@midtempo said:
…Yes, I’d be wearing a life jacket. Perhaps all the time since these cheap kayaks aren’t the least bit seaworthy apparently…
Please reconsider that statement and remove the word “Perhaps”.
Wearing a PFD ALL THE TIME is really mandatory. Get yourself a good - kayaking specific - one and you’ll hardly know you’re wearing it.
I used to teach rescues… It sometimes took two hours in a safe place with water you could stand up in to persuade someone to do a wet exit.
The unrealistic fear of being trapped in a kayak is indeed very real for some that have never tried a wet exit.
One thing you might consider, especially if practicing self-rescues, is how visible you are…sometimes helpful people or boaters rush over, or even call the fire department–as you learn a new technique, you may fail…to most people it looks like you are in trouble.
Thanks for the advice folks. I may refer to these comments later on. This is what will happen.
Yes, I am buying a cheap “glorified pool float” kayak. I think I am leaning toward the Sun Dolphin Aruba 10. I will stuff it with as many pool noodles as possible to improve its buoyancy in capsizing situations. And yes, I will try some solo wet exits. in a calm place near a calm shore on a very warm or hot day. My wife will likely watch me make a fool of myself but not participate. I will also practice the bailing pump and I will try out the inflatable paddle float for the self-rescue if I feel ambitious enough.
I will likely take lessons at some point soon though, especially to learn the two person T-rescue and to perfect my other skills.
For now, I will always stick to rivers and only near the shores in larger bodies of water. After lessons and more confidence I may expand out to the middle of large bays and ponds. I’m not terribly interested in the ocean or other choppy waters at this time, and I am aware that the sort of kayak I will buy is not for those places.
I hate all the cheap PFD’s I’ve worn in the past so that’s probably clouded my opinion of them. I know nothing about kayak-specific PFD’s.
Now back to the original question: Do any locals in Greater Boston know where around me is a good place near me that allows both swimmers and boaters and would be good to practice a wet exit? Especially if it’s in the North Shore area, There is always the ocean but the water is 65 degrees around here.
@Barge said:
One thing you might consider, especially if practicing self-rescues, is how visible you are…sometimes helpful people or boaters rush over, or even call the fire department–as you learn a new technique, you may fail…to most people it looks like you are in trouble.
I’ll second this with a personal anecdote:
A few weekends ago I was paddling in an area with heavy boat traffic. It was extremely hot and I had been rolling to cool off probably every 15 minutes or less. Coming up to a particularly narrow section before a “no wake” zone, I casually rolled under as a large wake caught up to me and stayed under as I felt two or three waves pass by. I then rolled up without any sort of panic… but I immediately noticed a guy on a boat nearby who looked like he was starting to panic. He called out to me somewhat angrily: “You SCARED THE SH1T OUT OF ME!!” I hadn’t given it a second thought really, I had been doing the same thing for the past number of hours but with much less boat traffic around me. I called back my somewhat confused apology, as I was still processing the situation, and we both continued on our merry way.
I’m glad that this stranger thought enough of me to be worried. But I also find the situation rather comical. I would have felt much worse if the guy had actually jumped into the water to come “save” me though.
Here’s a 14 foot fiberglass boat near you for $200 with paddle! I’d far rather have that than your similarly priced pool toy! 
https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/boa/d/14-ft-fiberglass-kayak-seda/6641117776.html
First of all go to a paddle shop and get a properly fitting kayaking PFD and always wear it… While you are there ask about a rescue sling. You can make one with 12’ of 1" tubular webbing. I take newbies kayaking all the time. Most of them are older and out of shape. Using a sling allows me to get them back in the boat without going ashore. If you don’t want to purchase a pump cut the end out of a milk carton and tie a sponge to it. Go ahead and stuff the ends of the boat with pool noodles. 65° isn’t that cold for a short swim. This might be enough incentive to stay in the boat.
@Doggy Paddler said:
Here’s a 14 foot fiberglass boat near you for $200 with paddle! I’d far rather have that than your similarly priced pool toy!https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/boa/d/14-ft-fiberglass-kayak-seda/6641117776.html
That 14-foot kayak weighs only 45 pounds? And it’s seaworthy for $200? Really?
I only had my new kayak in the water in a friend’s pool, to practice self rescue. Something I never thought of was that I was also trying out my PFD, and it failed. It had buckles on the front and they would hang up on different things . A zipper front PFD has been ordered.
It’s 10 years old. It’s fiberglass — still gonna be fine unless abused. The only downside I can see is it’ll require better care on your part than plastic. Why not take a look?
A minor detail: technically a wet exit is removing your spray skirt while under water and exiting the cockpit.
I do not believe there exists a spray skirt that will fit an Aruba 10, so what will be practiced is falling out of the cockpit, which should be pretty easy to do.
Nah I’m not really interested in a spray skirt at this time. But a 14-foot sea kayak, I think that might be too bulky for some rivers, even calm ones? It seems that a 10 foot kayak would be the ideal size for a river that may have twists, even if it is calm.
It’s not too bulky especially if you have the skill to edge it
However it’s not a playboat
You indeed can practice a lot of skills in a rec kayak
I will say that the boat is only one of three essential things to budget for. First comes PFD. It must fit you with no ride up. It will be with you for many many years
Second a paddle. The entry level heavy beaters will beat on you… Get a paddle that is lighter and hence more expensive… It will be with you for many many years. Mine has been with me 25 years
Third the boat. Your first boat will leave very shortly. In 30 years I have had seven kayaks.
for reference, 14’ is still short for a kayak. the 8-10’ kayaks are firmly in the Rec category. a short (‘real’) kayak is probably considered 12-14’. Medium length would probably be 15-17 and a long, touring, or racing kayak is 18-20’. just saying, 14’ is nothing to consider burdensome to transport, turn, or handle on smaller bodies of water, as 14’ is actually on the short-middle end of the spectrum.
a Real PFD is 1000x better than the $20 cheapo vest. Spend $100+ on a nice vest from a brand name like NRS, Astral, Kokatat ect and you will be comfortable and safe. I hated life vests until I got the NRS Ninja. Now I wear it all the time with comfort. Try a few different ones on to see whats comfy for your body type.
And as for the price, I have never paid more than 33% of retail for my boats and all have been in great shape with years of life in them. Buying used is highly recommended, as you can get a much nicer boat for the same price (or cheaper in the link above).
You have little to lose with a boat like that. It’s super-cheap and will be much better than the new 10-footer. If you decide you don’t like it you could easily resell and get your money back. It’ll sell quick, I bet. But don’t let us convince you. 
On the length thing, there are not a lot of places where you have a waterway that is deep enough to paddle but is too narrow for a 14’ hull. Even when wiggling through downed trees. White Water boats will run shorter for a number of reasons but most areas will be fine in 14’ or even 18’ hulls. In Michigan and Ontario, I don’t think that I have found rivers/creeks where my 15’ 9" solos & 17’9" tandems canoes have a problem.
Midtempo, a few things that jump out.
Get a proper pfd that you will wear comfortably all the time, as above suggested.
Your boat does not belong in the. middle of large bays especially a boat that makes using a skirt questionable. If you plan on that get a different boat and some lessons.
Your wife watching you is not a substitute for her also being able to fall out of a boat without panicking. You would be responsible for helping her if she did, and having been in this spot l can guarantee you it is between hard and impossible for a single paddler to help someone who is seriously not able to think. Presumably she doesn’t outweigh by 60 pounds like when l hit this, but l was in a good boat and still did not hesitate to get another paddler over.
It sounds increasingly like you are making the ,kinds of judgements that produce unfortunate news stories. Paddle Boston has lots of classes for beginners. Sign up for some.
I bought the Seda Vagabond in Nahant this morning for $200. There were three other people who were scheduled to see it that day but I was the first to respond so I am the proud new owner of it. Part of the reason it was so cheap was that the fiberglass hull had some scrapes and at least one patch, but so what? I already paddled it around the perimeter of Flax Pond in Lynn, which is a two block walk away. Yes, I walked it there and it was a pain. I’ll be getting a cart soon.
The paddle around the pond was great. It was a joy and I got close to several geese and duck flocks. I even got to see what I think was an egret, which is a bird I haven’t noticed around here before. Several people on the shore in the abutting houses said hi to me. There were no other boaters even though just about every house along the pond had a dock and some kind of boat. This is an urban pond and most people here would rather go to a more peaceful, less developed area when boating.
I can see how a fiberglass hull might be more delicate so I was trying to avoid scraping it along the beach as much as possible when I launched or beached. Unfortunately after I beached at the end, the boat drifted away from the shore while I was trying to get out and I was a klutz and fell out. It didn’t faze me at all. The kayak went sideways and took in a bit of water before I righted it. By a bit, I mean just a bit. I can see how this thing would be easy to roll and right should it capsize completely. I carried it to shore, used the bilge pump I carried with me to get the water out, and carried it back home.
I made the right choice and look forward to paddling more with it. And yes, I hope to practice a wet exit, pumping it out afterward, and at least swimming it to shore. We’ll see how it goes. I don’t want to panic if I do accidentally capsize. My wife, however, has less boating and swimming experience. I think taking lessons together at some point would be good.
Yay, I’m so happy you got it! Great buy and hope you’ll enjoy it for years to come.