Long a hot topic for me, this is one I wanted to address early and just get it out there. I recently received my new issue of Canoe & Kayak magazine's gear guide and as usual, the myriad of kayaks out there for model year 2012 are enough to send most shoppers into sensory overload. The cover clearly boasts "408 BOATS(!)," yet as I scan the pages, I pick out the same 5 or 6 sea kayaks I'd even consider owning. Alas, I have an advantage and I know what suits me with regards to boat designs, but most aren't as fortunate when buying boats ... even those that have purchased before. My intent with this post is to (hopefully) sharpen the learning curve for those considering a first, or even second, flatwater kayak purchase.
Please allow me to first clarify my demographics and then we'll get down to bid'ness. My target audience here are those that are about to make their first purchase, or perhaps even those that are about to make their second ill-informed purchase and will actually appreciate some advice from someone who's been putting folks in boats for almost two decades. In a few days, I'll make another entry about the specifics of the ideal sea kayak; and I'll leave this more to the genre of your first sea kayak and misconceptions that surround novice paddlers.
There's no doubt that the slate is chock full of designs and the entry level paddler can quickly become lost. There are long boats and short boats, wide boats and skinny boats, boats with rudders and those without, and boats from specialty retailers and boats from 'big-box' discounters. So where do we start?
Let me save you a lot of grief right now and tell you to avoid the 'big box' retailers like the plague. Why? 'Cause the same salesperson willing to mis-inform you on a kayak purchase is also the same salesperson who will attempt to do the exact same to the next 5 people who come in the door ... the first looking for new golf shoes, the second looking for a new baseball glove for their nephew, the third looking for a new tennis skirt, the fourth looking for a weight bench, and the fifth looking for the right ammo to bag 'em a big 'ol buck. See where I'm going with this? Specialty paddlesports retailers are just that - specialty. I work very closely with The Paddling Store in Guntersville, AL, with our fine local retailer, Rock/Creek Outfitters here in Chattanooga, and with several sea kayak outfitters I've dealt personally with out on the east coast. The reason is because these folks deal strictly with kayaks and kayakers. It's their sole (soul?) focus. Another reason to steer clear of the 'big box' retailers - and perhaps the most obvious - is because they don't even sell sea kayaks. "Wait a minute," you say, "I've seen longer flatwater boats with hatches and decklines in those huge mega stores!" Ummm ... no you haven't. The reason you haven't (since you're now wondering), is because no real sea kayak manufacturer would ever sell kayaks to them in the first place. You see, they want real paddling professionals selling their gear, not someone who will also be selling tennis skirts and buck slayin' ammo. Get it? Specialty kayak retailers can offer demos, set you up with a paddling club, and have a wealth of knowledge to set you on the correct path.
The next notion we need need to clear off the table right now is this whole "beginner" thing. I hate that term. Exactly what qualifies someone to be a "beginner?" Is it any paddler that's still learning? If it is, then I'm a card-carrying "beginner" because I still strive to learn something everytime I head out! Okay, you might be a beginner if you don't even know how to swim, but that might be the ONLY thing that would warrant that classification. Too often when asking someone why they bought the boat they bought, I hear, "Well, this is a good beginner boat." Really? And just how long do you intend to be a beginner? My point is this, all too often, kayaks are bought based more on what people plan to grow out of, rather than what they plan to grow in to. Do me a favor and go back and read that last sentence again. When I used to sell whitewater boats, folks would come to me and ask, "What would be a good boat for a beginner?" My reply never wavered and was the same canned response every single time: "Whichever boat that will kick your ass." It was always followed by a quizical look, so then I'd follow with something like this:
"Look, you aren't going to be a beginner forever. Wouldn't you rather have a boat you can grow into, rather out of? Why too, would you drop a grand on a boat that you intend to just learn in; only to drop another grand in a month or two when you've finally got things figured out a little? Why not buy the boat now, that you'll end up wanting to buy in a few months anyway?"
Pretty novel, isn't it? Get this "beginner" crap out of your head now and plan to buy yourself a big-boy boat. Sea kayaks don't get worn out and broken like whitewater boats, so just go on make ONE purchase and make it the right one. It's entirely possible that you might struggle a little at first, but these are the very struggles that will greatly excellerate your learning.
This leads me to my next point of clarification: recreational kayaks are NOT sea kayaks. Uh, oh ... I stepped on toes. Well, so be it. This is a sea kayak blog, afterall. I don't care for rec boats that much and the primary reason is because they're all too often marketed as "beginner" (here we go again) sea kayaks. This couldn't be further from the truth because they're slow, they can only be edged by Chuck Norris, they're poorly constructed, and they barely carry any gear. Rec kayaks do have a place, but it's typically in the backyard of Nana and Grampa's lakehouse for the grandkids to explore the cove in. Rec kayaks won't teach you anything about paddling because their LONE design concept is to keep the user upright. Sea kayakers rely on skill and technique to remain upright, not their equipment.
If your kayaking goal is to explore the cove at your grandparent's place on the lake, then a rec kayak will be perfect. If, however, your goal is to cover miles and miles, get a great workout, conquer less than perfect conditions, go on multi-day trips, or tackle a coastal environment, then you're looking for a bonafide sea kayak and nothing less.
So, you've made the right choice to buy from a reputable kayak dealer, you've shed the rediculous title of "beginner," and you've been warned as to the evils of rec kayaks. What are we looking for in a sea kayak? Again, I'll address specifics here in a few days on the same bat channel, but as a general rule, true sea kayaks range between 15 and 18 feet long, and have a beam width between 20 and 24 inches. Additionally, they'll have multiple sealed bulkheads and dry hatches, cockpits sized to accept a sprayskirt, excellent outfitting to facilitate rolling and bracing, and perimeter decklines to assist with rescues. These are all attributes that better sea kayaks have in common.
I'll add a disclaimer that being landlocked does have many disadvantages when choosing sea kayaks because we just don't have the market here for retailers to carry vast arrays of boats to get touchy/feely with. Research and paddling clubs are a huge help to further broaden horizons, but you sometimes still have to locate boats in order to try them. It's not uncommon for inland sea kayakers like us to have to head out to the coast for a few days to try even more designs, so keep that as an option to help you make a solid decision. Then there's me. If you want advice, just say so. After a brief discussion and some basic measurements, I can pretty easily whittle your boat choices down to several models of sea kayaks and save you a ton of leg-work.
Good luck with your purchase and I'll see you on the water in your sleek new sea kayak.
-rob
No comments:
Post a Comment