Am considering a kayak that rates it within 40 lbs of my weight. Is this safe, or do they rate weight limits on the safe side or not even close so they can sell more. Have a Ride 115 for fishing but would like a lighter kayak for just exploring & paddling around for exercise & enjoyment. Might do some fishing, but wouldn’t take much gear, one pole & 3-4 lures. I only paddle lakes or ponds where biggest wave is from a boat. Was wondering about safety, stability, & performance. The Ride is a real tank to haul & paddle any distance sometimes, but really stable & safe.
within 40 lbs will be fine NM
Agree
its hard to sell a kayak to a dead paddler. And one who is too big for the boat is not apt to utilize the services of the retailer of the initial boat.
ratings
I believe KM is saying that the manufacturers have good reasons for being realistic in their weight ratings.
However, being near the top end of the weight ranges for any boat does impact the performance, even if it is technically “safe”. Doesn’t matter as much for just sittin’ and fishin", but if, as you say, you want a boat that is more suitable for moving along, you may want to try to test paddle some longer (and therefore narrower) boats that may have a lower waterline with your weight aboard and be easier to propel and turn.
Only way to judge that is to try some out.
I don’t know how kayak capacities
are measured but canoe weight capacities are still often measured in terms of leaving six inches of freeboard. That is often an insanely inadequate safety margin.
Performance capacity is used by some canoe manufacturers… ie the weight limits…low and high…for best performance of the particular hull. Its usually about 60 percent of “capacity”
Most people do not notice if the weight is within 10 percent in excess of the top limit.
Your requirements
point to a solo canoe. Is that an option?