Kayaking and camping

[queeniejeanne]

hey girl....I'm 58 and thought in pretty good shape....could not lift a 40 # onto the top of my FJ Cruiser. Even sliding it up like your supposed to.
I would suggest you borrow one first and try....Luckily that's what I did.
Queenie Jeanne...PS if you have a low car, yea I could have done that.
But if you need a rack for one I have a brand new Thule for kayaks. will sell it to you at a good cost, but of course it's in Branson Missouri

[b.bodemer]

If you are on smaller inland lakes you might want to consider a sit-on-top.

I have a 8' Pelican Burst that is super light....only 32lbs.

Both Dick's Sporting Goods and Gander Mtn carry these. $199.

Some pics of it here from a summer trip with my nieces and nephew:

http://auntbarbandauntrose.blogspot.com ... ayaks.html


Barb

[Mauleskinner]

:thumbsup: First thing to do in a large lake especially, is get a really good PDF..........and some lessons.

Would a printed book work just as well, or does it need to be a PDF?

[Scooter]

Sassafras 12 by Chesapeake Light Craft is a sweet looking canoe and only weighs 26 lbs. http://tinyurl.com/yfohd5r

[stumphugger]

I don't think I can lift 40 pounds over my head either. Maybe if I was in a really bad mood. The way I load is more of a slide on. It took a lot of beating up of the car to perfect. Lift half the boat up against the back of the car and rack. Lean it on. Lift the back end up, but only high enough to get sliding, the weight of the front of the boat will counterbalance and bring the back up. I get my 75 pounder on the car using this method. The other two boats are a cinch.

I'll have to work out how to load my kayak on the pickup when I get racks for it.

By the way, the perfect workout to get in shape for paddling is running a chainsaw a few times a week.

[boomer]

Theresa - I was looking for a Kayak and I was at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery Maine. They told me about the New England Paddlesports show that they hold every April. Every manufacturer in the kayak industry is there. They have thousands of kayaks and every accessory that is made. It is held at the University of New Hampshire in their field house. There are several seminars in the swimming pool area. Everything is 10% off and there is no sales tax. I bought a roof rack and they mounted it on the car right there. Then they loaded the kayak and sent me on my way. It was well worth the 200 mile drive to get there. All of the co. reps are there and are all very helpful. I'll have mine at ADK and you are certainly welcome to use it if you don't get one before then. Here is the link for the show in April. Good luck, Ed.

http://www.ktpevents.com/interior.php/pid/3

[madprinter]

I have a large canoe and have to put it on a roof rack on my truck. Its ackward for me to tote by myself. My freind has two sit ontop kayaks (Liquidlogic) he is really happy with. He also has trouble takeing them and his camper. They stick to far out of the back of his bed and will hit the camper. We have to make him a rack. So be carefull and think about how your going to carry them. I will probly end up buying a sit on top kayak also. Basically because as stated above it puts you closser to the water and you have more control. For lake Kayaking theres no need for a helmet. The pelican zest is a relatively inexspensive kayak that should work for you. Its basic and what I'll possibly be starting with as for as kayaks. If I decide to get a little more into it then as stated, you can always sell it for close to what you paid. And make sure you have that Personal Floatation Devise PFD with you. Good Point Mariam.

[Shadow Catcher]

This is our 18'4" Mad River which fits quite nicely on our Outback. Carrying is not likely to be a problem getting it up there may be, this one is NOT light weight.



A well designed canoe can be leaned to the gunwales and it will not tip over. Once I learned how to paddle I only dumped a canoe twice not on purpose. Once in class IV white water with a partner I had not paddled with and the second was in a solo after paddling our big lake freighter when I was a bit too forceful.

[TheresaD]

Thanks everyone this is very helpful.. Several of you have mentioned solo canoes. I'm curious about this. My reason for thinking of getting a kayak as opposed to a canoe is that my understanding is that they are easier to get into and paddle etc. and there's less chance of tipping over. I've always been under the impression that with a canoe there's a better chance of tipping over (especially if you're not particularly graceful at times). Is this not the case?

[campinwi]

I have had my kayaks for over ten years now. We have 4 of them- a wider recreational kayak, a two person kayak, a smaller wide one that is my daughters, and a long narrow one for big lakes and big waves. The one that has gotten the most use is my dagger wider recreational kayak. Easy to get into, very stable and weighs about 60 pounds, which I can get on the top of my car without problems (I am female). I usually take mine along on the roof of the car to paddle along the lakes also.

I enjoy kayaks because they can get into very low water and close to shore. Years ago, I took my daughter who was about 8 up to canada with the kayak. The water on lake Huron was very low, but we were able to get around. The owners of the resort we stayed at thought we looked like we were having such a great time, they tried the kayaks, and fell in love with them also.

Best advice- go to a store that sells kayaks, and lets you try them on the water. There are so many different kinds, you may try many to get one you like. You may need to spend 500-600 dollars, but it will be an investment you willl get great enjoyment from. You can also try lifting them on top of your car prior to buying, so you know you will be able to lift it.

Great story- I live in a resort town with lots of lakes. The lakes get really busy with people in all the motorboats, jet skis, etc in the summer. One hot summer day, I was paddling through a small channel with many boats going by, Along comes this very nice boat with a guy and his family. The guy looks at me paddling in my kayak and says "That looks really relaxing", and I was the one who had to paddle to get where I wanted!

[Miriam C.]

:thumbsup: First thing to do in a large lake especially, is get a really good PDF..........and some lessons.

Would a printed book work just as well, or does it need to be a PDF?

Oh dear! PFD

[Miriam C.]

Thanks everyone this is very helpful.. Several of you have mentioned solo canoes. I'm curious about this. My reason for thinking of getting a kayak as opposed to a canoe is that my understanding is that they are easier to get into and paddle etc. and there's less chance of tipping over. I've always been under the impression that with a canoe there's a better chance of tipping over (especially if you're not particularly graceful at times). Is this not the case?

Every Kayak and canoe has different characteristics. My big heavy coleman canoe is hard to tip. They make canoes for river and white water that point up at both ends and they turn on a dime. They also tip real easy if you don't know what you are doing.

I watched a beautiful Dagger river canoe tip on flat water when the guy reached to get a trout he caught. The canoe floated full of water. All I had to do was pull it onto my canoe and turn it over. Water out and man in.

Now you get that big Mad River and it will be stable and go in bigger water with ease. Not for small rivers.

What you might do is get the Canoe & Kayak Magazine buyers guide and just look. Read some magazines on trips. I love "Boundary Waters." You might even find some at a used book store.

The trick on a canoe is to keep your center of gravity in the middle and make most movements front to back.

I haven't been in a kayak but anything intended to roll is probably not as stable. My uneducated opinion.

[jandmz]

Our county has a park district that has numerous programs throughout the year. One of them is an introduction to kayaks that is held twice a year at the local YMCA pool with no fee. Check around, there may be something similar in your area.

[48Rob]

My reason for thinking of getting a kayak as opposed to a canoe is that my understanding is that they are easier to get into and paddle etc. and there's less chance of tipping over.

A canoe, or kayak can be very stable, or very easy to tip, it all depends on the design.

Any good outfitter store can show you the most stable craft in both categories, then you can start looking for the design/price that suits you best.

If you're unable to do that, in general a wide flat bottom will be much harder to tip that a narrow "V" shaped bottom.
The narrow design allows much faster turning=better control for fast moving water, and offers less resistance.

A wide bottom is a very stable platform, and works well in surf and lazy rivers and lakes. They take longer to turn, and offer a little more resistance because of the greater contact area.

If you want to paddle miles and miles on a big lake and still have a little energy at the end of the day, a lightweight long v bottom boat, either canoe or kayak will work well.

If you plan on short lake trips, or easy drifting on mild water with great stability, the wider the bottom the better.

Rob

[stumphugger]

I've only been in a canoe a couple of times. My kayak buddy is a former canoer. We have been out on the water in some horrendous winds, paddling and making headway slowly. He would say that if we were canoing, we'd be on the beach in such winds. That's one big advantage,
less boat exposed to the wind. We average about 3 or 4 hour paddles. Some go longer.

I think kayaks are easier to load. And once again, we have a lot of cool temps so I like being buttoned in.

I don't know how to roll. Kayaks aren't intended to roll. It is an emergency maneuver.