A buyers guide for new kayakers
Laddie | November 20, 2008A buyers guide for new kayakers
When I first decided to get back into the sport of kayaking many things had changed. Manufactures had come and gone, Designs had changed and within the ranks of the whitewater world there were new genres of boats being produced. So how is someone supposed to make sence of all this information without solid ground to start from? For me it took many obsessed months and sadly some trial and error along the way.
So you have decided that kayaking is the sport for you and few items are more important than your actual kayak. The correct kayak design for what you intend to paddle and the correct size boat for your weight and size. River runners, freerunners, creek boats, freestyle boats and some hybrid designs to keep things interesting. All of this adds up to a swarm of boats and making sence of it all seems insurmountable, right? Well help is on the way.
The first place I start when helping someone through this maze is to try to identify what aspect of kayaking appeals to you. Do see yourself running your local rivers on the weekends for the pleasure of being outside and in nature(river running)? Perhaps you want to be ripping up the local playspot looping and cartwheeling yourself dizzy(playboating)? Or maybe its exploring remote gorges dropping countless waterfalls and tight technical lines (creeking). Maybe your not sure yet and all of the above sound appealing? The good news is there are boats for all occasions and plenty designs out there that will take on double duty.
Lets get into it shall we.
Lest clear the mist in the difference between hull designs. The main designs are displacement and plaining hulls. There are benefits and downsides of each but the basic premise is this. Displacement hulls are round and without edges (like a log). Plaining hulls are flat with edges (like a surf board). What does this mean to you? Well, think of it like this. Displacement hull kayaks are like SUVs, Plaining Hulls are like sport cars.
Displacement hull kayaks are typically going to be a little more tippy initially but more stable overall. They lack a defined edge and are less likely to be messed with by cross currents and less likely to get hung up on rocks causing fewer fish viewing opportunities.They also land softer from higher boofs and waterfalls. The downside is they require more driving to make turns and catching eddys.
Plaining hull kayaks have a flat bottom and defined rails. They will be more stable initially and are faster to make courst corrections. Also they will snap into eddys and back into current with great responsiveness. The downside to these is if your style gets sloppy you might accidently catch one of these edges resulting in unwanted flips. The flat surface will also make landing large boofs a little harder on your back.
So now that we have a basic idea of hull design lets look at some specific genres of kayak design.
River Running Kayaks
These are your basic do anything (within reason), go anywhere (within reason) kayak. Essentially this is an all round kayak. They tend to be longer kyaks with a more bouyant bow and stern.The manufacturers design many different versions of these, some are closer to playboats others are closer to creekers. River runners are designed in essence to be a jack of all trades. You can run up through Class 5 rivers, some steeper creeks and they will surf and play to an extent. The longer length and high volume bow and stern will help you punch through holes and ferry stronger currents. Althought it is the jack of all trades,they will be the master of none.
Free Running Kayaks
Free running kayaks (aka river running playboats) are river running kayaks with freestyle charactaristics built in. These kayaks will have plaining hulls with defined edges. A lower volume bow and stern than a river runner. These kayaks are designed to have more length than the average freestyle kayak, more bouyance than a freestlye kayak and the edge will ride a little higher than a freestyle kayak (more stable). These kayaks will be less stable than their river running counterparts but fare more capable of playing with and in river features along the way.
Freestyle Kayaks
The sports cars of the kayak world. Short plaining hull kayaks with low volume bow and stern. These boats are capible of all the latest freestyle moves. The short length will certainly inhibit speed and the low volume bow and stern might plow under the water getting you vertical but hey! Thats what they are designed for. If you want a wild ride this is the place and the flats between rapids can become a new playground for bow stalls and cartwheels and the plaining hull will alow fast and easy spins on waves and in holes.
Creeking Kayaks
Creeking kayaks are designed for running low volume, techincal rivers of steeper gradiant. These boats are designed with emphasis on strength and volume. Strong enough to take the multiple rock hits and inevetible pins associated with creeking and the larger volume to stay on the surface of the water or resurface fast after larger drops. These are also good choices for running pushy big water as they have the length and speed to get places and vulume to stay on the surface. The down side in this is, should you end up in a hole you are likely to stay there longer due to the high bouyancy.
Well now you have a brief idea of the basic boats out there its time to think about what you want to buy. If you are dead set on a genre and know what you want to be running then read no further. If youre not absolutely sure or you dont fit into a specific box here are some thoughts.
For a complete beginner I recommend either a river runner or free runner. These boats will allow you to stay stable, they are forgiving and can run a vide variety of rivers. The river runners will be stable and yet responsive and help build your confidence. The free runners will also be confidence inspiring but a little less stable than the river runners. The benefit of this will be they are more capable of learning to playboat and keep you well entertained along many years down the road. If you are more about keeping your head dry and bombing your local run, i would say either a river runner or a creek boat. A creek boat will be stabe and bouyant and let you stowe more idems for your trip.
Lastly, Demo Demo Demo!!! get into the kayak youre thinking about buying and spend some time in the water. The last thing you want to do is buy a kayak that either makes your feet fall asleep or wont perform like you would like.
Get out there, enjoy yourself and welcome to whitewater