Kayaks

Choosing a kayak can, at first, be a daunting project. There are hundreds of different kayaks to choose from, each one perfect for a slightly different set of paddlers. While every general rule has its exceptions, let's start with some basic questions to narrow down the field and help you find what set of features you will want in your new kayak.

Sit on top vs. Traditional Sit-ins

Sit on tops are now designed to handle just about every type of paddling that sit-in kayaks can handle. The difference comes in exposure. Sit on tops are wet, exposed to the sun and spray, easy to learn to use, best in warm weather, generally less expensive, easy to clean, and are excellent for swimming / diving / fishing directly off the kayak as they are easy to climb on and off while in deep water. Sit-ins are warm and dry, keep you more protected from the elements, generally allow more control of the kayak, are enjoyed best with some initial instruction, and can be used in all seasons and in more extreme waters (from paddling around Antarctic icebergs to paddling off tropical waterfalls and everything in between).

Whitewater vs. Sea kayaking including Multisport

Whitewater kayaks like to spin (have "rocker" or a banana-like overall shape) to allow the paddler to change direction quickly on a river or turn back around to face the surf after a good ride. Sea kayaks are the opposite: they are designed to go in a straight line: those with the longest waterlines being the fastest and most efficient. Most have storage bulkheads, perfect for that weekend away while providing an important level of safety while paddling far from the shore - the trapped air in the fore and aft sections provide buoyancy should your kayak ever be swamped. Recreational Sea kayaks are generally shorter and thus more easily turned, wider (thus more stable), and have only one or no bulkheads (keeps them light to carry, but not ideal for paddling far from shore). Multisport kayaks are long and thin to maximize speed and efficiency, use a rudder (as well as advanced paddling techniques) to turn the kayak especially while navigating rapids, and are generally as light as possible for easy acceleration and portaging. They do not have bulkheads but use air bags instead, and tend to be the least stable of all the kayak groups mentioned above.

How many people?

Will you generally be in your own kayak, or will you always (or almost always) have another person to share your kayak? Tandems, Triples and Canoes offer a range of options for families and couples. If you are part of a couple or family that likes to explore areas at their own speeds and in their own way, then multiple single kayaks may be a better option for you. If you are part of a couple or family that likes to be close enough to each other to easily hold a conversation or share experiences at all times, then a multiple person kayak may suit you best.

Other considerations: fishing, children, capacity, stability, storage, kayak weight

Fishing may be done with any kayak, so at first glance this may not be an important consideration. Plenty of people fish from their sea kayak by simply tying a line to a highly visible deckline bungy and waiting for a pull on the line while paddling around. Some even flip upsidedown, breathe through a tube from their spreydeck, and spearfish dinner! While still others use their creek boat (white water) to run through secluded gorges to fish in ponds inbetween where no one else can reach. The vast majority however, like to have access to their gear, fish directly from their kayak, and have a storage area for their catch. We carry a range of perfect fishing kayaks - the Cobra Fish'n'Dive, Fluid Chumani, Cobra Pro Fisherman, Ocean Kayak Prowler Elite 4.5, and Mission Catch 390 Fishing Kayak for details.

Kids love to kayak! There are many kayaks developed especially for use by children (Fluid Vaya, Cobra Play, Mission Flow, Mission Squirt, ) and others for use with parents and children at the same time (Ocean Kayak Peek-a-boo, Mission Flow, Cobra Fish'n'Dive, Cobra Tandem, and the ). Kids' kayaks tend to be thinner so that children are able to reach the water on both sides, lighter so they can carry them, and stable even when carrying lighter passengers. Some, like the Fluid Vaya, Fluid Spice Small and the Jackson Funs are scaled down adult kayaks, allowing kids to have the same fun their parents can have in their kayaks. Read about the Jackson family to see how young kids can really thrive in the sport of white water kayaking - it builds confidence and fitness. Fluid Vayas are scaled down Solos, made into a sit on top and cut to include a fin for directional stability. For general family fun the Cobra Play paddles extremely well in a straight line for parents and children alike with a weight capacity of 117kg and they are amazingly easy to surf. are unique in that they are very comfortable for a parent and child to ride together and are easy for kids to paddle on their own. Ocean Kayak Peek-a-boos are also unique in that they have a window on the bottom of the kayak for kids (and adults) to peer through adding greatly to the fun of exploration while greatly decreasing the distance needing to be paddled for new discoveries. Lessons are available for children to learn to paddle - see the Courses page for more details.

Capacity is very important in white water kayaks where the waterline is very sensitive due to low comparative volumes. Change this waterline, and the kayak will behave completely differently. Sea Kayaks and Recreational kayaks (both sit in and sit on top) are much less affected by weight capacities. Here the consideration is more for performance and wind resistance, and the designs are to hold the added weight of camping gear, so they tend to have fairly large weight capacities. This consideration is important when you are in the final stages of choosing your individual kayak.

Stability is common in recreational kayaks, reducing as speed and maneuverability become more important. If you are nervous about being in a kayak and high performance and speed are of little importance, then make stability a priority. If you are very comfortable on the water, regardless of your current experience, consider a performance kayak in your area of interest and learn to paddle your craft of choice. Learning or solidifying your roll technique will also add confidence to any kayaker and allow for a higher performance craft of choice.

Storage can be important in any kayak, but in sea kayaks it is also linked to safety. If you plan on heading far from shore, then having a front and rear bulkhead is an important safety feature. If you were to lose your balance and have to swim, only the center portion of your kayak can fill with water. With good self rescue technique and gear this is not an issue and may be easily overcome. If you don't have the hatches, then more of the kayak may fill with water, making self rescue in deep water very difficult, and a long hard paddle with a mostly submerged kayak will follow.

Kayak weight is in part a material consideration. Composite materials are lighter than most plastics. Shorter kayaks are generally lighter than longer ones. Difficulty getting your kayak on and off of the roof of your car may impede your enjoyment and limit the number of times you kayak in a given year. Trolleys and personal situations change this consideration - always having other people around, or having a house near the water may negate this issue. Also consider your purposes. Multisport kayaks will want to be able to accelerate quickly and so will watch kayak weight very carefully. Another option to reduce the weight and make storage/transportation very simple is to purchase an inflatable kayak. This has been taken to extremes for the new sport of pack-rafting, which mixes tramping and kayaking.

Putting it all together can be an exciting process, and we are here to make it as easy as possible for you. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and let us know your situation to help narrow down the field to the kayaks that suit your needs most closely.