I’ve had a few kayaking lessons and been on a couple of tours, all with rented equipment and I am now looking to take the plunge and invest in my own gear. Question is… what do I buy??
I will use the kayak primarily for downriver whitewater fun (on the Truckee River here in Reno), it’s nothing too intense and I’m not really looking to get into doing a lot of tricks, maybe a few… but I also want a kayak with the storage space (for lunch etc) and tracking to be able spend a day on a calm lake (Lake Tahoe) just taking nature in and maybe exploring all the coves around the shoreline.
Any advice on what to buy would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
2 kayaks
1 for the Truckee the other for Tahoe. A compromise boat like an old school whitewater boat would be doable for both but not great.
What to buy?
I just found this link… is there such a thing as a “wgitewater touring kayak”? or is that a condradiction in terms?
http://www.kayakhelp.com/types-of-kayaks/whitewater-touring-kayaks.php
Prijon CombiTour
Not a bad compromise when you need (or only want) 1 boat to do two things that really require 2 different boats do do properly.
Whitewater tricks
The desire for “maybe a few tricks” in whitewater complicates things. There are boats that’d be OK on flatwater that could safely get you through moderate whitewater, but if you want to stay and play you really need a dedicated whitewater boat. The good news is that used whitewater baots are relatively inexpensive.
What’s your size/weight?
Bad source
Calling a Creek Boat a “whitewater touring kayak” is really misleading. I wouldn’t trust anything on that site. Stick to this one.
A good first boat for your whitewater interests would be a river running boat. But like Tchuck said, you are going to want a different boat for flatwater. Boats that claim to be good for both whitewater and flatwater are usually mediocre at both. An experienced whitewater boater can make their boat go straight and fairly fast on flatwater. But a beginner will find paddling a whitewater boat on a lake an exercise in frustration.
Bad Source Indeed
Browsing through that website I found all kinds of strange information.
try the prijon yukon–
I think it is exactly what youre looking for.
Not tricky
Depends a whole lot on what you consider tricks.
You’re not going to loop this boat. If you do I want pictures.
P&H Speeder
http://www.pyranha.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=144
I’ve only had the chance to paddle it on flatwater. Quite fast, stern was quite loose so it was easy to change direction under way. Outfitting was great. Bulkhead and hatch in back provide generous storage and floatation.
Tricks, well that depends on your definition.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
Maybe the tricks will wait…
… til I can afford a second boat. In the meantime I think I want something that is good on flat water and moderate whitewater.
I’m 5’7" and 150lbs if that helps at all
What about a Master TG …
with a skeg?
Buy two used boats
one for each use. go to craigslist, boatertalk.com, or pnet classifieds and score two boats for the price of a new one. look for a used paddle too. you could get away using your whitewater paddle on the lake but i would not use a rec paddle on whitewater. i would buy a new pfd, you never know for sure how the previous owner treated theirs.
good luck rick
I’ll say it’s strange…
“The first thing you should realize about squirt kayaks, however, is that they are definitely not for everybody. These kayaks are designed to spend some time underwater, and can easily be flipped up on their ends in the water in order to maneuver through tough rapids.”
So enders are for squeezing through sieves? I never knew…
EJ DVDs
Jargon Translation, please
C’mon, Bo, she’s a beginner.
EJ DVDs = Eric Jackson instructional DVDs. A renowned whitewater paddler, instructor and boat designer. Well worth the investment.
Good luck, Chelsea. Stay with P.net - if you can sift through the bozos, jargon and (ahem) “humor”, there’s some good info here.
Instead of getting anonymous answers
from strangers on a message go and talk with Charles A.
What else would you expect
from a 15 year old in Ft Collins, Colorado who air paddles a Pamlico 140 in his garage?
WW boat reviews
http://nocpaddlingschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Boat%2FGear%20Reveiws
http://nocpaddlingschool.blogspot.com/2007/05/whats-best-beginner-boat.html
Useful information
I just caught up. That first site is just awful! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but for sheer argumentative quality this ranks high - “Flatwater kayaking is easier and better to learn than any other type of kayaking.” It also sounds suspiciously as though it could have been written by P140 or his twin with a grammer checker.
In addition to following tsunamichuck’s advice, you should look thru the Guidelines sections and articles here on pnet. I’d add another site to look at for information on touring kayaks, since sea kayaks are touring kayaks and the fundamental safety and skills issues are the same as flatwater touring.
http://www.atlantickayaktours.com/pages/expertcenter/main-expert-center.shtml