Wanta buy a Kayak...

[davensj]

Were thinking of buying Kayaks, But we have never done it before. We
have a Canoe now. What i need help with is..... What am i looking
for?? Make,Model,Length?????? What handles the best in the
water...a short one or a long one? HELP...
:crazy:

 

[Lorun]

I tried kayaking for the first time this past spring. I rented a Kayak from Belhaven and went from Hamptons Furnace to Batsto, staying over night at the lower forge wilderness campsite. The rental was the shorter type that you sit in. It was very natural and much easier than canoeing. If you are going on the pine barren rivers I think this it the type you need. I am also trying to talk my wife into letting buy a Kayak.

 

[manumuskin]

I have an 11 ft dragonfly 2 by hydra for sal with neoprene spray skirt and helmet for 300.it"s a whitewater boat and isnt good for lakes because it has no keel so the wind slaps it around in the open but it handles nice on tight pine barren streams.I outgrew it.the maximum load is 200 lbs and i went over the limit.can"t fit in it anymorea keeless boat makes for tight turns and manueverabiltiy but they don"t track well(hold a straight course).if your doing pine barrens streams I"d try to keep the boat 16 ft or less.maybe a lot less if you dont have much practice.if your taking it in any open water I"d have at least a slight keel to the boat which will cut a little off manuverability but will let you make headway against wind.the best barrens stream boat would be either a Recreational yak(cheaper) or a touring yak(more expensive and longer and for longer camping trips on bigger rivers)a touring boat is between a rec boat and an ocean yak.
my boat would be nice if your going to stay on small windless streams or whitewater,are under 200 lbs and aren"t planning on camping and stowing a bunch of gear.
I now have a wilderness systems cape lookout 135,which is a borderline rec/touring boat at 16 ft and lots of room for gear.can be a pain in cramped barrens bayous(dead end explorable criks)but it holds up well to the wind in the salt marshes down my way(big sky country).
the jersey paddler will let you test run yaks in summer in the pond across the street.their up in brick township.this is where i bought both my yaks.theirs also the paddle shack in mays landing and another store over near ocean city.I"d have to ask my friend about that one.
http://www.jerseypaddler.com/shop/catalog_index.asp
Al

 

[strom]

hi scout,
get the smallest kayak you can, for the pine barrens......the ones designed for fishing are the best,cuz they have big open cockpits.......and can handle the small widths of the creeks........i swapped my fourteen foot canoe for two pamlico 100 fishing kayaks,and love them.............mounted a fishing rod holder,and paddle holder on mine.....and leave the fancy yellow one for my wife............look for sales and used ones...........places like jersey paddler are expensive..............ask ben, he can get you one......good luck,and look for the handsome looking old coot in a blue kayak.......press on,strom

 

[woodjin]

I just got a kayak myself after years frequent canoeing. I have yet to take it out but I'm looking forward to it. I ended up with an Old Town Loon 138 (13'8") I got this one based on info from other kayakers (like Strom) and some research of my own. I just wanted to add that I got my kayak from Bel Haven canoe/kayak rentals, sales and livery down near Green Bank. I got it used because 1)you can get a better quality kayak for the $, 2) I'm going to scratch it up anyway so I don't mind a few scratches. Bel Haven is restructuring at the moment and are getting out of the rental business and concentrating more on sales, so the good deals might be going fast. Just a thought, good luck!

Jeff

 

[wis bang]

Come a little north, Harry's Army & Navy on Rt 130 in Hamilton has alot of ocean pacific & old town on display & they're moving to a larger store behind their current location so there should be some sales comming...

 

[GermanG]

If anyone else is thinking of buying a kayak and is unsure of what they want, mark June 4th on your calander. The Ocean County Dept. of Parks & Rec. is holding an event called the Canoe and Kayak Classic, at Ocean County Park in Lakewood. Representatives from many of the major canoe and kayak manufacturers, as well as a few retailers, well have their most popular models on display at the swimming beach. For a few bucks, you get a wristband which lets you test paddle as many boats, from anyone's display, as you like. Since the company reps aren't selling anything, it is an extremely low pressure experience. You can get alot of good information and try out more boats at one time than any place else I know of.

 

[schwamb1]

My Two Cents

For what it is worth, I have 3 kayaks in the family: all Wilderness Systems. Pungo 100 (10'), Pungo 120 (12'), and a Tarpon 120 (12'). All are very suitable for the local rivers and capable of paddling sheltered back bays as well.

If your only interest is paddling the little rivers an 8' sit-in will do the job nicely.

The Tarpon is a sit-on-top (as opposed to sit-in) which I have rigged for salt water fishing in the ocean. The design allows you to not worry about getting swamped.

I would highly recommend that you look at various styles and models. The choices today are almost endless. My personal preference, the Tarpon, covers all my options very nicely.

 

[ecampbell]

I use an Old Town Loon 111, which is meant for fishing. It has a large cokpit, a moveable seat so you can balance the boat with a load and you can get to that space behind the seat. It looks like a boat, and has natural flotation due to it's sandwich construction. At 11 feet it's a little bit longer than the Otters the rentals use, is great upstream and much more of a boat.

I got mine at The Jersey Paddler
http://www.jerseypaddler.com/direct.html

They have a demo lake there and take off money if it's scratched from a demo, and it's gonna get scratched the first time you use it anyway. They give quantity discounts, so don't be afraid to ask.

Bell Haven also sells them and they have a lake also.

Ed