Kayak recommendations?

[flashlight_widow]

We're considering purchasing a kayak later this summer and are looking for recommendations. We need a 2-man kayak with a decent weight limit to carry our gear. Anything particular we should look for or brands to check out? Thanks in advance!

 

[Lurker]

Do you have an REI store near you? They have a good selection of Kayaks and they sometimes will take a variety of boats out to a nearby lake for all interested customers to try them out and see what they like best.

Paddling them yourself before you buy is highly recommended. Renting them is also an option.

 

[sotyakr]

A test paddle is an absolute necessity!

Are you considering a Sit-In or Sit On Top? That'll have a effect on gear hauling capacity and capability, user friendliness and brands or models to look for.

Personally, I paddle a Sit On Top (an Ocean Kayak Scupper Classic and a Scrambler XT) here in the SF Bay Area and the Northern CA coastal area. Lot's of fun, inexpensive and didn't require a steep learning curve to get into.

Until about a month ago, my backyard was literally the Carquinez Strait, (which connects the bay to the Sacramento Delta region), so it simply a matter of moving my boat about 30 ft. to the water. Life is tougher, now that I'm about a ½ mile drive from the water...

 

[Mark_van_Gorkom]

Have you considered a folding Kayak? Very convenient, excellent seakeeping (people have crossed the Atlantic and rounded Cape Horn in them), will easily last a generation.
Bit more expensive than a hardshell though. Feathercraft and Klepper make excellent models. The Klepper is easier to assemble/dismantle (just a few minutes for a trained military crew, 15 minutes for mere mortals) but the Feathercrafts have much the better seats (I have a bad back, and a Feathercraft), and uses more modern materials.


More folding kayak info here .

 

[matt_j]

I can only give you advice on single sitters. If you are interested let me know. I used Dagger Crossover and Blackwater as well as Perception Eclipses and Loons from Old Town.

Matt

 

[scott]

A fiberglass or Kevlar boat allows for sleaker designs and are therefore faster/easier to paddle than plastics boats. They are also considerable more expensive and require a little bit more care. If you'll be mostly on the ocean, a glass or Kevlar kayak is probably best. If you'll be cruising rocky steams or rivers, plastic is almost bombproof.

Scott