Help - getting into Seakayaking

I am in the process of researching kayaks. My wife and I are each going to purchase a Seakayak. We live in Halifax NS, Canada's Ocean Playground. We live in a great place to do as much kayaking as we desire. Since I am 6 feet tall and weigh 250 lbs. I have been looking at the larger boats. I have tested a K2 for a day and have only tested three other boats. The one I tested are: Dagger, Megllan 16'.6'long and 22.5' wide (I found this boat to fit well but found it quite tippy.) Dagger, Atlantis 17'.2' long and 23.5' wide. (I also found this boat to be tippy.) Being fair to both of these boats these are the first singles I was ever in. Next I took out a Necky, Narpa 16'5' long and 24' wide. I believe that I fitted this boat better but I also found it to be quite shaky. I did seem to like it a little better than the dagger boats I tested. I now plan to test a Necky, Zoar 16' long 24.5' wide. I will also be testing the Sealusion 11 and Sealusion XL.

Now for my question: Can anyone offer any advise on this subject? Do these boats only feel tippy to me because I my lack of experience? If so how long does it take for a new Kayaker to start to feel comfortable in a kayak? Does anyone have any suggestions on the best boats to buy?

Thanks Bert LeRue Halifax N.S. Canada's east coast.

It does take some time. I did a tour of Cape Breton by Kayak and had the chance to try several different boats. I found them all to like tanks.

I started kayaking in a flatwater K1, after that everything feels stable.

The more V in the hull the tippier it will feel, but it is more stable on it's side. The more stable feeling U hulls are tippier when they get or their side.

Practice and a reliable brace, and you can learn to enjoy any boat.

Hi, there are 2 kinds of 'tippiness'. the initial kind means the boat is actually less likely to capzize. do some reading or web research on the subject.

researching kayaks. My wife and I are each going to : purchase a Seakayak. We live in Halifax NS, Canada's Ocean Playground. We : live in a great place to do as much kayaking as we desire. Since I am 6 : feet tall and weigh 250 lbs. I have been looking at the larger boats. I : have tested a K2 for a day and have only tested three other boats. The one : I tested are: Dagger, Megllan 16'.6'long and 22.5' wide (I found this boat : to fit well but found it quite tippy.) Dagger, Atlantis 17'.2' long and : 23.5' wide. (I also found this boat to be tippy.) Being fair to both of : these boats these are the first singles I was ever in. Next I took out a : Necky, Narpa 16'5' long and 24' wide. I believe that I fitted this boat : better but I also found it to be quite shaky. I did seem to like it a : little better than the dagger boats I tested. I now plan to test a Necky, : Zoar 16' long 24.5' wide. I will also be testing the Sealusion 11 and : Sealusion XL.

: Now for my question: : Can anyone offer any advise on this subject? : Do these boats only feel tippy to me because I my lack of experience? If so : how long does it take for a new Kayaker to start to feel comfortable in a : kayak? : Does anyone have any suggestions on the best boats to buy?

: Thanks : Bert LeRue : Halifax N.S. Canada's east coast.

Bert,

Add the Boreal to the list of boats to test paddle. They're made in Quebec and the quality for the price is quite good, particurally in their composite boats.

Eric Knudsen Knu-Pac Portaging Systems

I have a Necky Narpa (have had it for several years). The boat has a 'second rail' that allows you to tip about 15 degrees very easily, then hits this rail and is difficult to go past. The leaning makes the boat turn quicker. I've been extremely happy with it. I've had two other kayaks before - the original Chinook (the first plastic sea-kayak), and the Feathercraft (folding double kayak). I like the Narpa the best. My wife has an Arluk (sp?) fiberglass kayak - which seems nice (lighter and faster than mine), but I'm afraid to bash it in the surf.

In general, if you're looking for stability, keep with kayaks at or wider than 24'. The narrower style ('Greenland' is faster, but as noted, very tippy. Not good for adverse conditions.

Incidently, I'm 6'1' and the Narpa fits me nicely. I've also done quite a bit of surfing with it, and it really handles well in the waves.

Your preferences may be different than mine, so it's best to try as many kayaks as you can get a hold of. The more you try, the better judgement you can make when it comes time to buy one. Good luck with your search!

- Charles

Bert, I am 6' 3' and weigh 235 or so. I have a Feathercraft K-Light. I can fit in it and it serves me well. It is about as small as I can get. I am biased toward the Feathercraft foldables for several reasons: Stability, Ease of paddling in rough water vs. hard-shell, Quality, Fast adaptation for beginners, etc.. Was the K-2 you tested a Feathercraft? They make a K-2 and the people I have talked to who have them are very happy with them. Two books to read are The Complete Folding Kayaker by Ralph Diaz (the ultimate book on foldable kayaking) and A Boat in Our Baggage by Maria Coffe (sp) (the ultimate foldable world kayaking book). You will find the Feathercraft boats fast and stable. Don't let the hard-shell folks tell you otherwise. Of course I am not a white-water kayaker (going on 62 and planning to live a while yet) but one person in Germany seems to use foldables for that too. Good luck.

Thanks for your response to my questions. We have decided on what seems to be the correct kayak for us. We bought two Necky, Zoar, boats. They are 16 ft long and 24 inches wide. We have taken some courses in these boats for far and seem very pleased. I would like to thank SeaSun Kayaks for all of their patients and help in this process. They have been great!!!

Thanks to everyone who have sent responses on this matter. Bert

Have fun! Look forward to hearing about some of your adventures!

- Charles