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Touring Kayaks on Rivers - How Long is Too Long
On 5-Aug-2003, (Chuck Darney) wrote:
I don't own a kayak yet but was wondering if there's a rule of thumb
regarding the length of kayak you would want to have on a river as
opposed to lakes/coastal waters/etc.?
Coastal areas can have tidal currents that are tougher to deal with than
some rivers.
I wouldn't want to do any real
white water, but slower rivers with somefaster moving water that may
require some manuverability.
Length is a poor indicator of maneuverability. A long kayak with good
rocker can out-handle a shorter kayak with no rocker. A long kayak
in the hands of someone who knows how to edge and sweep is more
maneuverable than a shorter one in the hands of someone who doesn't.
You'd have to learn how to handle a kayak first and then learn which kayaks
respond the way you want and how this matches the conditions on the
rivers you want to run. No set answers available here.
I'd like to get a boat that would be able to do this without losing
the benefits of a longer boat on open water. Would 17' be too long or
would something shorter do better?
If you're not going into WW, but just dealing with a current and needing
to stay in line with the flow, many sea kayaks would be ok, as long as
it's not so long that it bridges the river from bank to bank (or shallow
to shallow for that matter).
You'll find that sea kayaks will tend to track funny on rivers, especially
when you get near a bend in the river where the bow and stern are in
water that's moving at different speeds.
The key is to recognize when the water is too tough to handle. At that
point you could line the kayak through or portage.
If the rivers are shallow and rocky, you'll want plastic, otherwise composite
is fine. I often take my kayaks down a river that's usually calm as a lake.
After a rain, however, the current can be,... interesting...
Mike
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