Kayak/canoe recommendations?

[Cataboo]

Tulip, you definitely count as one - you're a lightweight paddler & you're going to have the same problems as a shorter paddler. when most kayaks are designed for 180-220 lb guys to be able to carry another 40 lbs of gear... And then when most kayak manufacturers don't bother to actually redesign them as a low volume boat, but just cut down the deck height & then claim they're a lv boat....

how much sewage went into the james in the last few storms? At least 500 million gallons went into the chesapeake...

I've been avoiding urban waterways lately.

*shudder*

[tulip]

I don't know, I didn't go down to look at the river...I did paddle on a tributary of the Rappahannock after the hurricane, and I would not have wanted to do a wet exit. Thank goodness for floating docks, is all I can say. But it was still a nice paddle.

Years ago, I organized a trip for my office out of Bladensburg Marina on the Anacostia. My boss got dumped in that water. Ewwwwww. Perhaps that's why my career there came to an end shortly thereafter...hmmm.

[Cataboo]

I paddled the Anacostia for the first time this year... Yeah, yay for floating docks! I did not put my feet into that water.

It is a gorgeous paddle, the aquatic gardens are beautiful and it's a great variety that you see on it.

I got some pretty pics... but the most striking ones were the ones of trash in the water:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1178064...AnacostiaRiver

[goldfinch]

Regarding what Goldfinch said about sea kayaks and turning and stability... There are a huge number of sea kayaks and you can't generalize... It's like talking about cars and comparing how a toyota yaris handles compared to a mercedes - yes, they are both cars, but the similarities end there. The width, the length, and the design of a sea kayak has a lot to do with how it handles, same with cars. Is a shorter rec boat going to be easier to turn the a sea kayak, probably in general, but get a greenland style sea kayak with a ton of rocker and a sea kayak will turn on a dime. I can turn my 17'8" sea kayak on a dime, and turn it by tilting my hips.

Fair point and a good post.

My experience is with whitewater and what is suitable for it and I am not familiar with recreational style kayaks and have only used a sea kayak a few times. A greenland style kayak will turn easily but it also will roll easily, will it not?

[Cataboo]

Greenland kayaks were developed by the Inuit to use to hunt... They'd go out to kill seals with them in freezing water temperatures doing open water ocean crossings and dealing with the surf. And they carried the seals they killed home on the decks of their kayaks. A kayak that is unstable enough that it rolls easily in those temperatures is suicide & their families wouldn't get food... It's a design that's been tested by thousands of years. The inuit did train their sense of balance using greenland ropes and could do a ton of different types of rolls...

So yes, greenland kayaks are easily rolled if you want to roll. If you don't want to roll, generally they don't... If you watch someone who does know a lot of greenland rolls, it's like watching water ballet... Alison lives around here & is just beautiful to watch and I'm pretty sure that her accidently rolling over her boat hardly ever happens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN4QrNVbnv8

Most kayaks now a days are greenland derived. Some people still make classic greenland skin on frames... And the sea kayaks are all compromises... racing boats will go very fast in a straight line & be hard to turn - so people put rudders on them to make them easy to turn. Greenland kayaks will be more maneuverable, but will sacrifice speed... Other boards are made to be surf/rough water condition kayaks...


I'd call greenland kayaks stable... But then I've got a 19" wide surf ski that has absolutely no primary stability and I absolutely cannot relax in (yet)... But if you watch big ocean surf ski races... There are all sorts of people that race surf skis out in the surf & ocean without flipping. Try getting in a k1 racing kayak sometime... and those are unstable. But people learn to paddle them without having to brace constantly.

From a whitewater background, I'm sure you know that boats can flip in response to conditions, that's why white water kayakers learn combat rolls. And that's why you learn to brace and how to read the water currents. And depending on the design of the white water boat, how easy it is to roll or do tricks varies... And even in a canoe - there are some things you don't do... standing up in your canoe is probably a good way to flip it over.

Most of the time, it is hard to actually flip a sea kayak. If you ever get in one, spend some time wiggling your hips back and forth (or lifting your knee up on either side) - almost all of them have pretty good secondary stability - you can lean them without flipping and you're meant to do that to steer them. I can probably count on two hands the number of times that I've flipped a sea kayak in the 5 years that I've been kayaking... A couple of times were because I leaned way over to do something stupid, but most of the times were because I took the kayak out into breaking waves on the beach to play... repeatedly. That's just been a really fun learning curve - but I roll over, I roll back up. Not a biggie.

.

[goldfinch]

Thanks Cat, interesting post. I would like to try out the greenland style someday.

[Crankin]

Jolt, also go to Kittery Trading Post. We bought our kevlar canoe there 10 years ago. It is so light that DH can easily lift it over his head to carry, and put it on top of the SUV alone. I can lift it myself, to bring it down to the water, but would not want to have to put it on a car. But, that's just me. It may be true that it's not so good in the wind (had one experience with that), but normal wind is fine. Personally, kayaking scares the living crap out of me, because I don't even like to be in water where I can't put my feet on the ground. The thought of rolling, well, . I can't even put a swim mask on, or I get claustrophobic! But, I love canoeing. We stick to ponds and calm rivers. It's true that kayaking is probably more suitable for solo travel, but I still would recommend looking at KTP.

[dravens]

I have a Hornbeck Canoe 10 1/2 get long. It weighs 17 lbs. It's as easy to lift on the car as my bike. It is paddled seated with a double bladed paddle. It holds me and a pack and I have paddled and portaged it for up to a week. It is fast for its size and very stable and dry in wind and waves.http://www.hornbeckboats.com

Placid Boat canoes are great too but a lot more money.

[goldfinch]

I have a Hornbeck Canoe 10 1/2 get long. It weighs 17 lbs. It's as easy to lift on the car as my bike. It is paddled seated with a double bladed paddle. It holds me and a pack and I have paddled and portaged it for up to a week. It is fast for its size and very stable and dry in wind and waves.http://www.hornbeckboats.com

Placid Boat canoes are great too but a lot more money.

Nice!

[Jolt]

I have a Hornbeck Canoe 10 1/2 get long. It weighs 17 lbs. It's as easy to lift on the car as my bike. It is paddled seated with a double bladed paddle. It holds me and a pack and I have paddled and portaged it for up to a week. It is fast for its size and very stable and dry in wind and waves.http://www.hornbeckboats.com

Placid Boat canoes are great too but a lot more money.

That looks NICE. My price range will be a little less than that, but I could keep an eye out for a used one on Craigslist. More likely I would be looking at one of these two:
http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/g...overy_119.html
http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/g...mily/pack.html
Similar size and can use the double paddle, but they are a lot heavier than what you have (though still lighter than a kayak and probably a lot less awkward to pick up and carry).