Buying a suitable Kayak for pottering in lakes and rivers

Hi Lynley

You will no doubt get a number of replies from people that use all types of Kayaks and Canoes.

As is in any case you will only get as good as you are willing to pay. We went for the Dagger brand and yes they are not cheap, but a great, very stable unit. When I am going solo, I have a single and when we want to go double up, we have the double.

Here are some images of the double in action, including out in the Simpson Desert when it was flooded a few years ago and out along the Cooper Creek on the Birdsville Track when it was flooded.

Cheers


Stephen

We have "BIC". They are a bit dearer than some , but for us that aren't as well balanced
As we used to be,they are perfect ....... Check them out on the web. (ps ours is for sale)

If its just for pottering
Id suggest no rudder there just annoying and get caught in shallows
Get a wide one stability is king if your not looking to win the avon descent
And sit on.
Last thing you w a nt if you go in is a sunken kayac full of water

Over the years we’ve had four Canadians, three sit in kayaks, three wave/surf skis, six sit on tops and two Hobie Mirage sit ons plus a Hobie Adventure Island. I’ve found the most versatile to be the Canadian followed by the Hobie mirage and trailing along behind, the sit on and sit in kayaks and wave/surf skis.

My favorites are the fibreglass Canadians, they are very light and can float 2/3 people plus dogs, kids and mountains of gear (dependant on size of course). Canadians can also be modified for sailing and motoring: I converted a 16’ and a 13’ for both, both sailed and motored extremely well (outriggers not required).

Hobies are also great, they can be pedalled, paddled, sailed or motored; but, being poly they are heavy and are very, very expensive by comparison. On the plus side there are so many accessories available for the Hobie, only your imagination will curtail your ambition.

Single sit ons are great for paddling around on the river/ocean and being reasonably light easy to load. Tandems on the other hand are extremely heavy, very long and difficult to move around - not to mention getting them up on the car’s roof.

Horses for courses: if you just want to mess around at the beach or river single sit ons are OK, but you will get bored pretty quickly. Tandems are just to cumbersome. If you want to do some exploring, single sit ons are OK for that too. If you want to get a bit more serious, I’d buy a Hobie and f you want to do a little two up touring - a Canadian.

I have a Hobie Revolution, it's rated to 140kgs from memory, but it takes both the wife and I easily at a combined weight of 145kgs. I usually sail or pedal it with the wife and dog taking it easy at the rear. Why pedal rather than paddle: leg muscles are far more powerful than arm and shoulder muscles and of course it's faster. There are bigger and smaller Hobies, as well as Tandems if you must.

Have you considered a slim punt.

Cant remember the manufacturer, but one of the aluminium boat manufacturers makes a small narrow punt.

Definitely more boaty than canoey......but in the same size and weight range.

From memory the smallest one is 800 wide and 2400 long.
Maybe not as light as a proper canoe or kayak...but they will give some of those blow moulded rafts (sorry sit on kayaks) a run for their money on weight.

Wider and more stable than any of the canoe market options....if you have reasonabl balance you can stand up and cast.

Will take a small outboard

can definitely still be paddled or rowed.....narrow enough to use a single or double ended paddle, some stand up paddle board style...but they are wide enough to get a proper set of oars into em.

They work pretty well with a small electric motor.....and they will get up on the plane with quite a small outboard.


I want one...but I'll have to get rid of at least one other boat first.

cheers

I'd suggest you join a local canoe/kayak club at least for a come and try session or two. Paddling is a subjective topic. I also have a Canadian, touring kayak, South African fishing ski, and a plastic sit on top. For two older people on sheltered water a Canadian wins all day long. They are quick in the water, easier to get in and out of, and have a much better sitting position then others. The semi enclosed yaks like StephenL's above would be my next choice - possibly my first choice if I had a little experience, but the closer seating positions and double blades require a bit of teamwork to get going. Every boat is a compromise of some sort, so to find the best one for your purposes, you first need to sit down and list out exactly what those purposes are or you will end up with the wrong boat. Another topic is safety, the need to wear Pfds and your ability to save and re-enter a capsized craft. Again, a club will help drive home the importance of having a few skills, a bit of equipment and the knowledge to use it. One of the hobies mentioned above has proved dam near impossible to re enter on our training days, and that's by guys who know what they are about in controlled conditions. There are more people dying whilst paddling now than ever before simply due to its popularity and people discounting the importance of simple things like Pfds.

I often take a small (2.7m) sit on top fishing kayak. The extra width gives it more stability. The small size makes it lighter and easy to maneuver in tight spots - I tend to kayak in creeks, rivers etc. I can handle this kayak easily by myself.

Now, if speed is an issue, or larger bodies of water, you should think about a bigger kayak.

A two person kayak is very long, and could be a pain in small creeks. It also limits you a bit in that your partner needs to come with you - or at least help you get it into the water. It may be easier to buy 2 smaller kayaks that are the same - this way you can stack them on top of each other for transport when space is limited.

Whether you go for a sit in or sit on top is a personal preference. As others have mentioned, you may need to try some out. Your ability to "right" the kayak or canoe if it flips is something you really need to consider when selecting one.

And lastly, a few other people have mentioned the Hobie kayak. Mmmm, yes, if I had a bit more money to throw at a kayak, I'd want one (or two) of these.

We use a Point 65 3 piece kayak, which can be used as either a single or a tandem, they are around $900.00 from Anaconda ..... LINK