Truce, fellow paddlers. Classifications of rapids are not the issue.
The question is what kind of boats would give Shrink and his family the
best experience, given whatever water he decides to paddle on. So
Shrink, I think this is the deal: if the rivers you are talking about
are bony and require turns in small areas -- even if they are really
mild rapids -- you will probably be happier in a shorter plastic boat
than a really long glass boat. Who wants to ruin a leisurely run down a
river worrying about cracked gel coat on a sea kayak? And forget
tandems because they are very long and hard to maneuver. If you are less
likely to bang into rocks--e.g., if the rocks are pretty well
covered--you have more leeway in picking a boat. Maybe we can agree on
that much.

Someone along the way mentioned recreational kayaks. I would forget
about them if you want to go out in open water. You need a boat with a
skirt that you can handle in rough water. So if you opt for a shorter
boat, I suggest a shorter touring boat, not a recreational kayak. There
are plenty of touring boats in the 14-15' range.

After that, we will get back to taste. Boats are expensive, so my advice
(I think we will all agree on this too) is to try out boats before you
buy. It's even better if you can find a way to try out some of the local
paddling locations too, because that will give you more of an idea what
kind of paddling is going to be really important for you. Location
makes all the difference. When I lived near DC, I paddled almost only
whitewater and owned only a very old and clunky touring kayak. Now that
I am in Massachusetts, the whitewater boats gather dust, and I bought
myself a great sea kayak. The mix of opportunities is different.

And most important: have a great time.


John Fereira wrote the following on 2/6/2006 7:56 PM:
Steve Cramer wrote in
:

John Fereira wrote:

Dan Koretz wrote

Shrink--

Re class II: that adds another wrinkle. One thing I would not do with
my sea kayak is to run even class 2. The boat turns too slowly, and
for that matter, in rapids, you often have far less than 18' between
rocks.
I'm going to have to disagree here. Class 2, by definition, doesn't
require a great deal of manoevering to avoid obstacles, which
typically means that there is plenty of space between rocks.
You've never paddled WW in the Southeast, have you, John.

I don't know. Is Tennessee in the Southeast?

Within an
hour of where I'm sitting there are literally dozens of rapids that are
far too easy to be considered Class III and are certainly more than
"fast moving water with riffles and small waves," the definition of
Class I. That would make them...you do the math.

Most of the definitions for class II that I have read go something like
this:

Class II- With some basic training the obstacles in this class are easily
maneuvered around or avoided. The swifter currents of water, channels, and
rapids are easily noticed with some forward scouting. Swimmers will probably
not get hurt in these rapids. It rarely occurs that someone may need outside
assistance to rescue them selves.

Our rivers and creeks
tend to be narrow and rocky and require a good deal of maneuvering,
which is easy to do in a WW boat but well beyond the skills of most
touring kayak paddlers.

If your rivers and creeks require a good deal of manoevering then they don't
meet the common definition of class II.
C'mon down and I'll show you.

I've already got potential touring trips in Florida and Vancouver early this
year and a friend of mine is talking about a trip to Georgian Bay. With a 2
1/2 year old at home I don't get too many opportunities to travel unless
it's on business.