I am trying to get into ww kayaking, but I have no idea what to start with as far as kayaks go. I live near a small class 1-2 river which is where I would be learning. I already have access to an Old town nantucket (aprox.length= 15’). Could I use this to start with or should I wait? I have a limmited budget ($200-$600), can anyone suggest some good boats?
Thanks.
pygmyt
WW Kayak
I open boat but have bought several WW Kayaks for my family. You can find older river runner style boats in good condition in the 11 ft range for $200 or less. Dagger Outburst and Prion Hurricans and a bunch of other fall into this group. They are easy to roll and are very good at punching through holes and running (with the right experience) big water. They are cheap because they will not play well or get any air or do much other than front surf. These boats are alot better than the older stuff that you’ll see once in awhile that are even longer and have old style round small cockpits. The next group of cheap boats are older style play boats. These might be as short as 8 or 9 feet and will have the modern shape and size cockpit and might hae planning hulls (flat bottomed), they may or may not be easy to learn to roll, will be lighter and with experience you will be able to side surf like crazy and do a lot of other tricks, they will also get you down a ww river but not as effectively as a modern style river running boat design or one of the older boats mentioned above. The reason they’re cheap is because there’re a million new modles out there that play more (get air, etc.) and that are lighter, smaller and shorter and have better outfitting. The new boats, 2 years or so old will probably have ratcheting adjustments to the back rest and are more comfortable. This is the best all around site or boating but for used kayaks go to boatertalk.com, they’ll be a lot of boats for sale in various catergories. With all the cheap boats out there I thought I’d never consider a new kayak but lo and behold this year several companies came out with some river runners with modern lenght and oufitting so I ordered a $1000 one for my wife. Hope some of this helps, Jim
nantucket isn’t
q w/w boat. If you cruise the mesage boards you should be able to find a “real” w/w boat in your price range. Jim had good guidance.
There are a variety of boats …
that will work for you and will be available for the price range you specify. Tell us more about yourself. Like, your weight, inseam, and height. Avoid a really old boat that someone wants to get rid of that will make it harder to learn. In general, wait as long as possible before you buy anything. Take some lessons. Borrow and rent boats. Get to know other paddlers and seek their advice. Then buy a boat you expect to sell within a year. Then buy a boat that seems to work well for where you are then. You may have to go through several boats before you get one that works well enough. Then you can fill up your garage. 
area paddlers
I would like to try some different boats, and meet up with some more paddlers but I and my family seem to be some of the few kayakers in the area. the only other paddlers in the area are both flatwater/tuoring kayakers. We live about an hour drive west of Austin TX. I guess there is a price to be paid for “pioneering” a sport in an area :). Thanks for the info!
pygmyt
Try posting on Boatertalk.com
Simply ask if there are any WW paddlers in the Austin area that would be willing to help someone get into the sport.
ww in austin
There are many, many ww paddlers in the Austin area. I just got into ww paddling and bought a used boat ($200), took a lesson on river running, and havn’t stopped since. In all, I think I spent less than $500 to start out. There’s a great kayak shop in austin that has LOTS of boats around. They even sell used boats. It might be worth the drive just to sit in a bunch of boats to see the different designs and what you fit in well. The guys can probably give you some good advice about where to look for other boaters in the area as well. good luck!