Kayak - Ins' and Outs

[uncle stinkybob]

I'm also looking at kayak's. The fishing style seem to be the most stable with lots of cargo space. Some, like the hobie mirage outback have a peddle drive via two vertical fins, supposed to be very efficient.

[zeehag]

what i didnt like about sit on tops is wetbutt. sea water wetbutt. nope. is why i use sit inside--and i can carry more inside my perception swifty than on top of a sit on top for provisioning.
i cheated when i was looking i borrowed friends different kinds to see what i found most practical. bought that, and still using that kind and same old one-here some 15 yrs later.
there is a trick you will learn about getting out of kayaks at a beach.. ha ha ha we each do it differently, but it is akin to being snakebit on ass...only more graceful, ..

[TheThunderbird]

A hard floor kayak, some 15' long, or more, arises my concern about how to manage it on deck.

Even on a 54' it sounds an encumbering piece of stuff. Any smart ideas?

No, i dont want an inflatable... my efforts on paddles are worth good speed, smooth feeling, and nice sensations... if i have to.

Cheers to all here/there

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by foufou

The "Eskimo Roll" was mentioned only once in the above comments and is a very useful skill to learn so that in the event of a capsize you come up smiling in seconds and paddle on. It is possible to re-enter a sit in kayak while in the water. I did it once, many years ago after falling out in the surf. Got the water out mostly and sat on the stern and inched my way forward straddling the kayak. When I got near the cockpit I swung my legs in and stuffed myself in. Not certain I could still do this now. F

He is correct. For most of us, re-entering from the water is the more useful skill. Many kayaks cannot be rolled, and unless you are buttoned up in a spray skirt and the hip pads are dialed in, it's not going to happen. I have practiced a roll in whitewater boats, but it wouldn't happen in my hybrid kayak.

The Other Chesapeake: Selecting a Kayak

My preference is to flop over the bow, slide aft, and then spin into the cockpit. I've actually done this in easy whitewater, the only time I've flipped the boat.

[tuffr2]

The big thing about a sit on top kayak is it has scupper drain holes. This means it will not fill up with water. To me best thing about a sit on top kayak is you can easily get into the water to swim/snorkel then get back onto the kayak. You can even fish from a sit on top easier than a sit inside.

The sit on top kayaks that are on my radar are, again the Hurricane Skimmer 116 (11.5' long), Eddyline Caribbean 12 (12' long), Wilderness Tarpon 100 (10' long) Tarpon 120 (12' long).

The Skimmer 116 and Caribbean 12 will be much lighter than the Tarpons making them easier to handle while on deck.

Oh...a sit on top kayak can be stored right side up as rain water will drain thru the scuppers.

The kayaks that are mention here are the easiest sit on top kayaks to paddle.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

The big thing about a sit on top kayak is it has scupper drain holes. This means it will not fill up with water. To me best thing about a sit on top kayak is you can easily get into the water to swim/snorkel then get back onto the kayak. You can even fish from a sit on top easier than a sit inside.

The sit on top kayaks that are on my radar are, again the Hurricane Skimmer 116 (11.5' long), Eddyline Caribbean 12 (12' long), Wilderness Tarpon 100 (10' long) Tarpon 120 (12' long).

The Skimmer 116 and Caribbean 12 will be much lighter than the Tarpons making them easier to handle while on deck.

Oh...a sit on top kayak can be stored right side up as rain water will drain thru the scuppers.

The kayaks that are mention here are the easiest sit on top kayaks to paddle.

it is these scupper drain holes that cause wetbutt..
donot even try to climb onto a sit on top kayak once that damned powerboat filled with drunks barely misses you at speed... it will not happen. make that boat tow you to the destination to which you were merrily paddling in first place. but the ayoooga horn in on the bottom of sd bay , drat.
back to wet butt--- with sea water, it can become most uncomfortable.

as for stashing kayaks--i tie my 2 kayaks to my rig. above caprail astern to my mizzenshrouds when i sail. once i place belaying pinrails, those will be my affixment point for the kayaks. one each side, each kayak is 8 ft in length. 38 pounds only. remember they are entry level flat water kayaks i have. short n fat. very easy to use.
i also have placed em on my coachhouse roof as i sail. lashed onto boat at grabrails each side. i like em on my rig much better.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

A hard floor kayak, some 15' long, or more, arises my concern about how to manage it on deck.

Even on a 54' it sounds an encumbering piece of stuff. Any smart ideas?

No, i dont want an inflatable... my efforts on paddles are worth good speed, smooth feeling, and nice sensations... if i have to.

Cheers to all here/there

Here ya go.

https://www.google.com/search?q=3+pi...w=1600&bih=770

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by uncle stinkybob

Here ya go.

https://www.google.com/search?q=3+pi...w=1600&bih=770

That is solution is search of a problem. It don't change the volume, only the shape. I simple hard sit-in kayak on the rail, on the roof, or over the davits is as simple as it gets.

The only reason I would go for sit-on is if I were doing a lot of snorkeling. They are fun for that. But otherwise, all downside. All things being equal...

• Slower
• Less stable (you are sitting higher)
• Heavier
• Wetter
• Colder
• Seats less adjustable and less comfortable
• Thigh braces must be added.

I've paddled both, and I don't get the popularity of sit-on. Perhaps sit-in scares people, thinking they'll get stuck, which is silly (you literally fall out when it flips). As for reboarding from the water, it isn't hard to learn, and I have NEVER dumped a kayak other than whitewater, and neither has anyone paddling with me, including a lot of children and novices. Recreation kayaks are hard to tip.

[Volkeno]

I have had sit on top and sit inside kayaks and they both have plus and minus points. If you are near Seattle, REI has a paddlefest weekend sometime in spring (April) where you can try several different types in one day. There is also a rental place on Lake Union.
When I had a sit on top I used a portable boarding ladder midships (less bobbing from waves and wakes) and I could just raise or lower myself into the kayak from the ladder. Always tying the kayak to the boat before getting in or out.
The sit on top that I had was perpetually wet and that was the downside because in the PNW that also meant I was usually cold too.
My sit inside I usually used with my sailboat with a swim step and while I never fell in the water, it was definitely pretty clumsy to get in or out. You have to wait for sort of calm water or you can get hurt if the swim platform is moving a lot.
Now I have a Oru Beach folding kayak. It is a sit inside with a large cockpit opening to make it easier to get my knees up and out. I can fold it up and stuff it into an out of the way spot rather than muscle the hard shell up on top of the coach roof.
I mostly use the swim step but keep the portable boarding ladder midships if things get bouncy.

[nautical62]

I used an inflatable kayak as my only tender on a trip from the BVIs to Florida. I had a walk out transom. If there was little wind, I pulled up alongside the back of the boat. If there was more wind, I came along side the boat and positioned the kayak so I could step out onto the transom a painter in my hand. It was much easier to get onboard solo than a dink and paddled so much faster than a dink rows.

I used to do a lot of white water kayaking and sea kayaking. A roll is indispensable in white water kayaking, nearly useless for the above.

[jongleur]

This is the one I'm thinking of getting:

Mirage i14T : Inflatable Kayaks : Hobie Cat

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by thinwater

That is solution is search of a problem. It don't change the volume, only the shape. I simple hard sit-in kayak on the rail, on the roof, or over the davits is as simple as it gets.

The only reason I would go for sit-on is if I were doing a lot of snorkeling. They are fun for that. But otherwise, all downside. All things being equal...

• Slower
• Less stable (you are sitting higher)
• Heavier
• Wetter
• Colder
• Seats less adjustable and less comfortable
• Thigh braces must be added.

I've paddled both, and I don't get the popularity of sit-on. Perhaps sit-in scares people, thinking they'll get stuck, which is silly (you literally fall out when it flips). As for reboarding from the water, it isn't hard to learn, and I have NEVER dumped a kayak other than whitewater, and neither has anyone paddling with me, including a lot of children and novices. Recreation kayaks are hard to tip.

Many of these are not sit on but sit ins. My post was not in response to you or your needs but to address another posters not wanting a kayak taking up deck space, and not wanting an inflatable, these 2 and 3 piece kayaks address the issue. Whats the search for a problem statement mean? and have you ever owned or used a breakdown kayak and have knowledge of issues with them?

[uncle stinkybob]

I'm thinking this would be so fun. I could spend hours just cruising the shallows looking at critters and such. and my grand kids would love it too!

[zeehag]

i saw transparent rigid kayaks much like mine on a powerboat in la cruz--dayummm they could be a gas what with the stuff underwater here!!!
i almost coveted em.

drooled a bit....

[nautical62]

Sea Eagle carries some really interesting inflatable kayaks. One even is designed to fit a solar powered outboard system. Their fast track design has smaller but higher pressure tubes making it perform more like a rigid. For sea kayaking I prefer a rigid, but I think the inflatables are much better suited as a tender and they've come a long way in the last 10 years or so.

I used a folding kayaking with inflatable sponsons and a sailing rig for a 36-day sea kayaking trip in Queensland which worked great for that purpose, but still I'd choose an inflatable for using off a cruising boat.