First-time 2-person kayak recos?

[bsaitz]

hey all

31CB and are looking for our first 2-person kayak, for just puttering around puget sound, mostly on anchor. not hard core, want comfort and stability.

thx!

 

[gswearin]

We have the Advanced Elements inflatable. Easy to inflate, comfy, and sturdy. Bought it for our last boat that didn’t have the top storage of the Rangers. If I was doing it now I’d get a hard shell I think.

 

[bsaitz]

thanks, why hard? they seem much heavier and must be tricky to work with getting off and back on the boat, esp for ours on command bridge

 

[gswearin]

Just because it would always be there ready for us. The inflatable takes up quite a bit of cave space so we often don’t take it. I suppose I could just put it up in a rack!!
Note: we’ve only had our tug for a year so don’t take my comments as gospel!

 

[bsaitz]

gotcha, thx. yeah, we'd rack it during summer and store at home in the off-season.

 

[Red Raven]

Yes for inflatable even when you don’t inflate or deflate on the boat! We rack our tandem inflatable kayak for 6 months of the year and then store in the garage. Inflatable is lighter and less likely to damage the hull when launching and retrieving. We just replaced our ancient Sevylor Ocean with a new Aquaglide Chinook tandem. Haven’t used it yet but fits great on the rack/tug!

Curt

 

[Mr Ben]

I have an inflatable dingy from WM. I also have 3 kayaks of various size and configuration. Being a single hand 64 YO its not easy dragging those things up on the rack. I can do it but its not pleasurable. I bought the boat for pleasure. I'm looking now at an inflatable stand up paddleboard (SUP). The ones I'm researching weigh 20-30 lbs. They are very compact and come in a bag with wheels like plane luggage. You can get a 12 v pump that you just set the pressure and it does the rest. The pump fits my WM dingy and the grandkids pull toys. Some models are wide enough that you can strap like a beach chair to the deck and use it as a kayak. I see videos of dogs riding along. My concerns are choppy water about useless. Being a fresh water dog looks like a shark lure to me. What about gators down south. Might as well hang some meat over the side. Like any boat its all compromise. I'll probably get one and try it out. Looks like good for fitness. I'm leaning toward the Blackfin XL there are cheaper options but you get what you pay for mostly. They also have some nice inflatable kayaks. But I already have 3 hard ones time to try something else.

 

[S. Todd]

We were not pleased with a two person kayak because it was just not that easy for us to paddle in sync with each other. We preferred two separate ways of transitioning to shore or whatever. We typically take one inflatable kayak and one inflatable paddle board.
The dog loves riding on the paddleboard which I sit on and paddle like a kayak with her 65 lbs (much more stable that way). PADDLE NORTH makes a great inflatable kayak that is very stiff and stable (the one man version is large enough that I have taken our then 5 year old granddaughter or the dog with me). INNOVA makes a good inflatable kayak. We have their Safari model which is very light and easy to throw up on the roof racks. (It is over ten years old now and a I never tire of using it because it is simple, light and maneuverable - but not as stable as the Paddle North.) We have two ISLE inflatable paddle boards. Simple to inflate and extremely stiff.
I prefer the inflatable options because they travel easily in the back of the pickup on the way to the lake and can ride in the cockpit until they are ready to be blown up and used were they create no wind resistance. Off season storage is likewise simple and so is travel with the RV. I find manual inflation to be simple process for all of them, although I have an electric pump (it was free with a boat show purchase of the Paddle North kayak) that one of these days I may take along and try.

 

[bsaitz]

thanks, ordering paddle north, love theirs!!

 

[Mr Ben]

I saw the paddle north at the Grand Rapids RV show last week. They sure do look like a nice well made option. Its good to hear they hold up over time. I was surprised to see how stiff the kayak model was. Some others I've seen where more flimsy like a kids pool toy.

 

[dougxn]

So I just bought a r-27, so I am a bit new to the boat, but I have been thinking a lot about this situation. I have a seaward g3- it is 23’ long and 100#. So delta makes a 70# tandem, most of the inflatables, seem to be a bit of a barge to paddle, although comfy to sit in. Oru makes a 47# tandem. A load of people like them- you cannot out a spray skirt on it, but for calm days and just paddling about they seem to be easy to maneuver and put on top.

I am looking to find some sort of davit and I may got with my current boat, but it is just too unwieldy to get on top otherwise.

Anyway, that is my 2¢

 

[Bruce Moore]

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