Tandem kayak - lake use

[SpaceBus]

If I could find a good sock/skirt for the kayak that would be perfect. It's more of a tiny canoe than a kayak anyway. A longer paddle set would help as well, maybe something around 96". The set that came with the pair of kayaks are very short.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Dry is a good thing.

Dry isn't mentioned in any of the really good kayaking adventures/stories I've read though, lol.

 

[SpaceBus]

Dry isn't mentioned in any of the really good kayaking adventures/stories I've read though, lol.

There is some truth to this!

 

[Ashful]

Spent 90 minutes on the water with my daughter yesterday, in the very wet little sailboat I bought to train the kids on. Wind was in the teens, and waves were over 1 ft. on our little local lake, so we were getting plenty of spray. She had refused to bring a sweater, stubborn little one, so we had to head back in when she got chilly. A good time, anyway.

Only saw one or two kayakers out there yesterday, and two paddle boards. The windsurfers were having the most fun, blazing across the water at increadible speed. The little boat we were sailing was built more for stability than speed, but we still had a good time, almost keeping up with one of the Hobie trimarans. It would have been a great day in my racing boat, but with little ones in the crew, that boat stays in the garage.

 

[SpaceBus]

The couple of photos I took from the pond yesterday. It's a bit cloudy but decent so my wife might go to the pond with me today, perhaps even into the salt water.

 

[PaulOinMA]

... The windsurfers were having the most fun, blazing across the water at increadible speed...

I was on the Outer banks last September for Hurricane Florence, my 3rd hurricane on the Outer Banks. I walked down to the beach to check out the surf. A guy was windsurfing. Amazing amount of air he was catching: fastest and highest I've seen a windsurfer go. pretty neat!

 

[PaulOinMA]

Dry isn't mentioned in any of the really good kayaking adventures/stories I've read though, lol.

The closest canoeing/kayaking to here is the Sudbury River. A ripple is considered rapids.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudbury_River

 

[SpaceBus]

You can kind of see my wife there in the distance in the orange kayak. For tooling around on calm water on a windy day these folding canoes work really great, but I do want to get an Oru XT at some point. These folding kayaks are really more of a mix of kayak and canoe. You can see how open the cockpit is with the dry bag and my feet on the sides. I'm sitting with my torso a bit behind the foam side rails and 5' 10". The only thing I don't like about this setup would be the paddle set that is sold with the kayaks. They are short and really get water everywhere when you want to move quickly. I found using it like a canoe and switching sides back and forth with one paddle end worked better for staying dry. With drip rings and a 96" paddle I think way less water would get splashed into the cockpit.

 

[williamtell]

We have a couple of nice clear streams /small rivers you can float in Oklahoma. Even in ideal conditions with current, kayaking is still work with kids or a wife who wants to sit back.

On a lake without current, you are going to burn yourself out within an hour.

We did a float trip with my wife and 3 kids in a raft which is extremely stable and plently of space for a cooler. 3 hours everyone was ready to be done. That was with current working I out favor.

 

[Ashful]

Even in ideal conditions with current, kayaking is still work with kids or a wife who wants to sit back.

On a lake without current, you are going to burn yourself out within an hour.

That’s why I prefer wind power!

 

[MTY]

Put as much thought into the PFD's as the kayak.

 

[SpaceBus]

Put as much thought into the PFD's as the kayak.

We have PFD's in the truck, but didn't feel the need to wear them paddling around the 4' deep pond. Thanks for the heads up though. I really wanted to take the kayak out into the salt water the first time I tried it, but I didn't have a PFD on me so I decided against it.

 

[xman23]

Talking about PFD. I have one specifically designed for Kayak paddling. It's got a lot of floatation in the front and back, and nothing around the arms. You don't know you have it on. I wouldn't go out without wearing one.

 

[Ashful]

I wouldn't go out without wearing one.

A few people seem to die in my racing class each year. Being a sport of mostly middle-aged men, they're usually not sailing catastrophes, most of the deaths are heart-attacks on the water. Guys who look like and think they are in good shape, but spend too much of the week in the office, and often only get out for exercise on the weekends. Sounds like a lot of us, myself often included.

I can't imagine how a heart attack in a kayak would turn out well, without a PFD.

 

[SpaceBus]

Talking about PFD. I have one specifically designed for Kayak paddling. It's got a lot of floatation in the front and back, and nothing around the arms. You don't know you have it on. I wouldn't go out without wearing one.

I have some like that but they are advertised for fishing. I like the pockets and lack of anything abov chest level.

 

[SpaceBus]

A few people seem to die in my racing class each year. Being a sport of mostly middle-aged men, they're usually not sailing catastrophes, most of the deaths are heart-attacks on the water. Guys who look like and think they are in good shape, but spend too much of the week in the office, and often only get out for exercise on the weekends. Sounds like a lot of us, myself often included.

I can't imagine how a heart attack in a kayak would turn out well, without a PFD.

Most heart attacks don't go well, regardless of buoyancy

 

[Ashful]

Most heart attacks don't go well, regardless of buoyancy

I have had two acquaintances have major heart attacks in the last ten days. One was revived, and oddly back at work immediately from ICU, the other wasn’t. Your odds today are much better than any time in the past, but not if you drown, in the process!

But the lesson isn’t really about heart attacks, just that unplanned chit happens. Be in a safe condition, when it does!

I have to admit, I never wore a PFD when boating, even when racing overpowered sailboats that flip when you sneeze at them. But now I take my kids sailing, and want them to wear PFDs, so I began wearing one as an example. I bought a very good one, and it’s so convenient and comfortable, I really can’t imagine now why I’d want to go without it anymore. It even has a zipper pocket where I keep my phone and car key!

 

[SpaceBus]

I have had two acquaintances have major heart attacks in the last ten days. One was revived, and oddly back at work immediately from ICU, the other wasn’t. Your odds today are much better than any time in the past, but not if you drown, in the process!

But the lesson isn’t really about heart attacks, just that unplanned chit happens. Be in a safe condition, when it does!

I have to admit, I never wore a PFD when boating, even when racing overpowered sailboats that flip when you sneeze at them. But now I take my kids sailing, and want them to wear PFDs, so I began wearing one as an example. I bought a very good one, and it’s so convenient and comfortable, I really can’t imagine now why I’d want to go without it anymore. It even has a zipper pocket where I keep my phone and car key!

The pockets were a big selling point to me.

 

[firefighterjake]

Lots of folks drown in water that isn't over their heads . . . it isn't always a heart attack . . . seizure, they fall over and get panic stricken, etc. I always wear the PFD while kayaking.