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East of Broken Bow | I might add, the sit on ones generally are 'sealed' and if they do tip over, they do not get water inside of them like the sit in ones can. We have 4 kayaks now, one for each of the family, and they can be great fun for a weekend of Sunday afternoon if you have access to water. We have 1 sit in one and 3 sit on ones. I will say that the 'better' sit on ones are 99% as stable as our sit in one, but if you are going to race anyone, the sit in one is faster for some reason.
Things to look for: If you are getting older or have any kinds of aches and pains, the number one thing I recommend would be finding one with a comfortable seat. You can sit on a piece of plastic for quite a while as a teenager, but as a 50+ year old, a comfortable seat with an adjustable backrest would be the first thing I would look for if I were to buy another. My wife picked hers out and got one that has a seat similar to a lawn chair with really short legs that locks into the kayak. The legs are just high enough so your rear end doesn't bottom out when sitting on it. Has the webbing stretched across a frame, and the backrest adjusts some. Either of us can ride in that one all day and not have a sore back. Next best is a padded seat with adjustable backrest.
Other things to look for would be a place to stash a cooler, and cupholders big enough to hold a Gatorade bottle. You'd be surprised how thirsty you get on the water. A small storage space in the kayak that latches securely is a good place to keep your keys, etc. We have been putting things like our cell phones and keys in a waterproof bag and putting them in the little storage bin, you never know when you might need to make a call.
Some sort of hook or rubber strap to secure paddles is also nice, you can secure the paddle and just relax and let the river take you along.
From what we have seen with our 4 kayaks, the wider ones are more stable, as are the ones that have kind of a ridge along the outer edges that rides deeper in the water than the main part are also more stable (the bottom is shaped kind of like the bottom of 3 Vs together - VVV seem the most stable of the sit on units, the ones with the bottom shaped like the bottom of a W are next, the ones like a V are less stable, but faster and more maneuverable.
We have a Cabela's brand - that is the one with the nicest seat and our only sit-in one.
A Pelican brand - nicely made, you can just 'feel' it is better plastic than some and it is a nice balance between being stable and being fast. Second most comfortable seat Also it is USA made, and lifetime warranted.
A Lifetime brand - not as high of quality as the Pelican, but cheaper - I think we found this one at Bomgaars, also USA made. Seats are hard but OK for shorter runs or if you can rest after a while. This one is unique as it can seat either one or two people, or two adults and a smaller child in between them. We got this one when our youngest was small, as we didn't know how she would be by herself.
And one no-name Wal-Mart brand. This one was the cheapest, like under $200, and it shows. It floats, but the seat is like sitting on a board, and it is the most unstable one we have. Was the only one we could find during Covid when our youngest got big enough to ride one on her own.
From our experience you largely get what you pay for, with a few more $$$$ getting higher quality plastic, and a better seat.
Ours are all 10 footers, which is about right for an average adult. Smaller people might like an 8 footer as it will be lighter and more maneuverable. Our double kayak is also a 10 footer, a little wider than the others to be able to carry more weight, but 2 average adults makes it ride low enough in the water that it catches sandbars more than the others - a 12 footer would be better if you want to ride double a lot. Otherwise, with only one person, it rides a little higher, because it is more boyant.
One big thing I will mention is that if you ride the river a lot, and it has shallow spots to where you will have to get off and carry/pull it much, then get back on, a sit on unit is much preferred. They are far easier to get on and off of. | |
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Kayak machinery?
