Kayak Yakity-yak [NA]

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Any other kayakers on here? I'm 'very' new to the sport, but though I should take advantage of all that WI has to offer while I live here. I initially purchased a cheap-o Seastream GT 105, but it arrived all smashed and dented so I refused the shipment and got my money back. I took it as a sign to splurge and get my second kayak first. I did an ass-ton of research and landed on a thermoformed Eddyline or Delta but ended up going with the Delta 12S "mini-sea kayak". I'm waiting for it to arrive at REI, but I'm stoked and ready to go!

Show off what gear you have!
 
We have an Old Town 2-place and two mid-expensive sit-on-top self bailers with stern wheels to make moving them easy. We use the small ones a lot.
 
Do not cheap out on the paddle. A few ounces over hours of use and you will notice the difference in your arms.
 
Following the thread. I’m thinking about a kayak for fly fishing but don’t know much about them yet. I’d like one to fish some of the small ponds around here, maybe also the saltwater flats once in a while.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Do not cheap out on the paddle. A few ounces over hours of use and you will notice the difference in your arms.
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Yeah I went out and got a Werner carbon shaft paddle. I didn't go so far to get carbon paddles but I wanted to give it some time incase my form improved such that I want a high-angle paddle rather than low-angle.
 
We just built a dock on the lake and were donated a couple of plastic kayaks (I did install hoists to get them up out of the way) and a "KayaArm" which definitely makes getting into it off the dock a lot easier. Here's Margy demonstrating it right after I got done putting it in
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I did a bit a few years ago. Spent tons of time up and down the Wisconsin river in a longer tourer (15-16’ maybe?). I want to get back into it. I really enjoyed Wisconsin. I have too many hobbies.
 
There are a few "stitch-and-glue" kits available. I built two Pygmy Coho models and after realizing how capable they were (lightweight and fast with lots of storage for camping) I built a third one but modified the storage compartments by elongating them and fitting coamings on both of them, essentially making a single person, two dog version. The dogs loved it and never posed a problem riding along. :)


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So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
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You forgot instruction of martial arts in there as well. :D
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
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kaiser said:
I have too many hobbies.
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Me too -Flying, CFIing, Machining, Vehicle restoration, overlanding, Own a dog, Shoot guns, Mountain biking, skiing, snowshoeing, camping (plane camping too), (now) kayaking... My neighbors wonder why my lawn looks like ****... It's because I've got too many other hobbies to waste my time on lawn care :).
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
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EdFred said:
You forgot instruction of martial arts in there as well. :D
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and scuba diving :)
 
I prefer sit on top kayaks. Sit ins get hot, are hard to drain and clean, and don't let you dangle your feet in the water. On the plus side, they keep you dry while you are paddling. How much you spend depends on what you plan to do. Just recreation... get the cheapest one possible. Floating a Class I-II river, again cheapest one possible. If you plan to spend a day fishing, or paddling long distances then price starts to matter to an extent. I bought a Jackson Coosa as my first kayak as my plan was fishing in rivers and lakes up to class II-III. It was definitely an upgrade from my friends Dicks sporting goods kayaks that were 1/4 of the price. They did the exact same thing though...
 
Kayaks are very specific to the type of water you are on. Slow river kayak, fast river kayak, small lake kayak, calm bay kayak, open ocean kayak, and others all have specific designs.

Also, the distance to water access can be another factor to consider. Can you carry it solo? Sit on tops sound ideal, and are for some situations, but they are heavy and not ideal for long carries.

As with ships, the longer the boat is the easier it is to paddle. That's why open ocean kayaks are very long as the expectation is you will be travelling long distances.

How will you transport the kayak to water? This can be a determining factor. If you have a full size truck this may be a non-issue. But smaller cars can limit the size and weight of the kayak.

Do you really need to carry stuff? Some people get caught up with a perceived need of dry storage. This adds to the cost. A dry bag, or even a garbage bag stuffed inside the hull can work just as well.

Fishing out of a kayak is a whole 'nuther specialty, where weight can become a real issue with all the accessories.

Like airplanes, pick you kayak for the primary mission you will be using it for. There is no perfect kayak. They all have their compromises. Or start a collection so you have one for each type of water and mission.
 
I've been a kayak angler for years.
Here's my Hobie Mirage Revolution (13' 6") tricked out for fishing and crabbing. The pedal drive is great for fishing.
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Fishfinder, rod holder, 2 folding crab traps lines and floats, salmon net, fish bag, pedal drive, and backup paddle. I've also built a downrigger system for trolling.

Here's a few pages on how I rigged the Revo: https://www.demonick.com/kayak/HMR/HMR.General.html
BTW, I got the hull warp issue solved.
Here is my general kayak fishing website: https://www.demonick.com/kayak/
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
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You left out auto racing and ham radio.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So I was feeling very boring the other day when I realized to be on POA you have to fly planes, shoot guns, ride motorcycles, sail boats, own a dog, raise bees, restore cars and RVs, own nice watches, be able to BBQ anything, be a Tour de France cyclist and now we're adding kayaking. I give up.
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Am I the only one, who as a kid, saw all the things that the then James Bond did, or the crew from the shows Mission Impossible or Hogan's Hero's, and thought "damn, I have a lot of things I need to learn to do!" And mostly learned none of them, but I did learn a couple.

I've never been in a kayak. But I did learn canoeing in high school, as a gym elective of all things. It's pretty fun. As light as the new ones are I bet it's a lot of fun. Those old canoes were pretty heavy. Grumman aluminum...and they thought they were light then.
 
My kayak is a 8' Jon boat.
Stable and fits great grand kids and a dog.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I’ve become addicted to this guys YouTube channel. Maybe he has something on it?
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Thanks! Very helpful! I watched this one plus his on-water review and he really liked the Lifetime Tamarac, which looks to be very similar to the Lifetime Teton I've been thinking about.
 
Lndwarrior said:
Kayaks are very specific to the type of water you are on. Slow river kayak, fast river kayak, small lake kayak, calm bay kayak, open ocean kayak, and others all have specific designs.

Also, the distance to water access can be another factor to consider. Can you carry it solo? Sit on tops sound ideal, and are for some situations, but they are heavy and not ideal for long carries.
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I have a folding Oru Inlet Kayak. It's really only good for calm water, but I can carry it myself, and it fits easily in the back of my car.

I have tried whitewater kayaks, sea kayaks, and sit-on-top kayaks. I agree with you that the all have much different handling characteristics. I tried the sea kayak a few months after the whitewater kayak and wondered why it didn't turn! :D
 
Inflatable kayaks worth it for us portability challenged folks?
 
masloki said:
Inflatable kayaks worth it for us portability challenged folks?
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They can be a good calm water option. May not be so good in a windy area due to the high freeboard and lack of a hard chine.

The high freetboard, flat bottom, and light weight can make them a challenge to handle in the wind.

Also depends on how far you intend to go. To go out and paddle around in a generally protected area they can be a great solution. Also for four wheeling or camping.
 
We went the lazy route, and bought tubes and just float down rivers. :D
 
Shortly after we moved to GA in 2010, I was watching "Georgia Outdoors" on PBS. They were showing a guy fly fishing from a kayak for tailing redfish in the salt marshes on the coast. I said "I'm in."

At that time, we had to go to a specialty kayak store on the north side of Atlanta to find a 'fishing' kayak. I ended up paying around $800 for a 'fishing' Native Manta Ray 12. Now they sell kayaks at the dang gas station on the corner! I was in a kayak fishing group here in GA and I've fished the Okefenokee Swamp and various rivers and small lakes around the state.

...then we had kids, and the kayaks have been hanging from the ceiling of the garage for a few years now. :(
 
Half Fast said:
Looks nice! Is that 10'?
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12'... and let me preemptively say "That's what she said" but it's way bigger than I expected! :eek:

I had family poker yesterday, so despite the rain here I think I'll get it in the lake to give it a try even if its brief.
 
CJones said:
Shortly after we moved to GA in 2010, I was watching "Georgia Outdoors" on PBS. They were showing a guy fly fishing from a kayak for tailing redfish in the salt marshes on the coast. I said "I'm in."

At that time, we had to go to a specialty kayak store on the north side of Atlanta to find a 'fishing' kayak. I ended up paying around $800 for a 'fishing' Native Manta Ray 12. Now they sell kayaks at the dang gas station on the corner! I was in a kayak fishing group here in GA and I've fished the Okefenokee Swamp and various rivers and small lakes around the state.

...then we had kids, and the kayaks have been hanging from the ceiling of the garage for a few years now. :(
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I’m assuming the store was “Go With The Flow”. Sadly, they closed a year ago or so.
 
Dave Theisen said:
I’m assuming the store was “Go With The Flow”. Sadly, they closed a year ago or so.
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Outside World Outfitters in Dawsonville. I hadn't looked them up in a while, but looks like they're closed too.

They had an indoor wave pool that people could use to test out white water kayaks that they used for newbies to try out their fishing kayaks, too. It was pretty slick. Sad to see them go.
 
Just picked up my first fishing kayak, a Lifetime Teton 100 Angler. On sale at Dick's for $349, it was the only kayak with a frame seat I could find for anywhere near the price. I visited a local kayak shop last weekend and would have preferred to buy there, but the guy didn't have anything with a frame seat for under $1k. He had some Lifetime boats, but not the Teton, and he told me Dick's had a really good deal on them, so there I went. I'll go back to his shop for a paddle and a PFD.


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I plan to pick up a paddle and PFD tomorrow, then head for a nearby lake to try her out. I'm looking forward to fishing some of the small ponds around here that have limited access, but first I'm going to start out learning to handle it and feeling out the stability. I want to make my mistakes before I have an expensive fly rod and other gear on board.

Unfortunately, now SWMBO wants me to take her water skiing.....

BTW,.... For anyone in Florida, this is the time to buy. We have a sales tax holiday from Memorial Day to Labor Day on the first $500 of the cost of a canoe or kayak. Also on the first $75 of a fishing rod, the first $200 of a tent, and a bunch of other stuff.

Hat tip to @Mtns2Skies for the video link; it was a big help! :blowingkisses:
 
I used to play a bit with whitewater kayaks...I had the first half of an Eskimo roll down cold!

Actually, in the pool where we practiced, I got the full roll working most of the time. But I never progressed to where it worked reliably in moving water, which rather limited my whitewater abilities.

The university outdoor club when I was in grad school had use of the pool one morning a month for practice. Very helpful to work on the roll in clear water while wearing a divers mask, so you could initially see what you were doing, and if you couldn't get the roll to work you could generally plant the paddle on the bottom of the pool and muscle yourself up, allowing for another try, without popping the spray skirt and flooding the kayak.
 
Took my new Lifetime Teton out to a nearby lake this morning for a trial run. This was the first time I'd been in a kayak since I was, oh, maybe 14, so this was a shakedown for both the boat and the paddler. My intent was to experiment and learn how to handle the boat and its limits before I had a bunch of fishing tackle on board. Put on swimming trunks and tossed a few towels in the truck since I was pretty sure I was going to get wet.

SWMBO came along in case I needed rescuing and to help carry the kayak, so I wisely left my wallet and keys in her dry keeping ashore. The boat was reasonably easy to launch, and once out on the lake I followed the shoreline about 1/4 the way around, then went directly across the lake. The kayak was very controllable and handled well, but I'll need to raise the seat a little bit to fly fish from it. Fortunately, all it takes is a short length of 2x4 under the rear of the seat frame, a common mod on these boats. I'll also pick up some scupper plugs as it shipped a little more water than I like when I was climbing in.

Crossing the middle of the lake, the wind was pushing me a bit off course, but it was easy to correct. After reaching the other side, I followed the shore back toward the launch point. I wanted to be in shallower water and close to the take-out to do some experimenting.

Once there, I tried moving around the boat a bit, as I will need to do when fishing. No problem at all reaching behind the seat into the stern area. The bow was easy to reach as well, but it was tough to get out of the seat to do it. The 2x4 should help with that. I tried a few different turns and backing and the kayak remained stable. Then I decided to push the envelope a bit and see how far I could go. The kayak remained quite stable until I tried a very aggressive turn edged way over, and then it flipped in an instant. I was surprised at how little warning there was; the boat was stable right up until it wasn't and I was swimming.

So now I know where its limit is, and it's pretty far out so I don't expect to need to come close to it again. This boat isn't meant for heavy seas; it's intended for calm lakes, bays, lazy rivers, and other quiet water.

Overall I'm pleased with the Teton and I think it will work well for the fishing I want to do. I'll need to do a few things, like raise the seat, add another rod holder, probably install an anchor trolley, etc. I'm also planning to pick up a scupper-style cart to get the boat to and from the water. It seems like a nice kayak and I expect to have a lot of fun with it.
 
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