Recommended Sea Kayaks?
Jason Oliver
fiancee and I wish to go togehter on trips, but she is concerned that she
cannot handle a solo kayak by herself. Our trips usually amount to island
hopping in places like the Algonquin area in Canada, large open stretches
of water. We'd like to do also some stream exploring, no whitewater, I'd
say up to class 3 tops. We thought of getting a tandem kayak, but haven't
seen any really nice ones. So far, the (seemingly) best choice has been
the Spectrum Sea Touring kayak, but it is only a one person boat. I have
used a demo Spectrum for about 50 feet (small pond) and played with it, it
seemed quite stable and a generally good boat. The price was very good,
at $549 for the base, and extra for options like the surf rudder and an
exploration kit (water tight cargo spaces and external cover). What I need
is recommendations on:
1) What are some good 2-person sea kayaks?
2) Any feeling on whether a fit female could operate a solo sea kayak for
extended stretches without extreme fatigue? (If its too difficult, she'd
be miserable, and wouldn't want to go out any more)
3) Good sea kayaks? Spectrum, Chinok, Aquaterra Keowee, etc?
BTW: Our trips don't go beyond a week, so thats how much gear the boat
would have to hold.
Thanks all!
Jason R. Oliver
Software Engineer
oli...@ssd.kodak.com
Standard Disclaimers apply: My opinions, not my employers.
Greg Stamer
>Aquaterra Spectrum Okay for day trips,
> not much space, tracks bad
>
> Chinook Better than Spectrum, but still not a good
> tracker. Space for extended trips.
I agree with you about the Spectrum tracking poorly. One friend who
has one finally bolted on a skeg to help it go straight. In addition to
tracking, its short length makes the boat relatively slow. The Spectrum
is a good boat for protected water and gentle rivers. It is a compromise
craft - not a whitewater boat and not a sea kayak so it can be used
in a variety of situations but does not excel in any of them.
I paddled a Chinook for three years (without a rudder) and found that
it tracks ok. It will turn into the wind (as will most sea kayaks),
but this can be corrected by leaning into the wind and using corrective
strokes. The Chinook can often be found second hand and makes a good
learning boat. It is fairly heavy (62+ pounds?) and some people have
trouble loading it onto a boat rack by themselves.
Rudders are a religious topic among sea kayakers. My opinion is that
they can be a effort saver and thus a safety device but I don't enjoy
paddling a boat with a rudder and find that many paddlers who have
ruddered kayaks never learn proper boat control. If you have a rudder,
practice leaned turns, sweeps and stern rudder strokes with the rudder
raised so that you will not be helpless or lose all confidence when the
rudder breaks (at the worst possible time).
\ O
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Greg Stamer Florida Sea Kayaking Association / Coconut Kayakers
sta...@fang.att.com
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Ken Meinken
Jason,
isn't Algonquin an area of lakes, rivers and PORTAGES? You do not
want to portage a tandam sea kayak!!! Most people don't even
want to portage a solo SK.
There is no such thing as an all-around canoe/kayak. That's
what I have two kayaks and three canoes! What works well for
open water does not work well for small, whitewater, portages,
etc.
Your fiancee should have no problem paddling a sea kayak.
At the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Symposium, I see lots of women
paddling their own boats.
As already noted, tandem SKs are elxpensive and relatively rare.
No body can paddle a sea kayak for long stretches against wind
and waves unless you get in shape for it first.
I thoroughly disagree with the comment that was made to you
that the Chinook does not paddle straight very well.
I do have a rudder, but I also sometimes paddle without it.
The Chinook is a good all-around boat, expecially for beginners.
After you learn more and are ready for more boat, then you'll
know better what you'll want to spend your megabucks on.
Ken
DQ582 Todd Leigh
>...Our trips usually amount to islandhopping in places like the Algonquin
>stream exploring, no whitewater, I'd say up to class 3 tops.
Hey, whoa, you're talking about two different kinds of travelling here. Witness
the "Class VI" thread in this newsgroup.
A boat that is suitable for class III whitewater is not going to be very good
for large open water stretches. Class I maybe. Class III is fairly tough
whitewater. What exactly do you want the boat for? I'll attack the question as
if you hadn't mentioned the whitewater. If you want justification for this,
send me email, and I'll discuss it.
>We thought of getting a tandem kayak, but haven't seen any really nice ones.
There are lots of nice tandem sea kayaks out there:
Pacific Designs or Wilderness Systems Skookumchuck
Northwest Designs or Wilderness Systems Seascape II
Eddyline San Juan
Current Designs Libra
Pure Perfection Designs (Valley Canoe Products) Aleut Sea II
Hydra Sea Twin
All of the boats listed above are fiberglass except the Sea Twin, which is
rotomolded plastic. The fiberglass boats generally cost >$2000, the Sea Twin
comes in around $1500. All of the boats easily have enough space for two
peoples' gear for a week except the Libra and the Sea Twin, where you might have
some problems.
>So far, the (seemingly) best choice has been the Spectrum Sea Touring kayak,
>but it is only a one person boat. I have used a demo Spectrum for about 50
>feet (small pond) and played with it, it seemed quite stable and a generally
>good boat. The price was very good, at $549 for the base, and extra for
>options like the surf rudder and an exploration kit (water tight cargo spaces
>and external cover).
The Spectrum is an okay boat. If you're going to do large open water, I'd say
it is essential to get the rudder and the exploration kit. I'll explain why in
a moment.
There are a number of considerations when buying a sea kayak:
1. How much does it cost? Kayaks run anywhere from $600 to $2000 for single
boats, and $1500 to $3000 for tandems. What is your budget, and remember you
are going to have to buy accessories like paddles, spray skirts, dry bags,
PFDs, etc.
2. How does it perform? Specifically:
a. How well does it go in a straight line?
b. How well does it turn?
c. How much initial stability does it have?
d. How good is the final stability?
3. Is it rigged in a seaworthy fashion?
4. Do you like it?
These are questions you have to answer, and the more boats you try the better
you'll be able to judge and make your decision.
My analysis of the Spectrum is as follows:
It doesn't track worth a bean. If you are going to go in a straight line all
day (like on large stretches of open water) it is not a very good boat because
it is difficult to make it go straight. So get a rudder.
It turns easily. It has a fairly flat bottom, and isn't very long. This might
make it suitable for easy whitewater (Class II max?). Whitewater is a very
different environment than flatwater though, so you'd better know what you're
doing, or you could get hurt pretty bad.
Primary (initial) stability is good. It feels comfortable to sit in.
Secondary (final) stability is not so good. There's no real defined stopping
point when it leans, so if it leans, it will probably keep going until its
upside-down unless you do something drastic, like a brace for example. Because
of this characteristic, its not a very comfortable boat in big waves.
Without the expedition kit (stiffening, watertight hatches, and bulkhead) it's
not suitable for large open water. If it tips over and swamps, it fills with
so much water that it becomes very difficult to dump out and re-enter.
There is not enough space in a Spectrum for an extended trip.
There are a lot of boats out there (with varying costs and features) to choose
from, and the only way to decide on one is to paddle them.
>What I need is recommendations on:
>1) What are some good 2-person sea kayaks?
See above.
>2) Any feeling on whether a fit female could operate a solo sea kayak for
> extended stretches without extreme fatigue? (If its too difficult, she'd
> be miserable, and wouldn't want to go out any more)
My girlfriend is probably a better kayaker than I am, so I think that a fit
female would have no problem. Sea kayaking especially depends a lot more on
good paddling technique for long term endurance than it does on raw strenghth.
If she takes the time to learn and develop the technique, she will have no
problem.
>3) Good sea kayaks? Spectrum, Chinok, Aquaterra Keowee, etc?
I notice that all the kayaks you name are plastic boats. Most of the best
kayaks are made of fiberglass, but they are more expensive. Is cost your
principle constraint? Here's a list of plastic boats I've paddled.
Manufacturer Boat Quick analysis
----------------------------------------------------
Aquaterra Spectrum Okay for day trips,
not much space, tracks bad
Chinook Better than Spectrum, but still not a good
tracker. Space for extended trips.
Keeowee Good for dinking around in ponds. Dangerous
on big open water. No tracking.
Sea Lion Better tracking than Chinook. Otherwise
similar to Chinook. Most expensive of the
Aquaterra boats.
Nimbus Puffin Probably the best plastic boat. Track good,
but heavy. Hard to find, more expensive.
Hydra Sea Runner Similar to Chinook.
Sea Venture
As you can see, there's a lot to choose from even in plastic boats. If you pick
up Canoe magazine's annual buying guide, you will find a list of sea kayaks
many pages long. That's a place to start.
Incidentally, sea kayaking is a sport in which education is very important for
safety, so try to learn about it through some kind of instructional program if
you can.
Hope all this helps. Have fun.
--
Todd Leigh Motorola Inc. Opinions expressed here are
to...@ecs.comm.mot.com Schaumburg, IL not those of "THE MANAGEMENT"
Facts all come with point of view. Facts don't do what I want them to.
- Talking Heads