BoatBanter.com - Kayak help please

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Kayak help please

Good afternoon:

I am in the market for a Kayak and this is proving to be a nearly impossible
decision.

I have a Honda Civic so I have been looking at inflatable kayaks because I dont
see how I could get a rigid one in/on my car.

I will be doing most of my kayaking on Long Island Sound which is a local
estuary off the Atlantic Ocean. Water conditions can range from nearly flat to
2-4ft waves.
I cannot spend more than $500 on a kayak and I want a single person boat.

If someone could steer me in the right direction I would really appreciate it!
I want to know what type of kayak I should consider and how inflatables compare
in these conditions to rigid ones. Also I'd like to know if shopping for a
used kayak could be a good option.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris

Kayak help please

Chris,
Welcome to a great sport. I'm sure you can get a hard shell kayak on your car.
Visit Yakima or Thule websites and see the ($300) racks they offer. You can
select based on your car model and year.

Kayak help please

You say you can only spend $500 on a kayak. Is that just for the kayak or
for everything you will need to go with it. Paddle, PFD, paddlewear .....it
adds up quick. Besides the Thule and Yakima racks, there are foam block
kits for about $40 that you could use to transport a rigid hull kayak. Do
some research and figure out everything you will need based on what you can
spend. Paddling.net is a good place to find out the specs and prices of
kayaks from different manufacturers, including inflatables. Don't rely too
much on the reviews on that site though. Almost every review of every kayak
seems to be a 9 or 10. Good luck!

Kayak help please

"Chris" wrote...

I am in the market for a Kayak and this is proving to be a nearly impossible
decision.

I have a Honda Civic so I have been looking at inflatable kayaks because I
dont
see how I could get a rigid one in/on my car.

I will be doing most of my kayaking on Long Island Sound which is a local
estuary off the Atlantic Ocean. Water conditions can range from nearly flat
to
2-4ft waves.
I cannot spend more than $500 on a kayak and I want a single person boat.

I doubt you will find a seaworthy new kayak for Long Island Sound conditions for
$500.

You don't necessarily need an inflatable, because you can carry a kayak on top
of any car you can get a roof rack on. The weight (generally less than 60#, and
often 45# or less) is not a problem; you just have to tie it down somewhere. In
fact, if you're just going at surface-street speeds for short distances, you
could get away with a pair of foam cradles right on the roof!

You should also consider building a kayak from a kit. Pygmy Boats and
Chesapeake Light Craft have kits for a bit over $500 that are VERY complete, and
designed for novice builders.

Kayak help please

Inflatable kayaks lack rigidity, carry little momentum, and tend to not
track well.

You might consider a folding kayak. I paddle a lot of open water off the
North Carolina coast and prefer folders since they flex and form
themselves to the water making for a very stable kayak, and perform
quite well. I rarly have to do any bracing. My Klepper and Feathercraft
each fit into the trunk of my 15 year old Honda Accord which is probibly
the size of your Civic. Sometimes I leave one of my boats in my trunk in
case I get an opportunity to paddle. A couple of years ago I brought my
Klepper double to French Polynesia. Checked it in as regular baggage.

Folders tend to be quite costly new, but they last for 25 years or more,
and are quite serviceable. You can usually find a Klepper on Ebay, many
times for less than 1K. I would recommend a used Feathercraft K Light,
or kahuna (you may not find a Kahuna on Ebay very often since they are
quite new). But they are very fine kayaks, and both assemble in about 20
minutes. The Klepper Aerius II is a legendary kayak that can be
configured for 1 or 2 people, has been made since the '50s, and is the
only off-the-rack kayak to cross the Atlantic ocean unassisted. A 55
sqft sail is made for this boat. Its also great for fishing since it has
a large open cockpit. Its not a real fast boat however. But my wife and
I can still keep up with group paddles.

Check out http://www.foldingkayaks.org for a real good site to introduce
you to folding kayaks.

Chris wrote:
Good afternoon:

I am in the market for a Kayak and this is proving to be a nearly impossible
decision.

I have a Honda Civic so I have been looking at inflatable kayaks because I dont
see how I could get a rigid one in/on my car.

I will be doing most of my kayaking on Long Island Sound which is a local
estuary off the Atlantic Ocean. Water conditions can range from nearly flat to
2-4ft waves.
I cannot spend more than $500 on a kayak and I want a single person boat.

If someone could steer me in the right direction I would really appreciate it!
I want to know what type of kayak I should consider and how inflatables compare
in these conditions to rigid ones. Also I'd like to know if shopping for a
used kayak could be a good option.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris

Kayak help please

Why not build a skin on frame kayak...a REAL kayak?
Polyester cloth over wood frame. Works great and you can custom fit it
to your own body.
You can also build your own paddle.
You have all winter to get it done.
Buy a thule rack and a nice PFD.

Chris wrote:
Good afternoon:

I am in the market for a Kayak and this is proving to be a nearly impossible
decision.

I have a Honda Civic so I have been looking at inflatable kayaks because I dont
see how I could get a rigid one in/on my car.

I will be doing most of my kayaking on Long Island Sound which is a local
estuary off the Atlantic Ocean. Water conditions can range from nearly flat to
2-4ft waves.
I cannot spend more than $500 on a kayak and I want a single person boat.

If someone could steer me in the right direction I would really appreciate it!
I want to know what type of kayak I should consider and how inflatables compare
in these conditions to rigid ones. Also I'd like to know if shopping for a
used kayak could be a good option.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris

Kayak help please

I can't answer your question about inflatable kayaks but I can tell you that
you should be able to put a hard shell kayak on your civic.

I encourage you to look at used boats. I currently own four and have owned
three other boats, all purchased used.

Brian Blankinship

Kayak help please

Local clubs, retailers or instruction companies selling off last years boats,
www.paddling.net, this newsgroup, paddlewise.net...

Kayak help please