How to pick a kayak - Brattleboro Reformer Weather: 6/30/10 12:10 PM MediaOne Card BRATTLEBORO, VT | Now: 68ºF | High: 73ºF | Low: 54ºF | 5-Day Forecast Electronic Edition This Site Home News Lifestyles Sports Opinion Entertainment Obituaries Publications Contact Visitor Info Mobile Subscribe Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH Classifieds Jobs Real Estate Autos More Sports How to pick a kayak Tuesday June 29, 2010 Marybeth from Connecticut wrote asking advice on picking kayaks for her and her husband: "We are looking for something for the lakes, but have an opportunity to kayak on a quiet ocean inlet in Maine where we vacation." She’s made a good start on getting the right boats. There’s no way I would ever recommend a specific kayak for anyone. Kayak preferences are as personal as underwear. But there are some general considerations which can help anyone find a kayak they can live with happily. Not all kayaks are created equal. There are slow, clunky kayaks that aren’t much fun to paddle. They get used a few times, then abandoned. It’s like trying to pedal a clunker bicycle -- despite best intentions you don’t go far or stay with it. Good equipment makes a difference. So here’s my advice for what it’s worth: 1) Know yourself. What’s most important to you? Do you want to go far and fast? Or are you content to paddle just far enough to see the sunset? Do you have good balance? Do you want performance from your kayak? Are you agile enough to get into, out of a tight cockpit? Do you paddle alone? Do you want to carry camping gear? Are you strong enough to load a kayak onto a car rack by yourself? 2) Know where you want to paddle. There’s no such thing as an all-around kayak. Do you paddle on rivers, ponds, lakes, the surf, protected bays or the open ocean? The best boat for paddling on a quiet pond is not the best boat for a wild, whitewater river, paddling Inn to Inn on Lake Advertisement Champlain or camping the Maine Island Trail. Decide where you paddle most and buy a boat for that. If it works in other situations, great. If not, rent when you need to (or own more than one kayak) Vt. runners help raise $1.8 million for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation LeBron leads elite NBA free agency class Tigers reliever Zumaya lost for season to elbow injury Despite injuries, Red Sox defeat Rays 8-5 Meet the new Bruin: Seguin visits Boston Most Viewed Most E-Mailed (From the last 12 hours) 1. Woman to serve 3 1/2 years in prison for drunken driving fatality 2. Man in serious condition after roof collapse in Dummerston 3. Roof collapse injures 1 4. PAYT voted down 5. Court Log 6. HCRS, Kindle Farm strike deal 7. Repaving schedule 8. Lower value on BF dam raises hackles 9. Slain Outlaw services calm 10. Board to meet with state on repaving, redesign of Main St. 3) Based on the above answers, you should be able to narrow your choices. A salesperson at a good paddling shop can help you narrow your choices. http://www.reformer.com/sports/ci_15397709 Page 1 of 3 How to pick a kayak - Brattleboro Reformer 6/30/10 12:10 PM paddling shop can help you narrow your choices. Generally, shorter boats are lighter, more maneuverable, slower and less seaworthy than longer ones. Wider boats tend to be more stable but harder to paddle. Longer boats are faster, heavier, handle bigger water and carry more gear. Smaller cockpits are harder to get into but aid performance once you are in. Sit-on-top boats are fine for warm weather and water. Plastic boats are heavier, cheaper, stand up to more abuse than composites (Personally, I think plastic boast are the only reasonable choice for rocky New England.) Jobs Stuff Autos Rentals STEAK OUT Restaurant is l ALL LISTINGS 4) Try as many kayaks as you can before your buy. Rent. Borrow. If someone has a used kayak for sale near you, ask if you can paddle it. Go to a paddling demo or buy from a shop that lets you get in the boat. 5) If you buy a boat and eventually find isn’t perfect for you, don’t despair. There’s a strong market for used kayaks. Just sell it and get another. My personal choices? I like kayaks in the 14- to 16-foot range, especially if you are only going to own one boat for pond, lake, flat river and ocean bay paddling. Marilyn started her paddling career in a stable, comfortable 14-foot Perception Carolina (www.perceptionkayaks.com), but just bought a fast, lively 16-foot Prijon Seayak (www.wildnet.com). She’s in love. I have a big, 17.5-foot Aquaterra Sea Lion for the ocean and big lakes, kept the Carolina for smaller waters. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out paddling and enjoy. Picking A PFD You never just buy a kayak. You also have to buy, at least, a paddle and a PFD (flotation vest). Let’s start with the PFD, since no one should ever get into a kayak without one. The only two criteria you really need to worry about for kayaking are fit and flotation. To fit properly, a kayaking vest has to be the right size for you and it has to let you sit comfortably in the seat of your kayak and move your arms in a natural paddling motion. If it pushes up, binds or limits your paddling motion, it doesn’t fit. Women will typically appreciate the anatomic contoured fit of a woman’s vest. PFDs are categorized by Type. Bulky Type I and II vests, for example, will turn an unconscious user upright in the water. The need for unrestricted paddling motion usually eliminates most of the bulky Type I and II PFDs. Kayakingspecific Type III or Type V vests are your best choice if you intend to paddle regularly. The only difference between Type II and Type V is that a Type V vest must be worn at all times. Since you should always have on a vest in a kayak, the distinction is meaningless. Vest have different buoyancy ratings, usually marked on the hang tag. My advice: get as much flotation as you can in a vest that fits. Marilyn and I both use paddling specific vests from Kokatat (www.kokatat.com). Hers is a Type III MsFitTour woman’s vest with 16-plus pounds of lift. Mine is Type an Orbit Tour with 15.5 pounds. Both are so comfortable we don’t mind wearing them whenever we are paddling. Picking a Paddle Kayak paddles come in different lengths for different boats and paddling styles, with different blade shapes for different purposes. One general rule with paddles: all else equal, lighter is better, which is why carbon fiber is the (expensive) material of choice. Some paddles have the blades in the same plane, others are "feathered" with one blade offset from the other. Most are adjustable. There are bent and straight shaft. Try different configurations and find what’s right for you. Our "best" paddle is a Harmony Tortuga Featherlock Carbon (www.harmonygear.com), which adjusts for length and blade offset. I can use it when Marilyn isn’t paddling. Most of the time I use a lovely wood paddle from Mitchell (www.mitchellpaddles.com). It pleases my eye, feels good in my hands, and has a big blade that really drives the boat. *** Tim Jones writes about outdoor sports and travel. He can be reached at [email protected]. Print Font Resize Email Return to Top Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them, and they are subject to the terms and conditions of Topix.com. Please note by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator. 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Brattleboro.MyLocalEmployment.net Kayak Paddle Buyers' Guide Locate and research kayak paddles from several www.paddling.net Full Service Kayak Store. Open 7 Days Cruising, fishing, www.watersportswest.com Ads by Yahoo! Copyright Notice | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Subscriber Services | Contact Us | RSS About our Ads | Copyright © 2010 MediaNews Group Advertisters Info | MNG Corporate Site Map | Sister papers: Bennington Banner ; Berkshire Eagle ; North Adams Transcript Weather data Copyright © 2008 CustomWeather, Inc. 62 Black Mountain Road | Brattleboro, VT 05301 | (802) 254-2311 http://www.reformer.com/sports/ci_15397709 Page 3 of 3