school me on kayaks

Depending on the intended use, the design of kayak will be different. Open water kayaks will be longer than river kayaks. The length gives you speed and stability. I generally only do river kayaking, so I want a shorter kayak with a removable skeg for maneuverability.

Like anything else, they get more complicated the deeper you go. There’s options like self bailing and storage for touring. I’m a big fan of inflatable kayaks. Slower but versatile.
 
BPaze said:
So this guys has some awesome videos that will tell you what you need to know about Kayaks. https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadwatersKayak the one you showed is ok and a good start, but it really depends on how into Kayaking you want to get.
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All recreational, they will be in a rental so really don't want anything I'd be angry over if lost or broken. Thinking sitting on top may be better casual use. Plan is to find a tandem, single and SUP used
 
None of my business and I am the farthest thing from a lawyer, but do you want the liability of having watercraft for rental use?
That being said, sit on top will allow the user to dismount and swim as opposed to someone stuck in a sit inside that is inverted and can't do an Eskimo roll.
 
+1 on Brett’s recommendation. The kayak cliff notes are…. The super cheap kayaks are less stable, less comfortable and a great way to turn someone off the whole thing.


Taking comparable budget as a given… sit on tops are more stable (easier to get on and off of) and unless punctured, impossible to sink. They are also noticeably heavier and most often slower and less maneuverable.


Sit inside are more difficult to get in and out of (not bad though) but generally more comfortable once you’re in than sit on top kayaks. They are lighter and generally more maneuverable by letting you use body English to access the edges (like skiing)

Regardless of type…….
Longer boats are faster and track better than shorter boats of the same model. Anything under 9’ is a waste of time (unless you’re doing rapids..which you ain’t). I have an Wilderness System Aspire 105 and my wife has the Pungo 105 great little boats.

I love these little things but when I finally escape NJ I’m getting an Eddyline Sitka XT.
 
There’s a lot of good info here:

My kayaking failure in the Rockaway river, need advice

This post turned out more epic than I thought, here is the tl;dr: Tried to kayak the local Rockaway river, was fun, short, then wiped-out, then manhandled by the current while still holding the paddles till I got ashore. How do I avoid/better handle these failures next time...
www.mtbnj.com www.mtbnj.com
 
okay, no rentals for now, but I get sit on top when I go that route and no shorter than 10 ft.
Narrowing down on a few 12-14 ft anglers for me. Needs to be less than 100#s loaded for me to wheel across the street to the Sandy Hook bay or Shrewsbury. Hobies are too expensive for this round, but seem to be the standard, and the foot pedaling is nice while drifting.
Next question are paddles? What's the difference between a $50 vs $150 other than $100?
 
qclabrat said:
okay, no rentals for now, but I get sit on top when I go that route and no shorter than 10 ft.
Narrowing down on a few 12-14 ft anglers for me. Needs to be less than 100#s loaded for me to wheel across the street to the Sandy Hook bay or Shrewsbury. Hobies are too expensive for this round, but seem to be the standard, and the foot pedaling is nice while drifting.
Next question are paddles? What's the difference between a $50 vs $150 other than $100?
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I have carbon fiber shaft with plastic blade...i figure if I'm going to be using it for extended periods of time (last year did a kayak camping trip where we paddled about 6-8 hours a day for 5 days) i want it to be as light as possible.
 
You can find paddles around Facebook Marketplace pretty easily as it's something folks buy to try out and upgrade, etc. I've bought 3 or 4 before settling on a length and paddle angle that felt best.
 
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