Kayaks

03-29-2012, 08:51 PM

What kind of Kayak did you get? We have a canoe, but would like a kayak after renting a 2 seater this past summer....what a hoot they are!

OneMoBear · 03-30-2012, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redhawk

What kind of Kayak did you get? We have a canoe, but would like a kayak after renting a 2 seater this past summer....what a hoot they are!

It's a Hobie Mirage Oasis Tandem http://www.hobiecat.com/kayaking/

Super fun and Gene can't tell if I'm working or not!

**Bill** · 03-30-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redhawk

What kind of Kayak did you get? We have a canoe, but would like a kayak after renting a 2 seater this past summer....what a hoot they are!

I never heard of the Mirage pedal drive - interesting!

Selecting a kayak involves a lot of choices - it is not as simple as buying bread. If you make the wrong choices, you'll never be really satisfied with it, and the boat will spend most of its time in your garage. I suggest that anyone who wants to buy a kayak do some research, and make conscious decisions on a dozen or so questions. There is a very good starting point at the non-commerical site www.roguepaddler.com/choose.htm. REI has a good discussion HERE. And Old Town Canoe has one HERE.

If you can, try out several different kinds of kayaks before you choose one. Before we purchased, we spent a lot of time in borrowed boats (loved some, hated some), and doing research. The result was good, and we use our boats a lot. The important thing is not to make a quick buying decision based on hype for a particular brand.

Bill

03-30-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

If you can, try out several different kinds of kayaks before you choose one. Before we purchased, we spent a lot of time in borrowed boats (loved some, hated some), and doing research. The result was good, and we use our boats a lot. The important thing is not to make a quick buying decision based on hype for a particular brand.

Ours are Wilderness Systems Pungos. We like them because they are:

Thick Polyethylene, so we can scrape rocks, and drag/drop them without worrying about it. But are a bit heavy as a result.

Wide, so they don't tip over so easy.

Not too short, so they follow a straight line fairly easy. But not too long, so you don't get hung up trying to turn around in narrow back water channels.

A big opening that makes it easy to get in and out without a lot of jack-knifing. (I can't bend too good any more).

Relatively cheap.

We got two singles to replace the canoe as we were always arguing about where to go and how fast. Also in kayak doubles, you really have to synchronize your strokes ... unless you've got pedals!

Anyway, as Bill says, you gotta try them out first.

03-31-2012, 08:34 AM

Pungos are nice and they come in 3 lengths- 10 or 12 or 14 feet.
My Wilderness System is 10 years old and floats better than I do....

**RejoiceWay** · 03-31-2012, 02:15 PM

Built 2 Pgymy cohos, and love them. See: http://www.pygmyboats.com/
There are so many different types, but these work best for us - fast, light and easy to paddle.

03-31-2012, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RejoiceWay

Built 2 Pgymy cohos, and love them. See: http://www.pygmyboats.com/
There are so many different types, but these work best for us - fast, light and easy to paddle.

Wow, beautiful boats. And lots of selection.

For me, the Pinguino Sport would be better. Shorter, deeper, more stable with a bigger cockpit than I might actually be able to get into. More "Recreational" than "Sea Touring".

But I sure wouldn't drag it across the ground to the launch site, like I do with our Pungos.

We saw a guy from Quebec down in Florida with a couple of boats just like these. I bet they were Pygmy's actually. He hauled them down behind his RV fully exposed on a lightweight trailer. I cringed at the thought of road debris hitting them.

I would love to build one, but am afraid I'd be too scared to use it once built.

**RejoiceWay** · 03-31-2012, 09:26 PM

The wood boats do get a bit scratched, but are quite durable and take a beating. I've used mine frequently for over ten years, and it still looks good. Did take a sander to it to smooth out some of the scratches and now will put another coat of varnish on it so it'll look new again.

HIKERZ · 04-01-2012, 06:02 AM

We also have the mirages. Takes a little more depth but we like them. They are also short enough to sling them in the back of the truck and the don't interfere with towing. We didn't bother with a rack. Just split a swim noodle lengthwise and use it as padding on the tailgate