Kayaks?

[wildfowler.250]

Does anyone on here kayak? I’m looking to get one for use mostly on the sea and occasional loch use. I live fairly close to the coast so plan to use it mainly when it’s calm and possibly drop a fishing line once or twice a year for the occasional mackerel.

 

Is there any particular brands of kayak you’d recommend? I’m familiar with reliable makes of gun eg beretta or Orvis for fishing but no idea beyond a google search for kayaks.

 

Am I better off with a 2 seater or 2 x single seaters? Mainly from a fun point of view of going out with folk but also maneuverability and also ease of transport?

 

 

I’ll get the google searches going but appreciate honest reviews from folk on here who will have similar interests. Ideally looking at £500-£600 spend for 1 but could stretch beyond that if needed. Buy once cry once I suppose.

 

 

Cheers!

[oowee]

I used to kayak a lot. 

Get training would be my first thought. Safety on the water first and foremost then technique. All the power is from the core not the arms. Join a group at least to learn the basics. 

Boat speed is determined by water line length so a double will usualy be quicker than a single by a good margin. A double will not work well if you paddle alone. Fibreglass is far quicker than plastic but plastic can be abused. 

Get proper cloathing what starts as a warm summers day can quickly turn into a nightmare. I once led a group cliff hopping around St Agnes. Went out in flat calm and returned in 2m of surf over a rocky shore . Took longer to find and collect the kit and group than the original trip took. 

Adjust your speed when you pop the thing on the roof. So many cars are tearing down the motorway at 70 plus with boats on and the windage is massive. I have lost my rack and boats doing the same. Not worth the risk. 

Budget? Basic kit will be a good bouyancy aid, roof bars, dry cag, neoprene deck, dry bag, blades before you start on the boat. 

[wymberley]

I know not whether it's still true, but the Anglers Afloat mob were/are a cracking load of folk. see the forum by that name.

[12gauge82]

For your purposes I'd look at a sit on top, they're a bit safer in some ways as you cant sink them provided the Hull is intact and you can get more gear in them compared to a sit in. The only down side is theyre a little slower. 

[steve1066]

3 hours ago, oowee said:

I used to kayak a lot. 

Get training would be my first thought. Safety on the water first and foremost then technique. All the power is from the core not the arms. Join a group at least to learn the basics. 

Boat speed is determined by water line length so a double will usualy be quicker than a single by a good margin. A double will not work well if you paddle alone. Fibreglass is far quicker than plastic but plastic can be abused. 

Get proper cloathing what starts as a warm summers day can quickly turn into a nightmare. I once led a group cliff hopping around St Agnes. Went out in flat calm and returned in 2m of surf over a rocky shore . Took longer to find and collect the kit and group than the original trip took. 

Adjust your speed when you pop the thing on the roof. So many cars are tearing down the motorway at 70 plus with boats on and the windage is massive. I have lost my rack and boats doing the same. Not worth the risk. 

Budget? Basic kit will be a good bouyancy aid, roof bars, dry cag, neoprene deck, dry bag, blades before you start on the boat. 

Good advice oowee

[chrisjpainter]

Hey mate. Yes I kayak fish. and 12gauge82's right. If you're fishing from it, you'll need SOT. Anything else and it all gets jolly complicated! 

When you say 500-600 is that for the kayak alone, or the whole setup, as it makes a difference! As a bare minimum, you should have:

kayak, paddle, PFD, paddle leash, drycase for your mobile, safety knife and kayak-appropriate clothing (wetsuit probably). 

Get the kayaking skill sorted first - paddling and reentry from the water - before worrying about the fishing. If you think angling's bad enough for tangles on land, just wait until you get onto a kayak! Life's a lot easier if you have the basics of kayaking already mastered.

As for makes, go with the well known ones, don't cut corners. Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Viking (my one's a Viking) and at the cheaper end, Galaxy, but they're still decent yaks. DO NOT BELIEVE the blurb that LLPE plastic is better. It just isn't. The big boys use HDPE for good reason! Second hand is definitely worth looking at. My first yak was new (Wilderness Systems) and regretted it. Since then I've bought second hand ones. A good inspection can rule out a wrong'un and from there, they're so well made there's not really any need to buy new. 

That'll get you going! Drop me a line if you have any questions! or put on here

[12gauge82]

1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said:

Hey mate. Yes I kayak fish. and 12gauge82's right. If you're fishing from it, you'll need SOT. Anything else and it all gets jolly complicated! 

When you say 500-600 is that for the kayak alone, or the whole setup, as it makes a difference! As a bare minimum, you should have:

kayak, paddle, PFD, paddle leash, drycase for your mobile, safety knife and kayak-appropriate clothing (wetsuit probably). 

Get the kayaking skill sorted first - paddling and reentry from the water - before worrying about the fishing. If you think angling's bad enough for tangles on land, just wait until you get onto a kayak! Life's a lot easier if you have the basics of kayaking already mastered.

As for makes, go with the well known ones, don't cut corners. Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Viking (my one's a Viking) and at the cheaper end, Galaxy, but they're still decent yaks. DO NOT BELIEVE the blurb that LLPE plastic is better. It just isn't. The big boys use HDPE for good reason! Second hand is definitely worth looking at. My first yak was new (Wilderness Systems) and regretted it. Since then I've bought second hand ones. A good inspection can rule out a wrong'un and from there, they're so well made there's not really any need to buy new. 

That'll get you going! Drop me a line if you have any questions! or put on here

All very good advice, that's what I'd do. 

[henry d]

I kayak and canoe, same answer as oowee and Chris, but I would dispute the faster (SOT) double, I have two very fast kayaks, 15 & 16 ft long, much faster than any twin SOT. If you are just going out occasionally in calm waters you will get away with shorter kayaks, but as alluded to above, the sea changes quickly, sometimes frighteningly so. Phones are ok, but you need to know if there is a signal where you are going, wet hands may also make using a phone in its case impossible, water temperature should be what indicates what you wear, learn how to re enter your kayak, trip planning stick to them and ensure people know when you get back in.

Perception are another good brand, try not to go under 13 ft long if possible and if you are limited for storage use a handline and three sabikis feathers etc I still use one on occasions and it is very effective.

[chrisjpainter]

22 minutes ago, henry d said:

I kayak and canoe, same answer as oowee and Chris, but I would dispute the faster (SOT) double, I have two very fast kayaks, 15 & 16 ft long, much faster than any twin SOT. If you are just going out occasionally in calm waters you will get away with shorter kayaks, but as alluded to above, the sea changes quickly, sometimes frighteningly so. Phones are ok, but you need to know if there is a signal where you are going, wet hands may also make using a phone in its case impossible, water temperature should be what indicates what you wear, learn how to re enter your kayak, trip planning stick to them and ensure people know when you get back in.

Perception are another good brand, try not to go under 13 ft long if possible and if you are limited for storage use a handline and three sabikis feathers etc I still use one on occasions and it is very effective.

Ah yes. That was the brand I thought I'd left out! Definitely worth looking at. 

As to length, don't think of it as an awkwardness of loading and storage, think of it as a safety feature. If the weather turns sour unexpectantly, a longer kayak is far more energy efficient than a shorter one. Paddling is easier and faster, which means you can get out of trouble before you run out of energy. A kayak's propulsion is inherently unbalanced, as you're only ever powering one side of the boat at a time. So each stroke is a case of turn and counter-turn. With a short kayak, more energy is put into correcting the turning force, so you generate less forward motion. A longer kayak keeps its line straighter, making you gain more forward momentum with each stroke. 

[12gauge82]

45 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said:

Ah yes. That was the brand I thought I'd left out! Definitely worth looking at. 

As to length, don't think of it as an awkwardness of loading and storage, think of it as a safety feature. If the weather turns sour unexpectantly, a longer kayak is far more energy efficient than a shorter one. Paddling is easier and faster, which means you can get out of trouble before you run out of energy. A kayak's propulsion is inherently unbalanced, as you're only ever powering one side of the boat at a time. So each stroke is a case of turn and counter-turn. With a short kayak, more energy is put into correcting the turning force, so you generate less forward motion. A longer kayak keeps its line straighter, making you gain more forward momentum with each stroke. 

Ive always known a longer kayak is faster and keeps speed better than a shorter one but didn't know exactly what the main reason was, now I do 👍

[henry d]

1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said:

With a short kayak, more energy is put into correcting the turning force, so you generate less forward motion.

I'm sure Chris also knows this, you can "edge" a kayak to counteract this and also windcocking.

This is a good explanation

[NoBodyImportant]

I bought a wilderness system kayak at an auction.  I never really used it nor did I really want it.  A guy I don’t like was bidding on it so I out bid him.  I like canoes myself.  

Fun story about that same auction.  The guy bought 100 paper recycling bins.  The I out bid him on 100 lids.  He offered me 50 bins for 50 lids and I passed.  I think i still have the lids in the barn.  

Edited August 26, 2021 by NoBodyImportant

[12gauge82]

4 hours ago, henry d said:

I'm sure Chris also knows this, you can "edge" a kayak to counteract this and also windcocking.

This is a good explanation

Good info cheers 👍

[chrisjpainter]

3 hours ago, NoBodyImportant said:

I bought a wilderness system kayak at an auction.  I never really used it nor did I really want it.  A guy I don’t like was bidding on it so I out bid him.  I like canoes myself. 

Fun story about that same auction.  The guy bought 100 paper recycling bins.  The I out bid him on 100 lids.  He offered me 50 bins for 50 lids and I passed.  I think i still have the lids in the barn.  

That has got to be the most petty and most brilliant thing I've ever heard from an auction! Well played, sir; well played indeed! That's tremendous