Should I take a Kayak on a 44ft. Catamaran in the BVI?

[Bobbyewe]

We are 8 people on a Sunsail 44ft. catamaran cruising the BVI. Wondering if a two man kayak will take up too much room on the deck. I'm wondering if the kayak will sit on top of the forward port hatch. I'm thinking I can just rent a kayak at our daily destinations, instead of traveling with one on board.

[Tempest245]

Well, I've only chartered there twice, so I'm no expert. We chartered a 48 ft cat. with 6 people and one Dinghy both times. That worked fine! I don't think the Dinghy would have held 8.
Maybe they rent ones that do. If not, the Kayak would come in handy. Especially if you want some flexibility in staying behind when others go ashore in the dink.

[Hud3]

On cats I've seen the kayaks have usually been lashed to the stanchions somewhere forward of the mast. It doesn't seem to create any problems for getting back and forth on deck.

I think you'll have trouble finding a kayak for rent in most of the usual BVI mooring destinations.

[hellosailor]

Does a two-man kayak mean a 10' long Sevylor blow-up thing? Or a 19' Folbot Greenland Expedition model? Are you looking to putz around or just have an extra harbor shuttle?


You might try the Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks, about the only compromise between the vinyl blimps and the expensive Folbots, and you roll it up and stow it away if there's no room or need for it.


Or you buy a short plastic one. But "two man" says nothing about how big it will be.

[MBWhite]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Does a two-man kayak mean a 10' long Sevylor blow-up thing? Or a 19' Folbot Greenland Expedition model? Are you looking to putz around or just have an extra harbor shuttle?


You might try the Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks, about the only compromise between the vinyl blimps and the expensive Folbots, and you roll it up and stow it away if there's no room or need for it.


Or you buy a short plastic one. But "two man" says nothing about how big it will be.

This would pretty much be my exact reply as well. I've never used an inflatable one, but the folbots are quite nice. If you can afford between 1.5-2K$ this is what I would recommend hands down.

[hellosailor]

A friend of mine got all excited about a Sevylor he got. It is built quite well (35# for a two-man shortie?!) and somewhat cleverly. They use a mylar template and count on the hull stretching as it inflates, so you lay the template against the tubing and pump until a set of lines has swollen up enough to match. ngenius, no pressure gauge needed, just don't lose the template.(G) Still, it had the stability and tracking of one of those rolly-poly punching clown toys, in all but the flattest water. Fun, yes, but I'd call it a canoe, not a kayak. And I'd prefer an old aluminium Grumman.(G)

[salticrak]

as kayak fisherman and a builder of twenty six foot cat, i would answer in the affirmative.

[Tempest245]

I got the impression the op was asking if he should rent a kayak, with his Sunsail BVI charter. They rent them.

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Bobbyewe

We are 8 people on a Sunsail 44ft. catamaran cruising the BVI. Wondering if a two man kayak will take up too much room on the deck. I'm wondering if the kayak will sit on top of the forward port hatch. I'm thinking I can just rent a kayak at our daily destinations, instead of traveling with one on board.

It shouldn't take up much room on deck at all and shouldn't cover any hatches of you situate it correctly. If you have enough line and are competent at lashing things, you could tie it outboard of the lifelines too. After doing many trips as captain it seems that water toys like kayaks are rarely used. The exceptions are kids old enough to go on their own and Independant adults that wish to "get away" from the group. Enjoy your trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[svinvictus2]

Originally Posted by Bobbyewe

We are 8 people on a Sunsail 44ft. catamaran cruising the BVI. Wondering if a two man kayak will take up too much room on the deck. I'm wondering if the kayak will sit on top of the forward port hatch. I'm thinking I can just rent a kayak at our daily destinations, instead of traveling with one on board.

You have few choices in your rental types since you'll be renting from the Sunsail concession at the base. There a few problems with having a Kayak aboard and they will both instruct and help you with it's placement.

They do get a bit boring after awhile but with eight people aboard it's offers a nice afternoon option.

Enjoy....

[PHRF57]

We rented two kayaks from Sunsail on our last charter (of a Leopard 44). We're so glad we did! They lash easily up forward to the lifelines...lightweight, easy to manhandle...no hassle at all, and added tremendously to our enjoyment of the trip. I encourage you to rent one.

[howejw]

Rent - YES
Pack a couple of 24" bungee cords - YES
Use Bungee cords to secure to deck on it's side to stanchions - YES
Plan for sore arms and shoulders - YES

been there, done that, works great.!

[canyonbat]

When we chartered last April we rented a two person kayak and a stand up paddle board for our 46 ft monohull. Our group was all 45 to 55 in age and none of us had ever used a paddle board. The kayak was rarely used and we were fighting over the paddle board! Those kayaks they rent are big and heavy due to having to withstand rental abuse. I would rent two paddle boards.

[AZUS]

Originally Posted by Bobbyewe

We are 8 people on a Sunsail 44ft. catamaran cruising the BVI. Wondering if a two man kayak will take up too much room on the deck. I'm wondering if the kayak will sit on top of the forward port hatch. I'm thinking I can just rent a kayak at our daily destinations, instead of traveling with one on board.

No problem with lashing the kayak to the stanchions daily, it won't get in the way. I've done the same on charter cats in Belize and the Med. However, I would think how much you will actually use it in the BVI's. I consider the kayaks they rent you to be more of an additional water toy rather than transport - something to play around with on the hook. Most anchorages and mooring fields are pretty crowded in BVI, and there's no place you need a kayak to explore. I'd recommend taking a look at a couple of stand-up paddle boards. They are great fun to play with right near the boat. Have used them in BVI's and our adult kids had a blast.

[barnakiel]

Take it. IMHO, if you do like kayaking, you will enjoy having one to go to the shore, explore the shallows, etc.

Should fit easily on a 44 cat.

b.