kayaking for noobs

marley mission

marley mission

Member
hey all
think i wanna try out some kayaking
advice for a beginner?
equipment? places to try?

i have done some canoeing on the Delaware
during the college days but thats it in this genre
the kayak looks like it might be a fun workout

anyway - what sayeth you
 
If you just want to try it out I would rent rather than buy. Either an organized trip or in reasonably calm water to start. If going with a sit inside yak the first thing to do is flip it over with someone close by so you know you can wet exit if necessary. WEAR your life jacket as it is the bicycle helmet of kayaking. We paddle as much as we ride bikes and I have paddled a long time.Love it!
Secure everything you take in the boat with you that you don't want to lose and protect everything that should not get wet(cause it will if you don't):)
Most of the county park systems offer kayak trips for reasonable cost and they supply all the paddling gear. Hope this helps.
Have fun and report back,
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
Another thing you might want to do is look for paddle clubs in your area.
There are usually regular group outings, and sometimes loaner boats for newcomers.
I belong to a group based out of Hackensack (guessing this may be too far for you), but they do a ton of group trips and also offer a lot of skills training sessions.
 
Word man. I like to kayak :)

What do you think you're interested in? Whitewater Kayaking? Sea Kayaking? Recreational? Kayak Fishing? Surf Kayaking?... Skin-on-frame Inuit style Greenland kayaking?
 
not sure cape - i just remember i really enjoyed the canoeing i did back in the day on the del water gap - it wasnt anything crazy - just a good paddling workout

couple beerballs didnt hurt though ah but that was then
now i imagine myself taking my kayak and going somewhere pretty mellow and just paddling around for an hour or two

just brought it up to my wife a little while ago and she was like - "ugh - not another crazy thing" :)
 
marley mission said:
just brought it up to my wife a little while ago and she was like - "ugh - not another crazy thing" :)
Click to expand...

I have had the itch to buy a kayak for a few years now. Ive been to Jersey Paddler a bunch, been to the Kayak expo for the past 3 years, etc. The Raritan Bay is right down the street from me and I could be in the water in probably about 6 minutes.

My wife says, "I dont care about the bikes and the motorcycle, just stay on dry land please".

When ya wanna go shopping??:D
 
when it comes to kayaks - how is the 'used' kayak market - is it a bad idea to go used - should i just go new 'entry level'

will have to check out that jersey paddler shop too

edit: also wondering where are good places to get started - do i need some basic instruction first (i.e. - learning to get upright if you flip over?)
 
I'm going to say a kayak is a pretty good thing to buy used.
Sure there will be scuffs and so, but short of a puncture,
you should be good to go.
Just like buying a used car, talk to the owner
and get a feel for whether it saw hard miles or not.

On Craiglist you could probably find a lot of boats with light miles on them.
Another good thing is places that rent,
and then sell off their fleet at the end of the season.
Good deals can be found there.
But as Capedoc points out- figure out what you want to do.
There is a boat for every type of paddling.
A good start might be a recreational boat-
Good in flat water, passable in most rivers you might tackle as you get started.

And on the thought of instruction,
I'd say yes for moving water.
Just some basic instruction is a good idea.
How to exit your boat- how to float safely when you get separated from your boat- when to float and not try to stand up- how to deal with strainers.
That type of stuff.
Things can go wrong, and it's good to be prepared.
Once again here starting with a club would be a great way to go.

Oh, and if you flip, do a wet exit.
It takes a lot of practice to do an Eskimo roll.
 
marley mission said:
not sure cape - i just remember i really enjoyed the canoeing i did back in the day on the del water gap - it wasnt anything crazy - just a good paddling workout

couple beerballs didnt hurt though ah but that was then
now i imagine myself taking my kayak and going somewhere pretty mellow and just paddling around for an hour or two

just brought it up to my wife a little while ago and she was like - "ugh - not another crazy thing" :)
Click to expand...

cool cool. Sounds like a recreational kayak to me. something like 10-12 feet will do. Wide with a large cockpit. Rec boats are one size fits all in most cases. When you're looking at these kinds of boats there's really not a whole lot of difference in the design…well, there may be small differences in the hull shapes but, rec boats all do the same thing - float on mellow water.

It's a good idea If you can find a boat with a hatch and sealed bulkhead in the bow or stern. Serves as floatation for the boat in the event of a capsize.

Used boats are totally fine. Unlike bikes, theres no real moving parts that wear out other than seat adjustments and the sliding foot rests.

99% of the time, rec boats are made of polyethylene (plastic). Some manufacturers use stiffer plastic than others but overall it's pretty damn durable. Scratches in the hull are usually just cosmetic. Even deep scratches are nothing to worry about. You should see what I have done to my whitewater boat!

Wilderness Systems, Perception, Current Designs, Dagger, Necky, Old Town, Liquid Logic are some manufacturers to looks at. Pretty sure my friends at Jersey Paddler carry all these. And BTW, Jersey Paddler is like 5 minutes from Allare.

JP also offers introductory weekend classes on the weekend at Forge Pond, right down the street. They'l go over the basics as well as saftey and equipment. There's also my friends at http://www.kayakeast.com/ who also lead trips all over new jersey as well as provide lessons (you don't need your own equipment if you just want to try it)
 
If you are looking to fish or go into the ocean a sit on top kayak is the way to go. If you are going in the bays and rivers you should look at sit inside boats. The sit on tops are very slow in comparison to a sit inside, but if you capsize or a wave washes over you, you don't have to worry about a bilge or how to get out of boat.

Paddles are also an important item to look at. If you are going in salt water they will eventually seize up and be difficult to take apart, however a nice light weight paddle will make paddling much more enjoyable.

The longer and narrower the kayak is the faster it will be, when you test a kayak out keep that in mind. When you first start out a narrow kayak will feel tippy, and a wide kayak will fell much more stable.

My wife and I both purchased our kayaks from Jersey Paddler, they are the best in the shore area, and they will let you test ride them. However you can definitely find good deals on craigslist for used ones, most damage is merely cosmetic on plastic recreational boats, fiberglass boats are a different story.
 
+1 on Jersey Paddler. If you go you can ask for Craig, he is a friend of mine. Don't agree with sit on tops being slow, obviously you haven't tried a Surfski! Would agree for a Sit on top for fishing or going far from shore as you can crawl back on in event of capsize , no eskimo roll needed. You can re enter and pump out a sit inside though with the proper gear.
Agree with the 15-16 foot range. I would also look for a kick up overstearn rudder. Used is generally fine and try before you buy. Most kayak sites also have a classified section. Poly/plastic boats are somewhat UV sensitive but for the decreased cost and low maintenence thats the way I would go. Just don't store it in the sunny spot in the backyard. Never realised there were so many paddlers on this board.
Ed and Pat Gifford
the Snot Rocket tandem
 
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If you're not in a particular rush to buy then it may be worthwhile to check out Places that do rentals at the end of the season. Some will sell off part of the rental fleet at discounted prices once fall/winter rolls around. I forget exactly when, but Bel Haven canoe and kayak sells off some rental and regular stock. They keep availability lists online if I remember correctly. The shop is also just down the street from Wharton if you want to check it out and ride a loop as well.
 
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