Any Kayakers here?

[stardogs]

DH and I went out on the water in rented 14' kayaks today. This was my third time in a kayak and his first and he loved it, so now we're thinking about doing it regularly.

With rentals being $12 each, we're leaning toward buying at the end of the season, so I'm keen to get info on things to look for there as well as just general kayaking tips and tricks if anyone cares to share.

 

[amberdyan]

I kayak regularly and am instructor certified and it is DEFINITELY worth the money to buy one if you're interested in doing it regularly. I bought a kayak off of craigslist years ago when I was just getting into it so I could figure out what I wanted without spending the 12-18 dollars every time I wanted to go boating. I had that kayak for about year and a half before I upgraded.

This is the website I would recommend looking at: http://www.paddleshack.com/tips/tipsonselect.html

It has a TON of information so it's easy to get overwhelmed but you can pretty quickly figure out what is relevant to what kind of boating you want to do (moving water, white water, still water, etc.) and it's really good about teaching you lingo.

I have to mention that I've always despised the sit on top kayaks. You can't put anything in them. You're basically sitting on an expensive board in the water. I'm convinced they were invented by people who were scared that they would get stuck if they tipped their sit-in kayaks : P

You should keep me updated on what you look at/decide. I have lots of resources for learning and I love talking about boating : )

 

[stardogs]

Thanks for the link!

I have to mention that I've always despised the sit on top kayaks. You can't put anything in them. You're basically sitting on an expensive board in the water. I'm convinced they were invented by people who were scared that they would get stuck if they tipped their sit-in kayaks : P

Totally - the only appeal for me would be making it easier to take a dog along. Get a SUP if you want a wide flat surface imo.

 

[Romy]

Kayaking is awesome! Salt water or fresh water?

 

[MandyPug]

Totally - the only appeal for me would be making it easier to take a dog along. Get a SUP if you want a wide flat surface imo.

Iz had no problem with the kayak

 

[RBark]

I have to mention that I've always despised the sit on top kayaks. You can't put anything in them. You're basically sitting on an expensive board in the water. I'm convinced they were invented by people who were scared that they would get stuck if they tipped their sit-in kayaks : P

Yeah, sure if you're looking at the crappy old models this is true.

You can put plenty in the good sit on top kayaks, and they are a million times more customizable than sit inside kayaks if you want to do anything other than kayak while in the water.

I take Syl along on mine (pictured), and go fishing in lakes and oceans, and starting next year will be going freediving/spearfishing off it, people scuba dive off them, and so on.

Both types have their benefits and weaknesses. But sit on tops are definitely the more versatile of the two.

 

[Shai]

We have two cheapo recreational kayaks. Room for a dog jn each, sitting in the cockpit with the human. Not superversatile but great for poking around the streams, rovers, and lakes in our area. Handle shallow water and tight turns well. And light enough to make moving and transporting them pretty easy.

 

[stardogs]

Both types have their benefits and weaknesses. But sit on tops are definitely the more versatile of the two.

It seems like maybe they are a bit more stable if folks are getting in and out easily? Have you compared loading dogs into each type?

I'd really like to have the flexibility, but the sit inside kayaks seem like they might be able to handle non flat water a bit more easily? We might do some river kayaking, too.

 

[Ozfozz]

I love kayaking.
I don't know why, but for some reason I feel a little more secure in the sit-in kayaks. We haven't taken the girls out on the water yet (because they're a little more...spastic), but both Oz and Cobain are amazing out in the kayas.
Definitely worth it to pick a few up if you enjoy it. End of season sales are usually the best time to pick one up in terms of prices too.

 

[PWCorgi]

I would love to get a kayak someday. Frodo doesn't love...well...most things. But he loves boats/canoes/kayaks!

 

[stardogs]

So I'm seeing dogs in the sit inside kayaks and wondering how you get them in there without tipping over. Do they just ride with you? Or are they jumping and and out regularly?

 

[Romy]

I'd pull Charlie into my sit-in when he got tired of swimming. Aside from getting water everywhere there wasn't any issue. Never came close to tipping. (edit: he weighed 55 lbs dry)

Also, I strongly prefer the sit in. Especially for salt water or choppy water. I think part of it is I like the feeling of sitting on/below the surface of the water instead of above it.

 

[RBark]

It seems like maybe they are a bit more stable if folks are getting in and out easily? Have you compared loading dogs into each type?

I'd really like to have the flexibility, but the sit inside kayaks seem like they might be able to handle non flat water a bit more easily? We might do some river kayaking, too.

You would need to get to rapids level of water before sit on top kayaks become unsafe in rough water.

I have been kayaking in the ocean, extremely choppy water with white cap waves and nearly 10' swells and haven't even come close to taking a dive.

The benefits of a sit inside are speed, not stability. It takes me 5 seconds after flipping a kayak to get back on. People I know who free dive off yaks get in and out of them 150 times a day.

I launch my kayak in the surf, and land it there too. It doesn't get much rougher than that.

The other advantage of sit inside is technique. You can do a bit more in them. Ie doing a roll.

But those advantages are irrelevant if you have a dog with you since it's not like you're going to the rapids with a dog. In a scenario you would bring a dog along, sit inside and sit on tops are mostly equal. On Sunday, I kayaked with syl and my niece (6 years old) on my yak with about 50lb of gear along the choppy beach in the afternoon.

Didn't even come close to tipping even with both of them moving from side to side, close to me and to the bow.

The best thing you can do is go to a demo day and try them out and decide for yourself. If you plan to do rapids, definitely get a sit inside. If you plan to do fishing or diving or camping, get a sit on top. If you don't plan to do any of those, pick whichever feels most comfortable.

 

[Ozfozz]

So I'm seeing dogs in the sit inside kayaks and wondering how you get them in there without tipping over. Do they just ride with you? Or are they jumping and and out regularly?

Both Oz and Cobain load in while we're still close to shore and they stay in the boat for the duration.
Cobain is perfectly content to just bask in the sun and swim only when we pull up to shore. In a canoe he will occasionally get out and we will lift him back in when he's ready, but not the kayak.
Oz learned when he was younger that he is not in fact Jesus and walking off of the boat is a bad idea and hasn't tried it since. He will sometimes go and sit on the nose of the kayak, but even that's lessened.

 

[stardogs]

You would need to get to rapids level of water before sit on top kayaks become unsafe in rough water.
...
The best thing you can do is go to a demo day and try them out and decide for yourself. If you plan to do rapids, definitely get a sit inside. If you plan to do fishing or diving or camping, get a sit on top. If you don't plan to do any of those, pick whichever feels most comfortable.

Great post! We won't be doing whitewater I don't think, and probably not camping either. LOL I think we're going to do a 6 mile river paddle this weekend - that will get us into 10'ers instead of the 14'ers we had yesterday and definitely more moving water. I'm also hoping to do some kayaking off of the Outer Banks (soundside, not open ocean) in a few weeks while we're on vacation there. Those should give us more insight into what works best, though no dogs involved.

And if I train the dogs to come along, I'd really like them to be able to jump in and swim as they want (on cue, though, not leaping whenever the mood strikes) - Kes especially would find swimming preferable to riding I think since he's a water nut in general. Snipe and Aeri might or might not want to swim much and Z definitely would prefer being dry.

 

[Taqroy]

Oz learned when he was younger that he is not in fact Jesus and walking off of the boat is a bad idea and hasn't tried it since.

Lol'ing forever.

I have nothing useful to contribute.

 

[RBark]

I should add there's another advantage to sit on tops, for me at least. I'm a really active guy in general, and sitting down for extended periods of time makes me fidgety. And when it's hot out, I need to cool down quick.

With a sit on top, I just stand up, dive right off, float around for a little bit then jump right back on, all cooled off. No work needed draining water out of the yak.

A lot of people seem to not really like getting all that wet though. So whatever works for you. I just enjoy jumping out of the yak and floating with the current in the middle of the lake for a while.

 

[amberdyan]

Yeah, sure if you're looking at the crappy old models this is true.

You can put plenty in the good sit on top kayaks, and they are a million times more customizable than sit inside kayaks if you want to do anything other than kayak while in the water.

I take Syl along on mine (pictured), and go fishing in lakes and oceans, and starting next year will be going freediving/spearfishing off it, people scuba dive off them, and so on.

Both types have their benefits and weaknesses. But sit on tops are definitely the more versatile of the two.

I'm really sorry if I offended you, or gave any misinformation. I rarely kayak flat water and frequently do white water, higher class rivers and I don't fish or do any of the cool things you mentioned. I tried the sit on tops because they ARE really versatile but I couldn't get the hang of it (or maybe I was trying out a crappy model). When I wrote what I did I was primarily making fun of myself. I forget that people on the internet don't just automatically know that I was a huge klutz when I first started boating. This is why I love forums so much- such a variety of opinions and information. : ) Also, your dog is adorable on that boat.

ETA: I get in and out of the boat quite a bit, and I'm sure it take a lot more practice to do it in a sit-in, but I've gotten good at shoving myself off so I don't tip, and then "ponying up" by going around the back of the kayak, shoving it down in between my legs and pulling myself forward until my butt hits the seat. It's really awkward until you get used to it but it works for me. Hugo hasn't been on the water with me yet, but the family dog I had before him got in and out of the boat. She would just put her front paw up on the bow and kind of slide/fall off, lol. When she wanted to get back in she would swim up close and I could pull her in (she was 40lbs). She would drip a lot of water in the boat but other than that it was good.

 

[RBark]

No no, I wasn't offended. Sorry if I sounded that way, it's something that I've been rather passionate about this year so I might've come across stronger than intended!

Not knocking anyone's choice, whatever works for you. I just wanted to point out there's more to sit on tops than people typically see at rental places.

 

[Shai]

Just the thought of having water drain off the top instead of sloshing around the cockpit when a wet dog climbs in has me wanting to convert. Alas, I married into these kayaks and buying different ones for the sake of it probably won't happen...