Yes, I have thought quite a bit about the convenience of an inflatable, even if I had my own hangar to store kayaks. However, I have read many posts that give me the impression that once I want to get on the Sound, the boat will not work so well. I can imagine local clubs or groups not letting me join their outings with an inflatable.
There are fully drop stitch inflatables that I’ve seen mentioned that are more sturdy and move faster. I wonder if they’ve made any yet that can truly go toe to toe with at least a lower end seaworthy kayak.
That being said, something like a Sea Eagle 370 could be excellent for taking the kid out on flat lakes in the area
My first boat was a plastic Wilderness Systems boat purchased for $300. I now have an older but nice composite boat that I spent $500 on. Also got my spouse a nice composite boat for about the same price. Same with paddles. Definitely buy used.
I started 30 years and 5 kayaks ago. I still have those kayaks. When I am out kayaking I am in my best element—nothing compares. When I’m not working on my boats which I consider a pleasure, I’m looking for locations to go. I’ve read extensively over the years and I can recommend the Starship and the Canoe. Try it.
I wouldn’t call it paddling. More like playing. I keep playing around in my kayak 'cause I have a pool in the back yard. After a bike ride I’ll brace and roll some before my shower. No hassle with getting the boat to or from the water.
Ha! You took the words out of my head. I don’t think of myself as a seakayaker per se.
Rather I like using a kayak or waveski to “play” on the textured water, be it white water river or a stirred up sea. I get an adrenaline/endorphin rush from these, preferably surf since I can get to my homebreaks with 20-30 minute drive (I intentionally drive less and less).
I enjoy the outdoors in a more reflective/meditative mode while flyfishing and/or backpacking the mountains or kayak fishin/camping the Boston Harbor Islands. These are usually week-long excursions alone, 2 or 3 times a year.
I get mild exercise from a daily 30-45 minute walk; hopefully to be replace with the resumption of the daily bike commute to the downtown office post-pandemic.
I get more intense exercise and adrenaline rush from kickboxing and sparring 3-4 times a week at the gym; again, accessible by my bike.
My bike is really key to city living and enjoyment. (My six year old Honda Fit still has less than 30K on the odometer.) It is more environmentally friendly, convenient and and allows me to experience the neighborhoods in more laid-back and direct way. I like that the neighborhood folks all recognize me, with the kids on my street offering a friendly greeting of “Hi, Mr. bike man!”
yeah, me too. In fact, it’s part of the name my most recent kayak purchase (Petrel Play).
Though its element is playing in the surf, I use it on my daily paddles, while I don’t paddle to have fun, there’s nothing wrong with having fun while I paddle.
I imagine that each paddler has their own motivations.
I live by the Bay of Fundy where the water is drysuit cold until about the middle of August. Even then it’s pretty chilly.
After a while the drysuit just becomes part of the process and if you think of it as a drag that could reduce your enjoyment. Instead think of it as part of the special steps you go through to enter the water world. Like a portal.
Years before I took up kayaking I remember driving the highway towards Halifax and seeing large rounded outcroppings of bedrock a short distance from the road. For some reason I was drawn to stop the car and walk out to the bedrock outcropping and lie down and look up at the sky feeling the basic elements, earth, rock, sky.
Later, when I started kayaking on the bay of Fundy I felt the same thing. But now I’m paddling along by the cliffs and I stop paddling and lean back in my kayak so my field of vision encompasses the water, the cliffs, and the sky. Basic elements. And when I’m kayaking I feel that connection between myself and the basic elements of the planet. All the time I feel the undulations of the water. I’m just a cork floating on top of the water.
There are many places Ali g the Fundy shore where, except for overhead airplanes, there is no sign of the hand of man as far as I can see.
I can only be a visitor in the water world so it must be approached with respect and caution.
A lovely paddle on the bay might be exhilarating but I’m always aware that a change in the weather could make it very dangerous. So I’m always aware I’m just a visitor and out of my natural habitat.
I’m an enthusiastic photographer so that is always part of my kayaking activity. I don’t fit well in a paddling group because I’m not in a hurry to go from A to B. I often stop to photograph. I like to meander. I may stop paddling for a while and let the tide carry me along and contemplate the enormous power of the giant tides. I may take out my Native American flute and play my feelings to the Bay. I love to see the cliffs from the perspective of the water. The geology of the cliffs interests me as well.
Thinking practically, all my other activities are mostly “legs”. Hiking, cycling, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, etc. Kayaking is mostly upper body which fills that gap in the overall fitness plan.
I always bring our kayaks when we go camping or travelling somewhere near water. It would be more accurate to say our travelling is often planned around kayaking. I’m not the least bit interested in exploring cities.
Kayaking recharges my inner batteries.
The kayak is also my gateway to other activities I enjoy while kayaking.
The rewards of kayaking far outweigh the work involved to make it happen.
A beautiful post to read, thanks! It looks like a wonderful area to immerse yourself in. What special considerations are there when so close to rock outcrops and a rocky shore? Of course on a basic level just having good control of the kayak so as not to crash into the rocks. Is it mostly not an issue if there aren’t breaking waves there?
Some of the comments remind me of what I actually like about open water. White water canoeing and rafting was always a thrill, but I probably never experienced anything over class 3. The one disadvantage in my area was waiting for the water to reach navigable levels or traveling. Even then, the trips were from point A to B and required a shuttle or someone to drop and pick up.
There’s no limit on open water. I was on a recent trip with my sister, introducing her son to the bay. A Natural Reciurced Patrol stop see if we were lost and asked if everything, because its open water. My sister said, that’s why were here, just out for a paddle. He laughed and said, I think I remember you from about 10 years ago, we don’t see many layakers out here.
That’s what makes it great. I don’t like crowds, but it is a thrill to see a boat in the distance, on an intersecting course. The meeting is like a reunion as the information exchange develops.
I wouldn’t go out if it was windy. That’s for sure.
The big rocks are pieces that have fallen off the cliffs. They are only an issue when paddling very close to the cliffs. Just moving out 15 feet is enough to avoid the rocks.
Even so, I can only paddle there at high tide. The tide can be as much as 12.5 metres. Like a 3 story building. Twice a day. About 6 hours and 13 minutes between high tide and low with the time of the tide changing by about 50 minutes later every day.
At the beach areas the tide goes out a full mile. So I generally go out a couple of hours before high tide and make sure to come back before 2.5 hours after high tide. Unless I want to have to carry my kayak a long distance back to shore.
It is possible to stay out through the low tide but that takes a lot of trust that the weather won’t change for the worse before you can get back in. There are certainly some places you could beach your kayak if the weather changes for the worse, but not in the cliff areas.
I keep sea kayaking because I love being in places like this–Merchant Row in Penobscot Bay (coastal Maine). On this particular paddle I stopped to watch some seals herding a school of Menhaden into a tight circle and catching the fish for breakfast. I heard Osprey calling and noticed they had chicks in their nest. Got to see mom or dad catch a fish and land in the nest. 5 or 6 Harbor porpoises surfaced around my kayak and they checked me out for a minute or two. Stopped to photograph a number of lovely coves and islands. Spotted sand eels swarming under my boat in the shallows. Beached for a great picnic lunch with my SO and had a little hike around one of the islands–there are a lot of islands in Merchant Row. Enjoyed feeling strong and free while paddling with the sun and light breezes. Had a lovely chat with some fellow kayakers back at the boat ramp while we compared experiences and boats… We’ve enjoyed many similar days on the ocean, mostly in New England but also off the coast of Norway, Hawaii, Vancouver Island, and Fiji. Amazing life experiences. The gear and boats we’ve acquired used and upgraded as our finances allow–we’ve found it much easier and more affordable than other activities we also enjoy like sailing, skiing, and scuba diving. I make a modest salary–we aren’t well off enough to have a lot of extra money but we’ve found there are ways to get the gear we need within our means. I suggest not worrying about potential problems and reasons not to go sea kayaking if you are interested. You’ll sort it out and the rewards are huge.
I suspect there are two sub-species of humans: Terra Humana and Aqua Humana, and those of us who love paddling, and sailing, and snorkling are wired somewhat differently than those who prefer land-based activities, although some people are bi-.
When paddling, I feel a rhymic immersion in nature; a harmony of my body, the yak, and the water; a union with larger forces. It is a physical, aesthetic, and spiritual experience.
I have about $2,000 of gear to allow comfortable and safe paddling in water and air temperatures that range from the low 60s to high 80s over three seasons. That includes a wet suit but no drysuit. Most of it will last a decade or more. Thus my gear costs are not more than that of a jogger who goes through two pairs of shoes a year.
My old back will no longer tolerate hefting a yak on and off the car, so I pay for shore-side storage where I can drag the yak to the water, and I ask for help to move it higher ground when storms are moving in. This limits my paddling routes but hasn’t diminished my pleasure. I love the feeling of paddling and there is always something new on each outing.
so DanielD that’s a solid list of obstacles you’ve compiled. I don’t own a sea kayak. That really doesn’t make much sense for me living in wv. So I content myself with the occasional rental (usually a sit on top) and stick with the sheltered areas when visiting marine areas. The more places I go, the more I see that there are different ways to paddle- different cultures, I am still a novice in so many ways. It’s okay to be a tourist. Why do I fork out the cash for the occasional rental? I want to see and experience what’s out there without all the hassles you mentioned.
Now that I’m retired perhaps there could be a sea kayak in my future. I have more time to travel to other locales. Not quite there yet. Just as important as the boat and gear is the know how. So some classes and seeking out help from more experienced folks would have to occur. Just because your hooked on paddling doesn’t mean you’re good to go everywhere.
If I see that outfitters are renting to novices and small children, then I know I’m in the right place. Gotta know what you don’t know. I suspect the folks that have made the investment to sea kayak were ready to leave the kiddie pool and looking for something more.
Over 20 feet in the Bay of Fundy, 10 more feet than where l go.
Interesting comment on attitudes towards tides that big. Maine Island Trail guide specifically did not include information on islands up that way for many years. The guidebook stopped around Mt Desert Island. The tidal forces could be so powerful the MITA folks could not comfortably publish info that might encourage people unfamiliar with big tides to go paddle there. They figured that not being helpful would thin the herd to those who were better prepared.
MITA finally added that last stretch to the guide book a couple of years ago, with the consideration they could always pull it back if it seemed they had made a mistake. I haven’t renewed yet but l think it is still in their guide, mostly,online now.
What probably accomplished a lot towards keeping more casual paddlers limited up there probably has zilch to do with MITA information though. Just to get to midcoast, you have to drive a couple of hours beyond the border with NH. To get onto MT Desert another hour and a half to two hours. To the Bay of Fundy another hour and a half to two on a stretch of Rt 1 that becomes very spare on services quite quickly after Ellsworth. With the biggest feature from my recollection being the metal front fate of Stephen King’s placem
To get up to the Bay of Gundy, figure on spending all day in the car just getting there
It is really interesting to learn about tidal currents, which I have only just started doing. Tides going up and down are generally more intuitive but the currents I hadn’t thought as much about.
Deception Pass in Puget Sound, in the narrowest part under the bridge, experiences about a 7 knot ebb/flood current at its peak according to NOAA or whatever site it was. I’ll be there all day in April but the instructors I assume will make sure we are not swept away or into a rocky shore by this! On the other hand, it seems you could practically shoot yourself out of a cannon into the Sound by waiting for the peak ebb and putting in on the bay side of the bridge. Probably want to make sure this is what is desired first though
When you say 1 foot of elevation, are you are talking about the “tidal range”? Same for you Celia The difference between low tide and high tide.
Elevation is not a word I think of about tides. I think of elevation as a static point like the top of a mountain.
I think " what is the tide level on a given fixed point, like shore".
Semantics I guess.
