My new kayak... here's two pictures. (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Out on Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park in NY...

Looking at the Beach (Still closed until Memorial Day)

From the kayak itself, looking west

A great day for a kayak this past weekend. Enjoying my new 14' Impex Mystic..

Hope everybody out there has a great paddle and enjoy the spring, just dress for immersion and be careful out there, the water can still be cold this time of year.

Jay

 

[DwightK]

nice. All the Kayaks in these parts are little whitewater ones. I will be Ocean Kayaking off Kodiak Iskland (Shuyak Island this fall in a Necky Looksha. Can't wait.

Oh regarding your bikeness, I just bought a new bike. A recumbent! A Volae Club high-racer design. The first few rides I've been averaging over 20mph over 30 miles or so. Nice and fast and very comfortable. Quite a bit different than my Cdale road bike. Faster everywhere except the long mountain passes.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Kayaking is something I've been interested in getting into. What's a good beginner size/brand to get into?

We've pretty much only have small lakes around here... unless you want to count Lake Michigan.

Oh, your kayak looks great, BTW Jay. I didn't mean to try and commandeer your thread. :b

 

[Jay H]

Hey DwightK, sounds cool, I have a good friend in Meridian, ID. She is really big into kayaking but yeah, she's more of a whitewater type. Idaho is a bit more inland from an ocean than NJ. I have a sister by Sandy Hook so I'm looking at getting my kayak into the bay area and out inside the hook.. Just try to stop myself from going to England.

Have fun with your 'bent, what kind of 'bent is it, shortwheelbase, long, Under or above wheel steering? If I was to get a 'bent it would be a short wheel based model, somethin g that would be fast and nimble. The only times I really see 'bents on the road is usually during bike tours, it's kind of odd. Did you get a fairing? That's what will give you real speed and also some aerodynamics as well as rain protection. Enjoy, post some pics!

Dave, sounds great, it's a great sport. I've hiked so long in Harriman and where I've been kayaking so far and it's a new perspective and a lot of fun. In a touring kayak (aka sea kayak) you really have a great perspective on wildlife and you can go as hard or as easy as you feel like.

It's a good workout on your thighs and abs, if you're paddling right that is. The power is in your legs, not your arms/shoulders. The right kayak is usually based on your weight, size and intent of use. A longer kayak will typically be faster, hold more gear, track better and you need something that will fit you well. Wider is not necessary better or even more stable. My kayak is 14' and has a 21.5" beam but then I am only 5'5" and 130lbs so I wanted a low volume, sea kayak that I will be able to edge easier. Edge would be the ability to lean your kayak for handling in rougher waves and turning faster. I love mine, it's a real gem in a handling department, has a skeg for when it's windy and fits great. 14' is probably the shortest true sea kayak length that will do OK in the seas, most true sea kayaks are 16' and longer but for lakes and slow rivers, the 14'er is good for me. If I intend to take more ocean journeys, I would look into a longer kayak and Lake Michigan would be similar due to the length and you've got some serious weather and waves to deal with with a lake that big.

I also wanted something lightweight so I can cartop it solo, which is why I went with the more expensive fiberglass one which is around 8-13lbs lighter than the cheaper and more durable plastic kayak. However, the performance in the water is probably not that much different for the beginner paddler so if the weight is not an issue, a plastic kayak would be perfectly fine. I also know that I would not sleep well if I got a plastic one cause I would be wanting to upgrade not long, but that's because I know myself. Heck, I've had my Impex for 3 weeks and I already want a composite 16'+ kayak!!!! I love my Impex, I bought it at a kayak show in NJ and met the guy behind Impex, he is AWESOME, he is a great person to talk too, very friendly, he offered to let me borrow a sprayskirt cause the show was out of stock and said that I could return it the next time I see him. Impex is a small company out of Asheville, NC. the 'glass is made in Canada under the "Formula" brand but I cannot say enough about the CS and support I've gotten from him, he has answered my questions on the forum they run and there is a lot of good anecdotes on paddling.net.

They you also have to see if you want to doing any camping, many day touring boats only have one hatch for storage, where as more full touring kayaks will have 2 and possibly a dayhatch if it's 16' or longer.

Check out paddling.net, that's a great website for kayaking, they have a buyer's guide and also a bunch of articles you can read. They also do Canoes too if that is your cup of tea. I prefer kayaks, I've been in canoes a bunch but I like Kayaking a bit, you're more in the water than on it.

No problem with talking kayaks, that is what this thread is for!

Jay

 

[Craig F]

Nice kayak. I used to sea kayak years ago out on Monterey Bay in Calif. After a whiplash injury, I haven't been able to get into good enough shape to brave the ocean again. I now live on a small lake, I may try there.

I agree plastic kayaks are ok for casual recreation, but I feel they are too heavy. Kevlar are more durable and light-weight (and expensive) than fiberglas. Fiberglas is the easiest to repair. I was getting ready to buy my own, when I got the whiplash.

As for stability, there are two levels, primary and secondary. Primary determines how easy the boat rocks back and forth. Secondary is the point where you tip over. Beginners will want a high primary. More experienced kayakers will want a lower primary. It handles better, as you called it “edging” and easier to do Eskimo Rolling (rolling back upright after tipping over without exiting the kayak).

 

[Jay H]

Hey Craig, yeah, right now the water is still cold so I limit myself to real flatwater. When the water gets warm, I want to learn how to roll and practice my solo reentry. I was really looking for an intermediate kayak, something that I could grow into. I'm pretty athletic and I learn fast so I didn't want to buy a kayak and outgrow it in a few months. I think I made a good choice, the Impex is a shallow-V design with a medium chine. It has plenty of initial stability even being only 21.5" wide in the beam and I've found it to edge pretty easily even though I'm reluctant to really test the limits til the water is warmer and I've got more practice. But I've practiced some rudimentary braces and have read up on the different rolls and rescue techniques. What I do have to try is putting some weight into the hatches and seeing how it handles. Right now, I've only done day trips in some large lakes here and I find that sometimes I'm so light that I actually get pushed sideways, not weather or lee cocking, literally, sideways. The Mystic is very manueverable, in that is has a little bit of rocker to it but because I'm fairly light and not carrying gear, I think I may be floating too much. I'm going to try to experiment with some weight a bit. But any kayak short of 16' or so feet, a skeg or rudder is probably great. Although I've only tried a skeg, I think the skeg is ideal for me since you can vary the amount of skeg to deploy and it also doesn't catch the wind as much when raised. You do lose a little hatch space though for the box.

Jay

 

[Greg_R]

You need to decide what type of paddling you're going to do (touring/sea or whitewater).

Your best bet will be to find an active canoe & kayak club. Not only will they have decent used gear for sale or rent, they will also offer lessons (how to read the conditions and river, what to do after you've flipped, etc.). The clubs also offer trips of varying difficulty. Since you'll want to paddle with at least one other boat (for safety) club trips are a great way to get started and learn.

 

[Craig F]

Out on the ocean is more challenging. Bigger waves, rip tides etc. It’s best to get some instruction and know the area you plan to kayak in. Waves may not be too bad in the Atlantic. The Pacific has bigger waves which can also be a lot of fun. Although it makes it a challenge to get out past the breakers, coming in you can actually catch a wave and surf in

The instructor of the class I took, had what he called a “Rocket boat”. This thing had zero primary stability. The bottom was perfectly round. He let us try it. Man, was it tipsy. But it had good secondary stability. So, although it felt tipsy, it was also very easy to snap back without tipping over.

 

[Jay H]

Here's another one! This is from today's kayak at Lake Tiorati, also in Harriman State Park in Orange County, NY...

A bit windy after the first hour, but I got a chance to play in some nice choppy waves, some peaking at 1' from crest to trough as it got really gusty during the last hour of my paddle...

lake tiorati

Otherwise, a very nice day for a paddle. This lake is just a bit smaller than Sebago but it's much more interesting as there are islands to explore and stuff..

Going to explore the Walkill River tomorrow...

Jay

 

[Aurel Savin]

Jay, nice kayak.
Went kayaking a few times years ago on Long Island Sound and by Riverhead, LI out on the ocean. I really liked it as I love the ocean and the workout it gave me as well.

Since you have some experience in this, what size kayak would be good for someone 6'7"? What is a good price to pay for a kayak? Any good places to get used ones in NY?

Looks like something I would like to take up this summer.

Enjoy yours !!!

 

[Jay H]

Hey Aurel, good gosh, 6'7". I'm probably not the person to ask as I'm only 5'5". I wonder if you would have to go custom or so. On a sea kayak there are footpegs that are screwed into the sidewall that are either fixed for kayaks with a skeg and a moving pegs for those with a rudder. They are adjustable fore and aft but usually only a certain distance. A builder could easily custom it to your length of your legs but I am not sure how many stock kayaks would fit. You're best to ask this on paddling.net, I'm sure there are others out there your height.

The folks above have advise on how to choose a kayak and there are a bunch of articles on paddling.net that are helpful. A good store is great too so you could try to go down to one and talk to the folks there.. I've been to one in Brick, NJ called the Jersey Paddler, it's the largest kayak store in NJ and they sponsor a show where I bought mine. The show was Paddlesport and they had a ton of mfgrs there and I had a chance to sit in a bunch of different boats. It's a good way to mingle all in one roof. I bought my Impex Mystic there for just around $1800. It is a fiberglass kayak though and I do plan on using it a lot... Heck, I've been going out 3 or 4 days a week since I started paddling 2 weeks ago. But I wanted a glass boat so I could easily solo portage it myself and cartop it. I expect to do most of my paddling alone and in remote places.

Plastic yaks or used ones are going to be a lot cheaper and take more abuse, but will be a bit heavier too.

Jay

 

[Jay H]

Here's another picture of a white heron (ignore the filename) on Monksville Reservoir up in Ringwood, NJ where I went for an after-work paddle...

Heron picture

I saw it on the rock just south of the launch area and kind of snuck up on it and got a couple of shots before it took off. That was what I thought the best one...

Jay