"KD" wrote in
m:

Hey Sergey,

As I read more, I'm beginning to realize how important the fit is. I've
had some back problems and occasionally get leg cramps - probably would
be much more comfortable with a sit-on-top or a surf ski. A lightweight
ski would get more use because it would be so easy to launch.

From what I've seen Serge seems to be very pro surf-ski's. There's nothing
wrong with that but just because one person likes one type of boat that
doesn't mean that it's the most appropriate style for everyone. There are
also quite a few folding boat advocates, traditional greenland style
advocates, wooden boat advocates, and many more.

Also keep in mind that for very long distance touring, closed cockpit kayaks
are almost exclusively used. Some expeditions make take several weeks and
cover several hundred (or thousand) miles. Obviously comfort is a concern
but expedition paddlers managed to be comfortable with a closed cockpit
boat.

To answer one of your other questions: You don't necessarily need to learn
how to roll if you paddle a kayak with a spray skirt, though I don't think
getting a SOT or surf kayak so that you don't have to learn how to roll
makes much sense. Learning how to roll is not that difficult and it's a lot
of fun. If you paddle a closed cockpit boat with a spray skirt you will,
however, need to learn how to peform a wet exit and a self resue. For one
of the clubs I paddle with first timers have to perform a exit before they
are allowed to use a paddle. It's a remarkably easy skill to learn.

I'm going to borrow a Scupper Pro for a while and see how it works for
me.

For your climate and location that's probably not a bad choice. One of the
cool things about kayaking is that you can go just about anywhere where
there is water and you'll likely find someplace that will you rent you a
kayak. SOT kayaks and surf skis are nice for warm water climates but if you
someday find yourself in Maine or the Pacific Northwest you won't see too
many SOT kayaks. The water is just too cold to be sitting in it for any
length of time. Learning to paddle in a closed cockpit boat will increase
your options.

While Serge recommended a surf ski I would suggest otherwise. A surf ski is
a pretty narrow focus style kayak and for someone just getting into the
sport having something a little more general purpose makes more sense to me.
If you're like many others, you probably don't really know the kind of
paddling you'll most like to do. When I bought my first kayak I bought one
for a specific purpose because I assumed that was the kind of paddling I
wanted to do. Then I tried a different style boat. I owned that first boat
for three weeks before I started looking for a new one the suited the style
which I discovered I *really* preferred.