Beginner's Guide to Selecting A Sea Kayak
Sea Kayaks can be very tough to purchase if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Are you currently in the market for a new kayak? For beginners it can be incredibly tough buying your first kayak.
There are several questions that you end up asking yourself.
How much should I pay? Am I buying the right style of boat? What if I choose the wrong one? Does it need to be inflatable or rigid? What type of safety gear do I need?
The goal of this article is to help you choose the right kayak for you. You will receive several tips and explanations that will lead you down the road to purchasing the best possible kayak. So if you are serious about shopping for a brand-new kayak then lets begin.
There are basically three types of sea kayaks:
Folding kayaks
Inflatable kayaks
Rigid or hardshell kayaks
If you are a beginner, the most likely type of to come to mind you hear the word kayak is the rigid style. Here are the types of rigid style kayak boats:
Plastic
Fiberglass
Wood
Composite
Plastic kayaks are the least expensive of the four types. Plastic kayaks are heavy, tough and can take a ton of abuse in the open water. However it should be noted that plastic kayaks are considered to be the toughest to repair.
Fiberglass kayaks, although much lighter then there plastic counterpart, are more expensive than plastic models. Fiberglas kayaks are also easier to damage but are also easier to repair.
Kayak boats made of composite material such as carbon, graphite or kevlar are more expensive than fiberglass and plastic. Composite boats are lighter than fiberglass boats.
Finely crafted wooden kayak boats are a thing of beauty. These handmade boats possess a unique quality unlike other types of kayak boats. It has been said that wooden kayaks move more smoothly through the water. You can actually purchase wooden kayak kits and assemble them yourself. The price for wooden kayak boats varies significantly from model to model. Although these boats are easy to repair they do require more routine maintenance.
The most portable type of kayak boat is the folding kayak. These boats are easy to store. A folding portable kayak boat is made of fabric that is stretched over an aluminum or wooden frame. Because they are portable, folding kayaks tend to be more expensive than others. One significant advantage of folding sea kayaks is that they last longer than typical rigid style boats.
Folding kayak boats are especially tough, stable and flexible. However, these boats are known to not perform as well as the rigid style boats. Wooden kayak boats do not measure up to rigid style boats when it comes to performance and speed. But just like wooden boats, folding kayak boats do give the rider a sense of nostalgia because they are crafted from traditional North American native culture.
Much like folding kayak boats, inflatable boats are just as portable and easy to store. Of all the kayak boat types, inflatable boats are generally the most inexpensive. These boats are easy to carry to and from the water and once they dry you can simply stick it back on the shelf or put it down in the basement. For many, and label kayak boats are the most popular of all.
As a beginner you must understand what type of boating you are about to partake.
There is not a single type of kayak that can handle every type of water condition. So your goal is to choose the best type of boat based on the type of adventure you’re about to take. For example, boats that are built to perform in whitewater are totally different from boats that are built for long distance adventures.
As a shopper you must consider what type of situations you will be facing and then choose the appropriate boat that will perform best under those conditions.
Conclusion
As a beginner there will be some tough questions to answer when purchasing your first kayak. Each of the questions listed above have a valid reason to be asked.
For example, a beginner would probably want a boat with initial stability as opposed to an experienced rider would prefer final stability. Experienced riders I actually prefer a tighter cockpit over a bigger one. Beginning writers may want a bigger cockpit because it is easy to get in and out of.
There are other questions to ask but the list above is a very good start. When it’s time to purchase try to find an experienced salesperson that can answer all of your questions and put you in the right boat. But don’t underestimate your ability to choose the right boat yourself.
Another option is to do adequate research on the adventure that you are about to participate in.
By doing so you will most likely get excellent information about what type of boat you will need. Sea kayaks can indeed be very tough to purchase but with a little homework, your task will be made a lot easier.