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Going to try some kayaking this summer. Wondering if I should get a 10.5 foot or 12 foot. I read the 12 foot is faster and easy to keep straight. The 10 foot is smaller for storage and easier transport. Looking to kayak small to mid sized lakes. Maybe eventually try ocean but not initially.
Any brands to recommend? Any advice? I'm thinking I'd go with the sit in type vs. the sit on top.
First, I would say buy the biggest kayak you think you can transport. No one who fishes lakes and saltwater thinks their boat is too big or too stable, but lots of folks end up wishing they had more boat under them in those types of water. A 12' will get you more capacity, more stability, more paddle-ability, and much more expand-ability.
Second, look at the primary usage. Paddling, go with a slightly narrower hull with more rocker and more of a V bottom. Fishing, go wider and flatter.
Third, look at name brands. No one ever really gets something for nothing. Cheap kayaks are usually built with inferior plastic, less efficient designs, poor layouts, and poor quality control which leads to hooked keels or thin spots in the hull.
I like Feel Free, NuCanoe, and Jackson. But, there are lots of good kayaks. If you look cheap, look at Vibe, Brooklyn or something that is one tier down in price. Those are good kayaks with less design feature but still very good quality and value. They are not "cheap" kayaks, just slightly more tailored to new users who have to balance cost to benefits more since they often don't know what they really want yet.
Stay out of Wal Mart, Sam's Club, Amazon and others unless you really know what you are buying and what you are going to do with it. This level of kayak can be a bargain if you know how to look them over in the store, and exactly what you are getting vs what you may actually think you are getting.
Discount stores give no service, no test paddling, no knowledgeable sales staff, no guidance on how to paddle safely, and truthfully really just don't give a damn about your experience after the sale. Buy once and cry once, don't look for something for nothing. If you are in SW Missouri by any chance, OMTC is a great dealer, and handles almost every major brand.
Be safe, have fun and keep us informed as you grow in the sport.
I like cruising the reservoirs on the Missouri rivers ver complex- I live 5 minutes from one. I also like to fish. I have a Hobie Angler 14’ foot which is a sit on top and has a peddle drive with a steerable rudder. I love it- arms free and a pleasant experience.
I’ve had a a sit in and sit on top before- Wilderness brand. By far for recreational leisure floats and fishing the Hobie is just awesome.
I love to kayak and have a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 that I purchased years ago. It's a sit in and yes, you do wear the boat. Mine's a beast, made out of that molded plastic. No rudder, 2 holds, a very comfortable seat, adjustable foot pedals, knee braces. It's been well loved and handles really well even w/out the rudder (pros and cons to a rudder). It's stable and quick. But it's heavy. 50 lbs. I have a Yakima Showboat roof rack, has the pull-out roller. I can still get it on and off my car, but it's getting heavier and more unwieldy (to carry down to the water) the older I get. ha! I'm looking to get a lighter boat.
Make sure you can handle the boat by yourself. I would definitely recommend going lighter if you plan on making this a long term hobby.
Agree on taking a class! Learn your safety practices and self-rescue procedures. Get good equipment, too. Focus on safety. PFD, paddle float, bilge pump, some type of signaling device (whistle, flag), a good length of rope. A decent book about kayaking will lay all this out. Foul weather gear, cockpit cover, splash skirt, you can spend a fortune on 'stuff' Get a good dry bag, too.
Have fun. I mostly paddle quiet water but have taken my boat out on Lake Champlain, too. (man, may as well be in the ocean on that body of water!!)
IMHO, one of the best books about sea kayaking. True tales just about guaranteed to keep any paddler up nights, but the stories do cover all sorts of aspects of boats, equipment, skills and lack there of, also of conditions even experts weren't equal to (implying when you may want to call it quits before it's too late):
Co-author Matt Broze and brother Cam established Mariner Kayaks (Seattle area) who built my last boat. Don't know if they are still in business. Their boats are fantastic and so coveted they were often stolen. The company kept a hull registry to help customers find used boats for sale as well as get stolen boats back again.
Last edited by Parnassia; 06-24-2023 at 04:31 PM..
I have two Wilderness Systems .a 16 and 17 foot. They are great ocean going kayaks with ample storage for weekend camping etc. They are not cheap and the length can make them difficult to maneuver in tight quarters. If you are looking for quick trips on rivers with fast moving waters look for something shorter and quicker to turn.
I have two Wilderness Systems .a 16 and 17 foot. They are great ocean going kayaks with ample storage for weekend camping etc. They are not cheap and the length can make them difficult to maneuver in tight quarters. If you are looking for quick trips on rivers with fast moving waters look for something shorter and quicker to turn.
We have four Wilderness Systems kayaks. Two are Tsunamis, which are sit-ins. We love them and use them often in the sound and in the local waters.
We also have two Wilderness Systems sit-on-tops (Rippers - no longer made) that we used to use in the ocean for riding waves in. Unfortunately I had a serious accident when I was out of the boat and the kayak was picked up by a wave and smacked me in the face crushing the bone around my right eye, and nose (I was very lucky that my eyesight was not impaired!) and I now have 3 plates on my right side of my face. It was my fault of course, I made a stupid mistake, but it was enough to discourage me from taking that boat back in the ocean! Now the only time I use that one is riding on the river, over very small rapids, not even deep water. I feel much safer in a sit-in, for sure.
We have a sit in and and a sit on top. I prefer the sit on top because if the rain or waves fill it up with water it drains itself - there are holes on the bottom. Really. It works great.
The sit on top is a modular, take it apart, fits in the back of my small Hyundai Kona and I can close the hatch, but no passenger place left. It has 2 pieces and also an optional 3rd piece to turn it into a tandem. The 3 piece fits in the back of the Hyundai Santa Fe and there is 1 passenger place left. The tandem is faster and more stable than the single, don't ask me why.
The modular is sold by Point 65, a Swedish design, and expensive. I can assemble it and get on the lake before someone else gets his off the rooftop of their car.
Last edited by mgforshort; 09-20-2023 at 07:44 PM..
Kayak/REI type shops have been known to host a "try before you buy" day...you might inquire about one.
Yes, I second the suggestion to either take advantage of a trial paddle, or rent different types of kayaks before purchasing. There is a wide range of prices, materials, boat shapes and hull designs, and it's not as simple as more expensive is better, or long/skinny is better than short/wide... it depends on your level of experience, your build and athleticism/balance, what kind of water you'll be paddling - calm ponds, rivers, big lakes, bay or ocean, what kind of distances you want to be able to cover, if you want to be fishing, taking photos, bringing picnic or camping gear or the dog, whether you'll "baby" your boat or want to be able to drag it over the ground and bang it off rocks a little bit... and all of these variables mean that what's best for someone else is not necessarily what's best for you.
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Get a good dry bag, too. 
