Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
For starters, I wouldn't count on kayaking to get you more fit. You might tone your abs and upper body a tiny bit, but it's a pretty zen activity. You'd have to paddle for a couple hours to equal the calorie burn of a brisk hour long walk. Yes, I've calculated it with a HR monitor several times. I paddled 850 miles of ocean in 90 days and even then, I wouldn't say my upper bod was more fit than could have been achieved by 90 days of working out in my living room. Sounds odd, doesn't it?
That said, kayaking is awesome. Your first boat won't be your last if you like doing it. Don't plunk down too much dough on that first boat until you know what you want. My first boat was 16' long with a 25" beam because that's what I thought I wanted. My current boat is 21' long 22" wide, kevlar, fast and would have pinched me for about $4200 had I paid for it. There's a fast evolution to paddling and people often outgrow a starter boat quickly.
And don't skimp on the paddle. If you're going to splurge, do it on the paddle. A crap paddle won't do a nice boat justice but a nice paddle can bolster the performance of a crap boat.
As for your question about length - length and beam (width) are relative to the purpose of the boat. Lake boats and flat water river boats can be short and wide. Take that short boat on the ocean with good swells and you'll be bobbing like a cork and swerving all over. Long boats track true which is good for efficiency and logging big miles. Narrow boats also add to the sleek efficiency. Shorter boats are more maneuverable but don't track as well...usually. For what you're doing, a boat in the 12'-14' range will do. The beam will start around 25" for a flat water boat. You need to just go sit in some boats.
Depending what you want to do, don't discount a good rowing boat. I had a wineglass wherry from Pygmy kayaks that was absolutely killer. http://www.pygmyboats.com/mall/WGWSPECS.asp
That said, kayaking is awesome. Your first boat won't be your last if you like doing it. Don't plunk down too much dough on that first boat until you know what you want. My first boat was 16' long with a 25" beam because that's what I thought I wanted. My current boat is 21' long 22" wide, kevlar, fast and would have pinched me for about $4200 had I paid for it. There's a fast evolution to paddling and people often outgrow a starter boat quickly.
And don't skimp on the paddle. If you're going to splurge, do it on the paddle. A crap paddle won't do a nice boat justice but a nice paddle can bolster the performance of a crap boat.
As for your question about length - length and beam (width) are relative to the purpose of the boat. Lake boats and flat water river boats can be short and wide. Take that short boat on the ocean with good swells and you'll be bobbing like a cork and swerving all over. Long boats track true which is good for efficiency and logging big miles. Narrow boats also add to the sleek efficiency. Shorter boats are more maneuverable but don't track as well...usually. For what you're doing, a boat in the 12'-14' range will do. The beam will start around 25" for a flat water boat. You need to just go sit in some boats.
Depending what you want to do, don't discount a good rowing boat. I had a wineglass wherry from Pygmy kayaks that was absolutely killer. http://www.pygmyboats.com/mall/WGWSPECS.asp
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