For me, the answer is YES, a WW kayak is OK for use on flat water. Qualify that statement with the following requirements:
1. You can, in fact, paddle it well in a straight line. This takes practice, and quite a bit of it. But when you can, it opens up a world of paddling...more on that below. And you know you can then paddle longer boats straight.
2. Distances are short compared with what you would cover in a longer boat. The shorter kayak, and one meant for maneuverability, simply is less efficient at a given distance than a longer one, all other thiings being equal which they almost never are.
3. Wind is slight or nonexistent. These boats are much more affected by wind, both in terms of slowing down and in terms of directional stability.
4. You are highly unlikely to capsize, assuming you can not roll. If you can roll, then recovery is quick. But if not, your options are more limited than with a sea kayak. I can do a from-the-back cowboy reentry on mine, but it takes on a lot of water even though it is done fast. And I doubt it is viable in rough conditions. I can roll, so this does not really matter.
5. You do not need to carry much gear. My 6'7" WW boat has room for me, a snack, and a waterproof keybox. Anything more risks causing a jam inside.
That is a lot of qualifiers. The upside is that the boat is light, easy to haul inside a truck bed or car (no rack needed), easy to carry to the water, highly maneuverable, and tough. I no longer have access to a WW park and don't want to do shuttles, so mine now gets used for roll practice, activitiesthat put high priority on maneuverability (I helped with an eelgrass mapping project), and also for just plain fun. The thing is so small it is super-responsive to body movement, so it makes stroke practice fun.
Last, but not least, it is a great vessel for some venues despite their being flatwater. I just returned from a road trip that included a few days at Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Not wanting to lug around a sea kayak that would be sitting exposed and unused for the other days when I was hiking in high desert, I brought the WW kayak inside my truck. No rack or trailer needed. I paddled that little boat at the refuge and quietly exulted in how it could tuck easily among the reedy channels. INCREDIBLE wildlife watching. Slow speed compared with the sea kayak simply does not always matter. I paddled 8 miles in it one day, just under 3 hours...a distance that I would have covered in 2 hours in the long boat. But so what? I thoroughly enjoyed that extra time out there.
So the short answer is yes, IF you take into consideration the boat's inherent traits and exploit them. I love my little boat!
There is nothing worse than the whining of a kayaker in his/her tiny whitewater playboat on a flatwater trip. Used boats are cheap, so my advice is to get a whitewater boat for playing in the rapids, and a long boat for flatwater trips. You’ll be happier, and the folks you paddle with will be happier.
For family general fun purposes… You aren’t talking a skills boat, just something easy. Basic SOT and stay swimming distance to shore, which it sounds like you are talking about, is easy for the paddlers. A bit more work to haul, but if your goal is to get people on quiet water without fuss that’d be a good boat(s).
recreational class kayak That boat is a recreational class kayak. Made for paddling on flat water in protected areas.
Like a white water boat, it does not have enough flotation to allow you to get back in to it if you are in open water. It will be harder to flip on flat water than a white water, but it is still possible and does happen.
The recreational class kayak will actually be easier to flip on choppy water. As such, it is not appropriate for even class II rivers (unless you treat it as a tubing trip and swimming is part of your plan) or larger lakes/oceans (where waves can form).
Sorry, but I like the Otter for its intended purpose. My sister has one and has gotten many good hours out of it.
But I just reread your original post and you say you are talking about a boat that will allow you to learn to be more aggressive in moving water… that is not an Otter for reasons others have delineated.
You want to go with a proper WW boat, or at least a very capable crossover as was recommended in a post lower down. And you probably will do best to separate your boat needs into two buckets, one for family messing around on flat water and the other your learning to WW.
reply I realize the Otter or in my case the OT Sport Stoker is not a WW kayak. This was just the first one that I had purchased and what I was paddling around this past weekend.
I’m actually looking at a Jackson Hero, Jackson Fun and/or a Project 52 and the reason for my original post.
Look for older down river boats You can find boats like the Necky Jive for around $300, it came in an 8’ 2" and 8’ 10" models. I’ve used mine for coastal paddles a lot. Yes it’s slow, but if you are not paddling with a fast group it’s fun boat to play in features on streams and rivers and ocean. Some of the old school whitewater boats that are 9’ or 3 meters are actually pretty decent on flat water.
What I like about the Jive is I can just throw it in my car (Xterra, Prius, Outback) and take off, it takes 2 minutes to get ready to go paddling. Just drain and dry it off with a towel when you get done and throw it back in your car. You can work on moving water skills and rolling and bracing in a real kayak.
Jackson Hero That boat is officially a creeker, which means more volume and slightly more going straight than a play boat or a river runner. The Fun is river runner/play mix I think but I could be off on that.
FWIW, a lot of folks in beginner whitewater classes who are greyer of hair get put into creekers because they are a good compromise between stability and maneuverability. They get knocked around by current less easily than a play boat, are less likely to capsize at a sneeze and even usually have space in there for wearing shoes. My older river runner fits me fine for the class 2/teeny class 3 I am likely to do, but the only thing I can get in there is neoprene socks. If you start your WW time in a creeker you will be right on the trend.
I bought the Jackson Hero. It's a 2011 model and picked it up for $300.
First trip to the local lake was horrible. I couldn't go straight for more than a few feet. I'd paddle and paddle and paddle and couldn't make it straighten out. I'd finally straighten it out and out of no where make a 180 turn....lol
My first thoughts were what have I done? Wasted my time, money...sigh.
I ended up going for swim when over taken by waves from a passing ski boat while I was trying to lean to make my turn. It was brutal. Lots a good pair of sunglasses.
The yak needed a bath anyway and it gave me an opportunity to use my hand bilge pump.
Second trip was short and not much better. Very frustrating.
Refusing to give up I started reading and watching as many videos I could find on technique, posture, etc...
Learning the difference between a forward stroke and a correction stroke made a huge difference.
Third trip to the lake was a lot more enjoyable.
It may not be ideal for flatwater, but it made me research and learn. All things considered, I'm happy with my purchase.
If the weather cooperates we're heading to the river in a couple of weeks. (Class I & II+)
upright posture, head up, looking ahead, think about vertical paddle strokes parallel to the boat, hands don't extend over the center axis of the boat, upper torso rotates- it takes practice
make sure you have a good snug fit in the boat- it makes a big difference, if the boat's backband ratchets up then do so to help with posture, make sure the balls of your feet/shoes are on the bulkhead
its okay to take more than one stroke on a given side of the boat if needed, and its okay to struggle a bit, you're in a boat that is designed to turn quickly, it will take some practice to get it to go straight
typical beginners use less vertical strokes, curving outward from the boat (almost like a sweep), and often extend the stroke well beyond the hip- in general they need to get more vertical and parallel and shorten their strokes up to paddle straight.
Something I forgot to mention is originally I was using a paddle that was way to long causeing me to sweep more. That had a lot to do with me being all over the place. Finding my comfortable seating position helped. I was in way to tight the first 2 times out as well.
I’m getting there Fortunately for me I can follow instruction well and find it easy to learn from video’s as well. My last outing I was basically doing what your recommending.
Jumped into the rec yak before leaving the lake and was like wow, that’s cheating…lol. Honestly think the hero will make a better kayaker out of me.
will track well for a ww boat, the kind of boat that “holds a line” or is “point and shoot”
here’s an old video of me on middle cranberry in a river chaser (hollowform), I’ve shared this video before so my apologies to the regulars but it is the only hollowform footage I have.
