"Sees-koo-wee-hah-nay" wrote in
oups.com:


echinacea wrote:
Hi group. I figured I would post this here since it always seems usenet
people are good at sharing information and experiences.

I have it on good authority that those who are knowledgable are afraid
to post, but I'm not.

10 years ago I was planning to get a kayak with a friend of mine but we
never got around to it. He had some friends who regularly paddled
around lake powell and in south texas along padre island. Now that I am
living in a condo on the beach in connecticut I noticed a couple other
tenants with kayaks on their porches. I thought it might be fun to give
it a try. I just wanted to ask if anyone had any pointers they would
like to share with someone in my place.

If it was me, I would approach the tenants with kayaks and strike up a
conversation about their boats, I'm sure they would be more than happy
to discuss kayaking. You may find someone who would let you take their
kayak for a little spin.

Good suggestion. It would also provide an opportunity to find someone else
to paddle with.


I m not athletic but I am not
in really bad shape either so I didnt know if that would factor too
much. Where I would be boating is in long island sound and some rivers
and estuaries around where I live so the biggest waves I would see
would be on the sound.

I wouldn't underestimate the conditions you might encounter in the sound.
Don't assume that because it's not the ocean that it will be easier. On the
ocean, once outside the surf zone, the waves might be big but the period
between them is long and the faces are not steep. Conditions are generally
more difficult when there are more smaller waves and/or when they're
breaking. Add reflective surface near shorelines can cause wave to go in
multiple directions, shallower waters that cause waves to break, currents
flowing through constricted areas, and dodging motorboat traffic and you can
get conditions much more difficult to deal with than found off the coast.


My wife is not in shape (checks over shoulder to make sure she's not
around) and she does just fine for the type of kayaks we own and the
conditions we paddle in. She never turns down a chance to go out on the
water.

The water is usually cold. Also, I have a pretty
big porch so I didnt know if a 12 foot would be ok or if i needed
something bigger. Transportation wouldnt be an issue except to get it
to my place since I only have a jeep.

I'm not an expert but I'll tell you what I can, we have recreational
kayaks and use them on calm, semi-sheltered lakes and slow moving
rivers. We use them for fishing, sightseeing, etc. Last week we paddled
upriver to a local diner for lunch. Mine is 12' and hers is 9'6". We
haul both of them on a Honda CR-V. I believe you'll find folks that
haul the longest sea kayaks on the smallest of cars so I see no problem
with your Jeep.

I've seen a mini cooper with two full size touring boats on it so the OP
ought be transport kayaks on a jeep easily enough.


The best advice I can give and I'm sure other will
agree is to demo before you buy. Many places have "demo-days",
sometimes attended by factory reps.

Absolutely. I also suggest trying a few models which might be outside the
range of boats you *think* you'll want to get. You can't really make a good
comparison of different models/styles unless you try something at the higher
end.

Don't be shy, ask lots of questions
and try out a few. I'm not sure how far away they are from you, but
Collinsville Canoe & Kayak in Collinsville CT. just had demo-days last
week. They also have demo kayaks to use and rentals. See
http://www.cckstore.com/. According to their website they have demos
of most of the boats they stock. .


Also, don't be tempted to buy your kayak at a place that also sells
tampons (if you get my drift).

You can read reviews online at http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/

I would take the reviews on paddling.net with a grain of salt. Most of them
are written by people that own the boats that they are reviewing and tend to
be overwhelingly favorable.