I'll take a limited shot at this one.

What are you looking to do on the river? There are 3 kinds of "river"
yaks: whitewater, creekboat, and playboat. As I understand it, ww yaks
have the most volume and aren't meant to sink as deep in the water as
say a creekboat. But with your size, you may need something with more
volume anyway.

I've heard Wilderness System Diesel is pretty could for big boys.

Hope that provides some info and didn't make your choice harder.

--
Matt Langenfeld
JEM Watercraft
http://jem.e-boat.net/

Barry wrote:
I've really been bitten by the kayaking bug. I have taken several long
trips and many shorts ones off the coast of Northern California...and had a
lot of fun. I continue to enjoy the ocean kayaking but I don't want to
limit myself to just the ocean. I have a house on the banks of the Smith
River in Northern California (in Hiouchi). I can literally walk to the
river with my kayak. I have my old kayak...which I purchased before I
bought my ocean kayak. It's a true recreational kayak but is short enough
to allow it to be used in the river. I have taken a few trips down the
river in that kayak and have had a lot of fun...but it's not really a "river
kayak". As a result, I'm limited as to what I can do with it. I'm going to
buy a river kayak...and there are many to chose from...for the average size
guy. I am 6'3" tall and about 260 lbs. I played football and wrestled in
college...and lifted weights (which I still do on a regular basis). While I
can lose some weight and get down to my "fighting weight"...I'll still be
about 235 lbs. That limits what I can use as a river kayak. I've tried a
few and found that not only is my weight a problem but I have short legs
(for my height) and a long, large torso. This puts more of my body weight
above the cockpit level. To some extent, that's an advantage as I can
leverage my kayak a bit better by using my body weigh i.e. snapping my kayak
upright etc. BUT...it also means that I don't have the stability that a
"normal" sized person might have.

My question: What river kayaks are available for big guys? I live in a
remote area. I'm going to drive to the bigger cities in Oregon (Hiouchi is
near the Oregon border) and also visit the Bay area (San Francisco area) in
California...on a search for a river kayak. However, I'd sure appreciate
some suggestions. While I like composite kayaks, I've been impressed with
my old plastic boat and its ability to withstand the abuse of river
kayaking. The Smith river has a lot of large boulders that I've already
encountered "up close and personal". I can read water pretty well as I fly
fish and have had a drift boat(s) for twenty years.

Your thoughts? Advice?

Barry