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HCC Paddling Forum

Looking for recommendations on selecting a kayak
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Many great suggestions. If you are like most paddlers here, this boat will likely not be your last or the only one you keep. Hope you will find some great places to paddle with it.

I drive a full size truck and carry my 17 footer sea kayak on top. Sometimes I also use a bed extender. The point is .. get the boat you want and suits you, there are many options for carriers that can remedy transport concerns.

Most boat manufacturers will state the best weight range for their boats and make different size boats in volume. I have an F150 and use a Yakima system that mounts on the side rails. I have seen others use a bed extender but you need a red flag/light if it extends more than 4 feet beyond the end of the truck. Boats that are longer at the waterline are faster but harder to turn and would have more weight.
I agree with Bruce's recommendations on boats and decision points to consider.  I'm much shorter than you are so not a reliable reference on what boat will be most comfortable to tall persons - I know that can be a challenge.  My current Pungo is a nice compromise boat - plastic, so durable;  very comfortable seat;  easy to get in and out of although that is because it has a huge open cockpit.  That's a real advantage to tall people whom sometimes have trouble getting their legs into long lean boats with small cockpits.  It tracks relatively well, but that means it does not turn on a dime as some shorter and rounder boats do.  Spacious by contrast with some other boats, has a waterproof area with space to accommodate overnight camping equipment.

By contrast I have a fairly high end sea kayak.  16' long, maybe 23" wide.  It's composite.  Would not be suitable for you as it's specifically for shorter paddlers but it is great in wind and waves, has a small cockpit and is much lighter than the Pungo.  Would be a challenge to pack for other than a one night overnighter in warm weather.

I hope you may have discovered Paddler Magazine's online buyer's guide. https://buyersguide.paddlingmag.com/  It will give you a rundown of what is currently available, boats and paddles.

Several of us, myself included, have a multitude of boats because of the different conditions under which we paddle them.  I'd guess a plastic boat in that 12-14' range would be a good place to start and most importantly, find one you can actually sit in to see if it fits.  I hope you may be able to join us on a paddle trip, as a minimum meet at the putin point so you can see and sit in several types of boats.  Just contact the trip coordinator for more information, and perhaps a loaner boat.

A lot of what determines the right boat for you is preference and usage.  In my opinion, fairly long (14-16 feet) is good for speed, but you have to learn to handle that much boat, especially when conditions are tight and obstructed. 

Tracking is more influenced by hull design than by length alone.  There are some pretty solid tracking boats 12 feet and under, and some pretty squirrely boats 16 feet and over.  It's a compromise again, but squirrely, once mastered, translates to maneuverable.

Material, in my opinion, is a cost, weight, and durability compromise.  Plastic boats are less expensive and pretty much bulletproof.  They do weigh more, but not as much as formerly, because plastics are stiffer now and don't rely as much on thickness for strength and rigidity.  If you are going to use your boat in rocky/obstructed waters (like parts of the Brazos) you will mark up a composite boat and possibly do some real damage- but it's probably fixable.  Plastic boats get scuffed, but are very unlikely to get really hurt by typical bumping around.

I'm not an authority on brands, having not had a ton of experience with different ones.  I have liked what I've seen of the Wilderness Systems Tsunami series, the Current Designs Storm (plastic), Solstice series (composite) and the Kestrel series (thermo formed plastic).  

Good luck!


"He who hears the rippling of rivers in these degenerate days will not utterly despair." H.D. Thoreau
I'm new to HCC and am looking at getting a kayak. I appreciate any suggestions you might have in selecting one (length, construction, brands,etc.)

I'm 6' 225 lbs and will primarily use it for flatwater (lakes, Brazos River, San Bernard, etc.) My neighbors each have 14' kayaks (a Pungo and a Necky.) They suggested a 14' for speed and tracking. I'm willing to consider a composite rather than a polyethylene rotomold for reduced weight even if it costs more. 

I don't have a trailer currently but do have a Ford F150 truck to transport it. I don't know if a truck bed extender is sufficient to carry it (depending on the length of the kayak.) 

I would appreciate any suggestions regarding paddles as well. 

Thanks, 

Mike 
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