I've been working on getting back into better shape and have been thinking about getting a kayak to run up the rivers around here. However, other than knowing they look cool on top of a Jeep, I really don't know that much about them.

I'm guessing some of you guys can give me a few pointers, so I'll tell you what I know so far. The main river in this area is the James, and I have friends who live along the river so I will probably drop in their back yard. My initial logical stop is about 10 miles down the river, although there are quite a few different ways I could go up to around 40 miles. River maps are available here: http://www.missouricanoe.org/river-m...mesfinley.html

I'm 6'2" and while I have dropped 40 lbs, I still am around 250 lbs, so the little cheap wal-mart kayaks aren't going to cut it. (I will probably be down around 235 by the time I start, because I have 6 weeks left on my masters degree, and I'm working out daily) Bass Pro is up the road and I like the looks of their 12' Old Town Dirigo kayak, but I don't know whether that is the best fit for a beginner.

Any recommendations from those of you with a lot of experience on kayaks? Should I start with a sit-on-top model or a sit-in model? Is 12' the right length for rivers? (current isn't terribly fast from what I can tell) I'm probably not going to do this every weekend or anything, but now that I am wrapping up school again, I really want to pick a few outdoors hobies like biking and kayaking.

 

Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means but, I would strongly suggest the sit-in styles especially if you are beggining simply because they are more stable (your center of gravity is lower)

 

well you need to decided if you want a touring (distance, speed and can roll) or recreation (puts around, more stable) boat. I have a recreation boat for when my friends want to go, it has a monstrous opening that my dog has actually fit in with me before. Its great for ponds, lakes and small rivers but I did have it in the CT. river one time. Never again, the currant rips it all over the place because recreational boats have a flat bottom like white water boats, which is a whole other bag of tricks, which I am more familiar with. IMO see if you can find a local paddle day, different vendors bring their boats and let you try them. This will give you an idea of what makes you the most comfortable.

As for length, the longer the better it will track in water but also the hull design has a big affect. A rec boat is some thing like \___/ and touring boat would be \_/ and a white water boat tends to be _/--\_ , The narrower the hull the deeper it sits, the less stable it is and the better it tracks.

 

Choice of kayak really depends on your size and weight, water conditions, and what you want to do with it. Is that a shallow, fast flowing river or a wider, slower, deeper river?
I wouldn't get an Old Town and particularly not that model, it is toward the low end of quality and function. Necky(for instance)produces much better kayaks ,with some in about the same price range as Old Town. The Necky Maitou 13 for instance is a much better kayak as compared to the Diringo.
I would recommend going to a real kayak dealer(not Bass Pro-because while they sell 'kayaks' it really isn't their bag) and sit in different models. For a recreational type kayak I'd go with atleast a 13' and just get a plastic kayak. You don't need fiberglass or any of the new composite ones. Perceptionalso makes a nice kayak. I would also suggest going with a narrowish beamed kayak. Recreational type are wider than sea kayaks, but definately stay at or below 25" wider. You will become bored quickly with a wide boat as it will be sluggish and unresponsive and will become boring to paddle once you become more skilled.
But then you have whitewater kayaks which are a completely different animal and much shorter and not a kayak I use.

 

I should have been clearer, I was comparing a decent sit in rec to an el'cheapo sit on one (think Costco) and personally found the sit-on to be less stable between the two. I assumed that's what he was talking about, my bad

 

I already had the tool thats in mine

 

Wow... looks like I have a lot to learn on these. I'll try to see if there are any other options to find kayaks around here. I know there are a couple of the canoe rental places that have kayaks as well, so maybe that would be a good place to "test the waters" so to speak.

The water is mostly deep and slow around here and people canoe or tube down the river. For now anyway, this will probably be more about getting exercise outdoors on weekends. Of course, like most of my hobbies, I start off lightweight and end up upgrading. (Had a KJ, wanted to lift it so I got a JK instead, now I wish I had gotten a Rubicon... )

If I can't find anything other than bass pro here in town, anyone have recommendations in the KC/STL/Tulsa area? Anyone bought a kayak online?

 

I found a place about 25 minutes away that has Old Town, Necky, and Ocean Kayaks in stock. They are also building a kayak demo pool, so I'm going to have to check it out.

http://www.ozarkcanoe.com/

 

Personal opinion here - You mentioned paddling for exercise and recreation. And that most of your water is flat and slow. I'd go with a longer, touring style boat. Longer boats tend to track straighter, especially when you're a beginner. And touring boats often have rudders to help. Kayaking is a great sport - Enjoy!

 

Yeah... I've done some more reading tonight and pretty much decided that I don't want anything shorter than 12'. I almost think 14' would be a little too long, though... I don't want manuverability to become an issue. Of course, there needs to be enough weight capacity for myself and whatever stuff I end up taking...

Either way, I think I will go with something in the leisure/touring category for now. If I start with a cheaper one and really enjoy it, I could keep this one in case my wife or friends want to go.