Hey Rick - thanks for the tips - my wife and I have done a fair bit of
paddling and she is used to me yelling out "DO A DRAW" or "would you PLEASE
shift your weight?!?!?!" though her being used to that probably isn't a good
thing. LOL

I think we may give 4 singles a shot and just make sure we take our time for
the kids (not to mention getting them some extra lessons). We are already
geared up for kayaks - I had to ditch a lot of my bulky canoeing gear when I
moved to Alberta and discovered that carrying a large canvas tumped Woods
pack along with large pots and a coleman stove on a 20km hike was too much
for my old body g. We should be pretty well set gear-wise.

The other thing I hadn't thought about was loading and unloading at
portages. I imagine that the days of trying to keep my shoes dry when
getting in and out of the boat are long gone (even though they never stayed
dry anways). Are single kayaks a pain to portage?

Shrink


"Rick Donnelly" wrote in message
. com...
...stuff deleted

1. For those ex-canoeists who are now ardent kayakers - do you miss it?
What limitations will I experience switching to kayaks vs canoes and what
advantages will I have?


I've never really enjoyed canoes as much as kayaks, but that is strictly a
matter of personal preference. As was mentioned, the intimacy with the
water and motion is different in a (single) kayak and is just too
pleasurable. That said, I've had some fine time in canoes. Canoes can,
however, store considerably more gear. If properly packed, they can be
made at least as sea worthy. If you have experienced canoers, it may be
well to take a canoe, 2 singles, and alternate paddlers, or to take 1
double sea kayak and do everything you can to fit stuff in. A double can
store lots of gear, but the enclosed space has limitations that a canoe
does not.

2. Sea vs. river/lake kayak - with 4 of us, I envision either 2 X 2-men
kayaks or 4 single person kayaks. Should I assume that if I want to do
both
sea and lake that really ought to just spring for the sea kayaks from the
outset or by lake/river kayaks and just rent when I want to do any ocean
trips? Since I don't plan on major whitewater, I am not concerned about
the
maneuverability of the sea kayaks on lakes and rivers unless they are
worse
than a canoe (which I doubt).

Canoes can be used on oceans, as well, and can even be enclosed so that
they don't take in (much) water. Sea kayaks tend to be easier to maneuver
than canoes, though it may be a push with some doubles. I've done
whitewater (class II, low III) in a 17' sea lion and had a fine time, so
that should not be a problem. When camping with the scouts, I found that
the kayak had some significant advantages, especially when it came time to
paddle upstream and to facilitate the landing of other boats in current. I
was able to do many things that would have been very difficult in the
canoes. The biggest drawback was that I had to pack more like a
backpacker, while the scout canoes were carrying gear I would never have
imagined bringing on the trip (ice chests, huge wooden storage bins,
stoves, chairs, etc.). They weren't exactly roughing it the way you might
expect .


3. Would you suggest 4 single kayaks, 1 double and 2 singles, 2 doubles?
Pros and cons of doubles vs. singles?


It has been said that a true test of a marriage (or any relationship) is
how a couple behaves when paddling in the same boat. I've seen a lot of
people have a miserable time in singles and who loved paddling the front
of a double. I've also seen folks who were much better off in a single as
they were miserable giving up control to the helmsman in the rear. Don't
underestimate the social aspect and personalities of your group. Aside
from storage, the singles will perform better, but the paddlers may not.

4. Lastly, can anyone give some suggestions as to mid-range brands of
boats
to consider/avoid and if you know of any retailers in Nova Scotia?


Can't help much with this, sadly. I guess I need to go to some demo days
again. I haven't done that in quite a while.

Rick