I have never kayaked before, but I thought it would be a great way to cross mild bodies of water to more remote spots for camping, fishing, and hiking. I want to know what would be the best type of kayak to buy; one I could pack stuff in with me, how inflatable compares with other types.. etc.. etc.. Again, as a beginner, I wouldn’t be doing any extreme kayaking, not yet anyway. I would use it to allow me mobility on water from one place to another with outdoor gear. Thanks for reading!
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Good idea. Kayaking can be any thing from paddling around in a pond to challenging great rapids and waterfalls. Today there are a range of kayaks from inflateable plastic toys to sophisticated spaceage high performance models. You might well consider attending some classes or a school before you make your boat choice. I also suggest you consider buying a canoe if you plan to camp and fish. A canoe is easy to load and paddle. It can be used to fish from with good stability. I used a canoe to get to places on my river that others couldn’t. I parked the canoe and then waded about.
Find a store that has kayak rentals and try a few before you buy. Often they have demo days where you can try several boats all in one day for free. Many places will let you apply your past rental fees to the purchase as well.
Fold-ups, inflatables, and collapsible kayaks are OK. They will all get the job done, but many don’t track well and if you have a lot of gear to haul, they max out the weight. A hard plastic or composite boat is the way to go.
I prefer sit-in kayaks, but there’s nothing wrong with sit-on boats either. They are just heavier. You can get fishing models in both styles too.
http://www.wildernesssystems.com/wilderness-systems-product-group/fishing
I like the Wilderness Systems boats a lot. The Pungo 120 is one of the most popular kayaks on the market and has been for the past four years. It’s 12 foot, weighs about 50#, and has a sealed bulkhead. You’ve got to try flip the kayak and they track really well.
Heritage Kayaks are also exceptional boats. We have 10 of Hertiage’s Stingray 10 predecessors (The Liquid Logic Tuxedo) in the fleet where I teach kayaking. They have some fishing styles too. I haven’t paddles these, but the Stingrays are very easy to use and really manuverable. You might want a 12′ boat to stuff more gear in. You can’t get a lot into a 10-footer.
http://www.heritagekayaks.com/index.htm
Try, try, try before you buy, buy, buy!