks for decent asking prices have been posted in Craigslist in the recent several weeks as the warmer seasons near.
PS - Of course, you got a learning curve with paddling skills in front of you. Your skills and willingness to learn will influence the type of kayak and dimensions (volume and width) to start with.
You should have bulkheads at both ends of the cockpit or sufficient float bags to fill that space. I too think 12-14 would be a good idea. Do be one of those guys that asks here before they buy. Do look for used. I got a used 17’ 4" fiberglass sea kayak with a fiberglass paddle for $650 and already had a good PFD. All I had to add was a skirt and a few other safety items like a paddle float and pump. Buying used may save you big bucks for a great kayak with all the gear included. Wet suits are less expensive than a dry suit.
I have a friend that has a used dry suit for sale. It is a large Kokatat in I think their breathable fabric version which cost less than the Goretex. He is about 5’10" and about 170 pounds. I think the neck and wrist gaskets may need replacing, but don’t know that for sure. He mentioned in passing the other day that he plans on selling and ask if I could put the word out. He didn’t name a price. When I see him next or call, I can get better details on it.
He is the second guy to the right next to the tall ugly guy That guy is string on this site.
It was just big enough to hear it in the fog when the compass heading on the 3 mile open water crossing got us close to the tip of Bull Island. We could have landed on the Bulls Bay side, but we braved the mighty half foot surf on the Atlantic side!
You’ll benefit greatly from some paddling lessons. You don’t just grab the paddle and pull it toward you; you’ll be sore and exhausted in no time, essentially going upstream.
A lot will depend on your kayak. A wider more stable kayak will move significantly slower than a “tippy” sleek kayak. Being a novice, what would you be comfortable with?
And finally, some rivers at some times of the year will be moving so swiftly that it will be virtually impossible to paddle upstream, or to be such an effort as to be no fun at all. I took a four day trip down the Manistee River in Michigan. I was riding with the current when I realized that I had passed the campsite I was planning to spend the night. The current was so strong that I had a very difficult time paddling my heavily loaded kayak against the flow to get back to the site. There was no way to paddle that river upstream any significant distance.
That guy is string on this site.
