Thinking about buying your first kayak?
by Julie MartinThere are several considerations you may be faced with when you think about buying a kayak. Most likely the first one you will encounter is that kayaks come in different categories: Recreational, Day Touring and Ocean or Performance Touring. Your decision regarding the type of kayak you buy should be based on what you want to do with the boat and not on your experience level. Different types of boats are designed for different environments and uses, whether you are a beginner or an experienced paddler. To help you decide what might be right for you, ask yourself these important questions:
Where do I want to use this kayak?
What do I want to do with this kayak?
Where do I see myself going with my skill level?
The answers to these questions will help shed light on the type of boat you should consider. Some things to remember:
In terms of wind and currents, ponds, lakes and small rivers are very different from bays, harbors and the ocean. You can take pretty much any boat into a pond and have a great time, but you cannot necessarily take a boat designed for a pond into water with more challenging elements and have the same result. The pond boat will not offer the safety and performance characteristics you will want in the more dynamic environment.
If you want to advance your skills both for enjoyment of the sport as well as more challenging water conditions, consider buying a boat you can grow into. Make sure the boat has the features you will need to learn and practice new skills.
The following information should help you get started identifying the type of boat that is right for you.
Recreational Kayaks
Recreational boats are typically 12 feet or less and fairly wide, around 27 to 30 inches. They are designed for flat water such as ponds, small lakes and rivers, and around the edges of estuaries – in other words, within swimming distance of shore. They typically have flat bottoms and a great deal of initial stability on flat water. They are very maneuverable but conversely are not the best tracking boats. This means it is harder to make them go straight than to turn them. Within the elements they are designed for, they are great, fun boats. Taken out of their element, the stability characteristics change and that easy maneuverability starts to work against you.
Day Touring or Recreational Touring Kayaks
These boats range between 13 and 15 feet in length and are a little skinnier, usually 24 to 26 inches in width. They are designed to handle larger bodies of water, such as the bays and harbors we have here on the Cape. They have safety features such as bulkheads and deck lines that allow them to be emptied of water and reentered by the paddler in deeper water. They are also narrower and longer, which improves the tracking. The hull designs vary, but generally provide good initial stability and acceptable-to-good secondary stability for rougher water. Secondary stability is what we rely on when the water gets choppy and the boat gets bounced about more. These boats typically come with an option for a rudder to assist the paddler in maintaining a course in wind or current:
Ocean or Performance Touring Kayaks
Ocean going boats are typically 16 to 18 feet long and skinny, 19 to 23 inches in width. They are designed to handle ocean-type conditions and surf. They usually have 2 or 3 bulkheads, lots of deck lines and upswept bows and sterns to cut through waves and chop. The hull designs are more aggressive, which provides adequate-to-good initial stability buts lots of secondary stability – this is what you want in rougher water. The length of the boat helps maintain course and keep the boat from broaching in following seas. Many also feature a skeg for directional stability rather than a rudder. With a touring boat, fit is also important, as we control the boat with our lower body – good comfortable contact points are important. To provide a good fit, they do come in different sizes, or as you will see it, volumes. For these reasons, it becomes important to try it on for size.
Hopefully this information will start you thinking, but it is always important to ask questions. Ask friends what they like or don’t like. Ask a lot of questions at your local paddle shop. The more information you can gather, the better. Start getting ready now, as the season is fast approaching. See you on the water!
Julie Martin leads the Outdoor Adventure Program at Goose Hummock in Orleans. She can be reached at julie@goose.com. She encourages readers to e-mail with questions, or visit her at the shop.
Published in Cape Business Health & Wealth July/August 2008
