To put it delicately, ALL my junk is in the trunk. I’m really worried about finding a kayak that ‘fits.’ Does anyone have any suggestions as to which kayak might be the right one for me? Thanks!
Synergy 12.0
I bought a Synergy from Mad River. It is labeled as a canoe, but it is more of a SOT kayak. It is 30 in wide and it has a lot of room to spare in the seating area…
Cathy
Old Town Dirigo
The cockpit, where you sit, is pretty generous. I put a pretty sizable lady in a 120 and she was comfortable and paddled the boat pretty well.
Of course- it depends on what type of paddling you’re doing. This was a calm water small lake.
one word
PUNGO…
Welcome to my world
LOL
I think I was told to re-term it “stern flotation” when I first logged on to Pnet oh so many years ago.
First kayak was a Perception America. Massive cockpit, but overall I felt the America was much more maneuverable than the Loon 138. Although my hiney fit in the Loon just fine too. Pungo is a good fit too.
Now paddling a QCC 500… but the standard seat is a snug one on my bonus “flotation”. Should have ordered the “wide load” seat when I had it made, but I can manage the standard just fine for a couple hours at a time.
Boats to avoid: Pretty much anything by Prijon (“Made by German men with skinny little butts for other German men with skinny little butts.”)
Consider both the…
Wilderness Systems Pungo kayaks and the Old Town Dirigo series.
Nice recreation-style boats for the casual paddler/burgeoning enthusiast with a nice blend of economy/quality/performance.
These aren’t boats to take on the high seas or the wild river waters but they do a lot of things pretty damn good and offer plenty of room and comfort. You can easily modify them to suit your taste with a variety of accessories.
And if you outgrow them, they’re always nice to have around for exercise, loaners, or just a kicked back casual paddle.
Good luck and pleasant waters to ya.
~Holmes
Loon 138
I’m 5’ 9" inches and 240 pounds and my Old Town Loon 138 is very comfortable. I love the boat even though it developed two cracks recently (in addition to the one on the seat, lol). Old Town is replacing the boat under warranty.
I love it…
hahahahaaaa… I just had to respond and let you know this put a smile on my face.
Current Designs has Some High Volume
versions of their regular models that may be worth a test paddle.
And almost any SOT
will work for you and they are a lot easier for larger and older folks.
jim
In the “real” sea kayak line
try an Eddyline Night Hawk 17.5 They are large stable kayaks.
Oops, I almost forgot to call
SOTs “large plastic slabs”.
Her profile says rec boat to me which is probably more likely to be a 12 to 14 foot plastic kayak (or slab).
In the SOT/SLAB line, the Tarpons, Synergy, and Manta Rays are all nice for large folks.
jim