Kayaks

[fmnjr]

Looking for some kayak recommendations. We're going to by a couple of singles for recreational use and of course we want to find a great deal on them. If anyone can help, please feel free....thanks.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

Hard shell, inflatable, pedal? Any certain kind you are looking for. I got some inflatables off amazon for under $100 and they work great for stowing and deploy very quickly.

 

[fmnjr]

Sit inside, hard shell, no pedal. We got an inflatable last summer, it was fun while it lasted but we tore the heck out it pretty quick.

 

[fmnjr]

While we were camping at the Rubies in Nevada last summer I spotted a style of kayak I'd never seen before. It was extremely wide at the beam, sat very low in the water and had a very high freeboard opening that reminded me of sitting in a Hummer gun turret. Been researching and can't find one that even comes close, anyone know what I'm talking about?

 

[2rocky]

Following for ideas myself....

 

[Gellar]

Flat water lakes and rivers? I’d recommend a 12’ kayak. The longer they are the better they track. That means how much they stray from your path with each stroke. Find a paddle sports shop in your area that will let you Try out kayaks or hosts try them out events.
Last year I was looking at buying 15 kayaks for work. I knew what I wanted and was trying to secure grants for them. The kayaks I wanted were current designs solara 130s made in Winona mn and retailed about 1200$ each. After a presentation to a group for grant money one of the board members asked why I didn’t go to Walmart or menards and buy twice as many kayaks for the same price. I explained to him the difference in comfort, durability, maneuverability, Safety and everything but he still thought I should get the cheaper kayaks. After the meeting the board president Came to me and apologized for the person. He said his wife did just what the other member suggested and she hated it. After upgrading to a better kayak she was much more comfortable and enjoyed it much more and recommended we stayed with our plan.

 

[johnrr65]

Flat water lakes and rivers? I’d recommend a 12’ kayak. The longer they are the better they track. That means how much they stray from your path with each stroke. Find a paddle sports shop in your area that will let you Try out kayaks or hosts try them out events.
Last year I was looking at buying 15 kayaks for work. I knew what I wanted and was trying to secure grants for them. The kayaks I wanted were current designs solara 130s made in Winona mn and retailed about 1200$ each. After a presentation to a group for grant money one of the board members asked why I didn’t go to Walmart or menards and buy twice as many kayaks for the same price. I explained to him the difference in comfort, durability, maneuverability, Safety and everything but he still thought I should get the cheaper kayaks. After the meeting the board president Came to me and apologized for the person. He said his wife did just what the other member suggested and she hated it. After upgrading to a better kayak she was much more comfortable and enjoyed it much more and recommended we stayed with our plan.

+1

 

[Guy]

For my purposes, a 12' Perception Pescador, a sit-on, made for fishing, works great.

A few days ago I went 9 miles on the Columbia River, half upstream, half back down with the current. It was just peachy. Took me about 3 hours to do the 9 miles.

I use it for recreation, photography, and hopefully for fishing!

It's quite comfortable and stable.

But... You want a sit-in, so this isn't for you. Just submitted for general info.

Regards, Guy

 

[fmnjr]

Thanks for the feedback guys

 

[pwrwgn57]

Wife and I have a pair of Old Town Camden Anglers, a 10.5 and 12.5 model. Bought them about 7 years ago and have been happy with them. Durable, seats are comfortable, not too heavy, has some storage in back hatch and in front of your feet for a couple small dry bags, and can bungee stuff on top of the deck.
We used them mostly for fishing, and I’ve waterfowl hunted out of them. I usually borrow the wife’s for that as it’s a little lighter to carry into the areas I like to hunt. We’ve also used them on some bigger lakes/choppy water and felt safe. The 12 footer does track a little better than the 10 footer but not a huge difference.