Kayaks

[PLJ]

Just bought 2 Mainstream Patriot Kayaks for the wife and myself. An anniversary gift to each other.They come with the angling package.
We have an anniversary long weekend planned to Savanna Portage here in Minnesota in a couple of weeks so will really get to test them out.    

The Chevy venture looks very loaded up now when we go off camping. 5 bikes; 2 kayaks and the popup  

Have a wonderful 4th July everyone. My first as a citizen.  :usflag:

[AZsix]

Have a wonderful 4th July everyone. My first as a citizen.  :usflag:

Congratulations on becoming a citizen. It gives you extra reason to celebrate today. Enjoy the kayaks.

[DobeFanatic]

Happy 4th- Welcome to the USA!!

Just bought 2 Mainstream Patriot Kayaks for the wife and myself. An anniversary gift to each other.They come with the angling package.
 We have an anniversary long weekend planned to Savanna Portage here in Minnesota in a couple of weeks so will really get to test them out.    
 
 The Chevy venture looks very loaded up now when we go off camping. 5 bikes; 2 kayaks and the popup  
 
 Have a wonderful 4th July everyone. My first as a citizen.  :usflag:

[CajunCamper]

I hope you enjoy your kayaks as much as my wife and I enjoy ours. We've had ours for about two years now and kayaking has become a major part of our camping.

I enjoy fishing from my kayak, my wife not so much, but even when I'm fishing, she loves to paddle along with me and read a book while I'm casting and catching fish.

We have a great time together on the water.

Happy camping and paddling.

CajunCamper

[PLJ]

I hope you enjoy your kayaks as much as my wife and I enjoy ours. We've had ours for about two years now and kayaking has become a major part of our camping.

I enjoy fishing from my kayak, my wife not so much, but even when I'm fishing, she loves to paddle along with me and read a book while I'm casting and catching fish.

We have a great time together on the water.

Happy camping and paddling.

CajunCamper

My wife is more likely to be fishing and me reading the books  :book:   We've spent enough money renting kayaks at state parks so we know we will enjoy them, especially now as we are not restricted to just the state park lakes. :-()  Of course with 3 kids then we are going to need a few more kayaks, which leads to a bigger tow vehicle.....who said popup camping was a cheap alternative

[MotherNature]

We have 2 preteen boys, 11 & 13.  DH & I can't decide whether to buy 2 tandem kayaks or a large canoe (like the Grumman 4-person aluminum model that most state parks have for rent).  

We usually camp at either DE Seashore State Park or Cape Henlopen State Park and are interested in boating on the bays and MAYBE (very big maybe) on the ocean eventually.

What led youse (I guess my hometown is showing!) to get kayaks instead of large canoes?

I appreciate our advice & comments!  Thanks!

[CajunCamper]

We have 2 preteen boys, 11 & 13.  DH & I can't decide whether to buy 2 tandem kayaks or a large canoe (like the Grumman 4-person aluminum model that most state parks have for rent).  

We usually camp at either DE Seashore State Park or Cape Henlopen State Park and are interested in boating on the bays and MAYBE (very big maybe) on the ocean eventually.

What led youse (I guess my hometown is showing!) to get kayaks instead of large canoes?

I appreciate our advice & comments!  Thanks!

Canoes and Kayaks both have their pros and cons. It really depends on your personal wants and needs as to which will work best for you.

I started by picking up a few issues of Canoe and Kayak magazine from my local Barnes and Noble and began to educate myself about the differences between the two. I also purchased their buyers guide to get a feel for prices and the different manufacturers and all the different styles available. Believe me there's a lot of information out there.

Although we had rented and paddled canoes in the past, we had never paddled a kayak in our lives and were a little intimidated and unsure of their stability. One of our local outfitters had a paddle day at a local lake and we decided to go and try them out. We paddled canoes, sit-on-top kayaks, the more traditional sit in kayaks, solo kayaks, tandem kayaks you name it. Well we really like the solo sit-on-top kayaks for several reasons. They were very easy to paddle, as a matter of fact they just glide through the water with very little effort at all, they are low profile so even on a windy day they are easy to paddle. We also liked the fact that they were self bailing allowing us to take them out in rougher water such as the Gulf of Mexico when we travel to Florida. They are very stable, as a matter of fact my 20 year old son fly fishes standing up in my kayak. The sit-on-top kayaks allow us to take a dip in the water when we want, to cool off and then with a little practice, pull ourselves back on top of the kayak when we're done.

We fish from our kayaks, we snorkle from our kayaks, we camp from our kayaks, we bird watch and even star gaze from our kayaks.

We love our kayaks. You can get a smaller sit-on-top for as little as $250 or spend $3000 for your kayak.

If you don't like getting wet, then a kayak may not be for you cause your gonna get wet at least a little bit even with all the plugs in.

By they way I purchased a rudder for my kayak and when I'm fishing a slow moving river or stream, I can control my rudder with my feet leaving me with both of my hands free for fishing.

My kayaks are easy to store and easy to transport. there are many rack systems out there to purchase that will fit your factory roof racks or if you have a pick up truck you can toss them in the back of the truck and just tie them down.

Anyway, find a local outfitter and ask them when they are going to have a paddle day and when they do, go and plan on spending at least a couple of hours and try out all their canoes and kayaks. That I think is the best way to determine what will work best for you.

CajunCamper

[CajunCamper]

We have 2 preteen boys, 11 & 13.  DH & I can't decide whether to buy 2 tandem kayaks or a large canoe (like the Grumman 4-person aluminum model that most state parks have for rent).  

We usually camp at either DE Seashore State Park or Cape Henlopen State Park and are interested in boating on the bays and MAYBE (very big maybe) on the ocean eventually.

What led youse (I guess my hometown is showing!) to get kayaks instead of large canoes?

I appreciate our advice & comments!  Thanks!

Canoes and Kayaks both have their pros and cons. It really depends on your personal wants and needs as to which will work best for you.

I started by picking up a few issues of Canoe and Kayak magazine from my local Barnes and Noble and began to educate myself about the differences between the two. I also purchased their buyers guide to get a feel for prices and the different manufacturers and all the different styles available. Believe me there's a lot of information out there.

Although we had rented and paddled canoes in the past, we had never paddled a kayak in our lives and were a little intimidated and unsure of their stability. One of our local outfitters had a paddle day at a local lake and we decided to go and try them out. We paddled canoes, sit-on-top kayaks, the more traditional sit in kayaks, solo kayaks, tandem kayaks you name it. Well we really like the solo sit-on-top kayaks for several reasons. They were very easy to paddle, as a matter of fact they just glide through the water with very little effort at all, they are low profile so even on a windy day they are easy to paddle. We also liked the fact that they were self bailing allowing us to take them out in rougher water such as the Gulf of Mexico when we travel to Florida. They are very stable, as a matter of fact my 20 year old son fly fishes standing up in my kayak. The sit-on-top kayaks allow us to take a dip in the water when we want, to cool off and then with a little practice, pull ourselves back on top of the kayak when we're done.

We fish from our kayaks, we snorkle from our kayaks, we camp from our kayaks, we bird watch and even star gaze from our kayaks.

We love our kayaks. You can get a smaller sit-on-top for as little as $250 or spend $3000 for your kayak.

If you don't like getting wet, then a kayak may not be for you cause your gonna get wet at least a little bit even with all the plugs in.

By they way I purchased a rudder for my kayak and when I'm fishing a slow moving river or stream, I can control my rudder with my feet leaving me with both of my hands free for fishing.

My kayaks are easy to store and easy to transport. there are many rack systems out there to purchase that will fit your factory roof racks or if you have a pick up truck you can toss them in the back of the truck and just tie them down.

Anyway, find a local outfitter and ask them when they are going to have a paddle day and when they do, go and plan on spending at least a couple of hours and try out all their canoes and kayaks. That I think is the best way to determine what will work best for you.

CajunCamper

[PLJ]

We have 2 preteen boys, 11 & 13.  DH & I can't decide whether to buy 2 tandem kayaks or a large canoe (like the Grumman 4-person aluminum model that most state parks have for rent).  

We usually camp at either DE Seashore State Park or Cape Henlopen State Park and are interested in boating on the bays and MAYBE (very big maybe) on the ocean eventually.

What led youse (I guess my hometown is showing!) to get kayaks instead of large canoes?

I appreciate our advice & comments!  Thanks!

We chose single sit in kayaks because of the independance factor. My wife or myself can take off in the morning and go for a paddle knowing we can muscle the kayak around effortlessly. Singles, mean if she wants to play in one area of the lake and me in another we can accomodate without war braking out  :p We plan on doing camping/touring in the boundary waters so wanted something that can carry the weight and is easy to portage. Tandems aren't so easy to portage.
Like you, we have kids to consider also and plan on getting smaller cheaper rigs, perhaps sit-ons for them.
We could have chosen canoes, but when we've rented them at the park, the kids tend to get bored sitting in them waiting for a turn to paddle.

[Calstate361]

Another thing to think about is the weight.  I'm and Olympic Official for Canoe and Kayak so I see different sizes and weights. Of cource an Olympic Canoe or Kayak have specific weights and sized to be legal but for the regular paddler, keep in mind the weight.  One of those aluminum ones you rent weigh a ton.  The ones you should look at are the ones that have been mentioned already.  Here in California we have a lot of Outrigger clubs and there are a lot of Outrigger Canoes for 1 (OC1).  They look just like a one person outrigger with the thing on the side; they have become very popular here in Sacramento.  There are also inflatable kayaks and the tug boats which are the ones that they use for white water and are great for kids because they can be banged up and it won't hurt them.  The lighter canoes and kayaks are made of Kevlar and/or fiberglas.  The traditional "old fashioned" canoes are also very heavy.  Bottom line, is be aware of the weight.  You can also contact a local dealer or trainer because they usually have used one for sale.

GOOD LUCK

Joan