Here it is, the definitive answer to the question, "How do I choose a kayak?" Well wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't it be nice to choose the perfect make and model of kayak for your body type, your paddling style, your choice of destinations and journeys, all from reading one blog posting. The reality is that no internet website, can do this for you. So why am I writing an article discussing choosing the right kayak for you? Well that's easy, nobody did a good enough job telling me what I should buy, so I figured the least I could do was write an article explaining some of the things that I wish I had known from day one. Having said that, I know that I ended up with the right boat for me, and my paddling experiences have reinforced my decision to buy the boat that I did. Too often people spend thousands of dollars only to find out that the right boat for them isn't quite the boat they purchased. I recently returned from a great week of paddling at Killbear Provincial Park, near Parry Sound Ontario. It was a little bit cooler then it usually is at this time of year, and the temperature wasn't helped at all by the strong winds that came in from Georgian Bay into the beaches around Harold Point. While paddling in these conditions, I noticed something that I wish I had known when I was shopping for a boat. All the expensive kayaks were on the shore, or at the campsites. Who was out in these winds? Well, I was. And there were a few others in fairly basic Recreational Kayaks. I certainly went further from shore, and in fact wasn't limited at all by the weather, but why were all of these 17 foot, sleek and fast boats, sitting on the shore. Well I had my question answered when I decided to come in for a break. I passed a paddler on his way out from shore in a beautiful fiberglass, 17 foot boat, and greeted him by saying "How are ya?" He responded by letting me know that he wasn't sure, and that he was a little bit nervous. I told him which direction to head for calmer waters, but noticed him and his boat back on shore within ten minutes.
That's when it occurred to me, the best boat for me, is the one that allows me to be out on the water. Period. You see, the people who were out 30 or 40 feet from shore, in their 500 dollar recreational kayak were having infinitely more fun then the man who had spent several thousand dollars on his touring kayak which had to sit on the beach. And I, with my Delta 12.10 kayak was having much more fun then the people on the Rec boats because I was able to move quickly through the waves and wind with confidence to virtually any destination that I chose.
So what's so special about the advice in the previous paragraph? Not much. On the surface it seems to be pretty basic advice. But if that's the case, then why do so many of us get confused? There are a lot of answers to this, and it's really based on how and where you shop for your boat.
Let's face it, we all want speed, nobody wants a slow kayak. We all want a fast kayak, and we all want stability. The kayak manufacturers know this and that's why they continually advertise their boats as fast, and stable. So by the time we walk into a kayak store, we're armed with the knowledge that we want a fun kayak, that happens to be fast, it has to be stable, and it would help if it was cheap. Some of us with more means or a desire for finer things throw out the cheap part and decide to get the best of the best. That's ok too. Except when you confuse "the best" with a 3000 dollar kayak that's sitting on the beach while the kids in the 500 dollar recreational kayak are out in the water. If you want to look at a nice kayak, change your desktop picture, if you want to paddle a nice kayak, buy the right boat for you!
For a little more about speed, I found an article by Tim Shuff for Adventure Kayak Magazine in their early summer 2009 issue. Tim is testing the Eliza Composite kayak, by Necky Kayaks. He talks about how Necky, like other manufacturers are seeing the light about speed and kayaks. He explains how "Necky is telling us that the fastest boat for you is one that a) fits properly, and b) has the least possible drag at the speed you normally paddle." In other words, while the kayak shop salespeople are all accustomed to telling us that a longer narrower boat will be faster then a shorter one, they're wrong. Well, technically they're not completely wrong. A long, narrow boat can reach a higher top speed then a short wider boat, but the best boat for you, is not necessarily a long narrow one, it's one that paddles efficiently at the speed that you want to paddle at. The reality is that we don't paddle as fast as we can, all the time, we all have a speed that is comfortable for us, if speed were the only factor, we could all buy boats that are very long, but if that's the case, why do most manufacturers stop at about 17 feet? If speed is important, why not paddle a 20 foot boat, why not a 30 foot boat? Well, other then manufacturing limitations, the kayak manufacturers understand that speed isn't everything and as kayak shoppers, we need to understand the same things.
I was frustrated when I walked into a very large and very well known kayak shop to ask about my Delta 12.10 kayak. The salesperson, who works very regular shifts at this shop told me that it's more of a recreational kayak and that I should consider something longer for my needs. He explained how an athletic person like myself would outgrow the kayak. I don't think he meant in size because I'm 29 years old and I'm pretty sure the 5'11" that I've reached is my peak height. The reality is that the kayak that I chose is in fact a full fledged sea kayak. It's just a little shorter then what the salesperson was used to. Recreational kayaks tend to top out at about 13 feet. True sea kayaks start at around the same size. (There are certainly exceptions in both cases)
If I had followed the salesperson's advice, I would have bought a kayak that was beyond my skill level, and I would have found myself out of pocket more money then I needed, and sitting on the beach on my vacation. So, again, don't buy just for speed.
A word about stability. Stability is very important to enjoying your kayak. There are two types of stability in the kayak world. They are usually referred to as primary and secondary stability. Sometimes primary stability is referred to as initial stability, but here is what you need to know; If primary stability is high, the boat will be very good at keeping it's bottom parallel to the water. If the secondary stability is high, the boat will be able to be leaned off center to a point where the paddler can easily balance the boat off center. If primary stability is low, but secondary stability is high, the boat will feel tippy to a new paddler, but they will find that the boat reaches a point where it is much harder to tip once you get comfortable with a lean towards the water. Most recreational boats have very high primary stability, but very little secondary stability, meaning that they will stay level to the water with ease, and be very difficult to tip. The drawback with this type of boat is two-fold. Generally, but not always, high primary stability means width, and a wide flat bottom. This can lead to lower top speed. The second drawback is that if you do ever get in rougher waters, it can be useful to stay perpendicular to the ground and not each rolling wave. In other words, a boat with high primary stability will be forced to lean on the front and backside of each wave, while a boat with higher secondary stability will allow the paddler to stay upright while riding up or down a wave. In other words, if the wave is a 30 degree incline and decline on the front and back side, a boat with very high primary stability will lean 30 degrees one way while riding the upside of a wave coming at you from the side, and then will roll to 30 degrees the opposite way as the wave passes underneath you and you ride down the back side. A boat with high secondary stability will allow the paddler the option of staying perpendicular to the ground, instead of being forced to ride each wave at whatever degree it comes in and out.
With all this talk about waves, don't assume that you will only paddle in calm water. Make sure you buy a boat that is capable of handling waves. Don't just take the salesperson's word for it, hop online. See how the boat is being used. Read the manufacturers website, look for pictures of the boat being used on rough water as well as calm water. You don't want to buy a boat that is only designed for calm water, and then find yourself on the vacation of your dreams, only to have to leave your boat on shore because of a few waves and a little bit of wind.
Finally, don't fall in love with looks. Looks are important, nobody wants to paddle a boat that's ugly, but if you're buying a boat because it's "pretty" the only thing that's going to be pretty is you... and by that I mean pretty dumb. Write a list of how you plan to use the boat, be realistic, don't over or underestimate what you plan on doing. Most good kayaks will adjust to what you want to do, but if you plan to go on extended two week paddling trips, and you've never even taken a weekend, be realistic, buy a boat that can handle weekend trips, and you'll use it way more then a highly specialized boat capable of doing long tours.
One style of boat that I would never have thought I'd recommend on this site is a sit on top kayak. There are all kinds of styles that are beginning to arrive on showroom floors in the last few months, and they spawn from the manufacturers realization that most people have absolutely no desire to "roll" their kayak. They want to stay upright, and use the kayak for all kinds of things. Kayak shops will all tell you that you absolutely need to have a perfect "roll" in order to really enjoy your kayak. I have a problem with this mentality. In theory it's great, and it's probably true, a roll will get you out of trouble if you ever get into trouble. The problem is that most people practice rolling their kayaks in perfect conditions, and the reality is that most people get into trouble in less then perfect conditions. How many people can roll a kayak effectively in large waves, cold water, and strong winds. Although a flawless roll is a great skill to have, most people don't have the technique down perfectly. An equally useful skill is the ability to get back into the kayak after a problem in whatever condition you happen to be padding in. For that type of skill, you can't beat a sit on top kayak with good initial stability. The newest designs have plenty of storage in hatches, and on top of the deck (a good dry bag for 30 bucks can keep that stuff dry too) and many of these style boats are also self bailing. Meaning if a large wave happens to crash over you, you're not stuck bailing, you just let the boat drain almost instantly and keep focusing on paddling in the waves. My paddling partner has a Hobie pedal kayak and it has several scupper holes to allow the boat to drain. She loves heading into large motorboat waves and seeing how high she can get out of the water before splashing back down. Often it's the second or third wave that comes over the bow of the boat. I never worry about her because even if she gets soaked playing in these waves, she's never in danger as all the water drains instantly and she keeps on paddling. Another benefit of Sit on Top kayaks is that you sit a little higher out of the water and actually stay more dry in certain conditions then in sit in kayaks. It sounds strange but it's true. Look for my future review of the Hobie Revolution pedal style kayak with the patented Mirage Drive, but also look for a Quick Look at another sit on top kayak, the award winning Wilderness Systems Tarpon line of kayaks. I'll be posting those in future blog postings in the next little while.
One final warning about kayak shops. Some are fantastic! Some aren't. Sometimes when you walk in to talk about a boat that you like, the staff person that you talk to doesn't share the same interests as you. They think fast is great, plastic is bad, and stability is for chickens. These are people who can paddle virtually any boat that they want, virtually any time that they want. These are people who are often very advanced paddlers who might forget what it's like to be new to paddling, or to be the type of paddler that isn't into racing, or two week extreme tours. These are people who can have multiple boats for multiple purposes. My guess is that you're looking for one boat for all that you do. Be able to decipher which information is valid for you and which isn't. This is the age of the internet, it's entirely possible to know more about the boats that you like then the salesperson does. They have to know about 30 or 40 different boats, you only need to know about boats you like. So go to a shop, see what they tell you, then do some research, then go back. Make several trips until you're sure that you're looking at boats that work for you. Don't be afraid to look at several shops. Email shops that sell the boats you like, even if they're not in your town. Do all the research that you can, and you'll be able to decipher what's good and what's not good advice. As a former marketing professional, I know all about making things sound good. Just because someone seems to have your best interests in mind, don't believe them. Just because they spend time with you, and tell you that they want to make sure you're buying the best boat for you, make sure that what they are saying is in line with what you know to be true.
So this blog post may not help you too much, but here are some keys to choosing the right kayak for you:
1) Define your use. Know where and how you want to use your boat, where you have to store it, how you're going to carry it on your vehicle.
2) Be able to know which shops, or salespeople are feeding you lines, and which are there to help.
3) Look at all sorts of styles of boats, paddle as many as you can.
4) Do internet research. If a boat or accessory is receiving poor reviews, decide if that is relevant for your use.
5) Ask questions anywhere you can.
6) Buy within your budget. Overspending isn't fun!
7) Enjoy the process. Don't rush. It's fun buying a boat!
If you have any questions about this or other blog posts, I'd love to help. Feel free to fill in the contact form on the side of this blog.
Happy Kayaking!
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