kayaks

[p7fl]

Ocean Kayaks
Business is slow I do everything on my interest list and still have free time.
I used to canoe white water around the country, but that was a long time ago.
Think I want to kayak in the ocean. But don’t know where to start. Both shoulders are injured so extremely lightweight for carrying is a start, having a skirt sounds smart if I hit rough water. But beyond that I don’t know where to start shopping or what to ask about?
Anybody into ocean kayaking and can give me some direction.
TIA
jon

[MARK]

I'd suggest a sit on top kayak for ocean use. That is the most common and gives you the most freedom when riding waves and such. You can even pack a little cooler for refreshments when paddling out past the breakers. There are little roller wheels that allow you to easily push through the sand from the hard surface if you can't/won't carry it to the water.

[jjk308]

Both shoulders are injured? Best to think about what you use to paddle a kayak.

[revelation]

I hope I can help. I have white water kayaked all over the S. East and also owned both ocean kayaks and sit on tops extensively in the ocean, rivers and lakes. Mark does have a great point with a sit on top. You can get off and swim and get back on. Most have either bungee strap downs or a water proof container for a lunch and your stuff. Check out the Necky Dolphin. The trade off a true ocean kayak will be longer and you can paddle more efficiently. Plus since you butt is below the water line you will be more stable. I had a Dagger Magellan that was was awesome. What ever kayak you buy make sure you get a rudder! Any kayak is going to act like a weather vane in open water and you will end up wasting a ton of energy trying to track straight. The technical term is "weather cocking" but I know Rent knows all about that but it does not have anything to do with kayaks!

[Buster]

Whatever you do … get a sit on top design Kayak.

I made a rookie mistake while fishing in swift current in the Keys in Spanish Harbor Channel under the bridge.
My error involved using an anchor and letting the line get under the yak sideways!!!!!!!
I was talking to a nearby buddy and there was no whoops moment … I was propelled … slam dunked and found myself finishing my sentence 8 feet under water!
Once freed from the anchor line I was able to flip the yak back upright and drag myself back onboard. SOT yaks are self bailing.

If my yak had been a sit inside, getting back onboard in that current would have been my second nightmare of the day.

One other piece of advice: Leash it … or loose it. Thankfully, this rookie had taken that advice to heart.
YouTube videos dealing with yak issues can save your life. Because of those vids, nothing I went through was totally new to me and I knew what I had to do

[p7fl]

A lot of good info.
First, yes, the shoulders are a risk. Buying a boat would be a gamble. I am more concerned with taking the Kayak on and off the Jeep.
Are there any that might be just 30 lbs?

I have never done ocean kayaking. I definitely understand the need for a rudder. What I am not following is the sit on V sit in? Based on limiting white water we used a skirt and I figured that would be best but you guys say No. Wouldn’t it get too full of water in the wind or chop?

Revelation and Buster both mentioned a sit on but I am not sure I followed the logic. More stability is great, while I was a canoe garu, I also spent most of my time upside down in kayaks.
Last the wheels. Are these wheels that you have in the car and then put the OK on? Not towing wheels.

Finally can anyone make a specific suggestion for the lightest weight they have experience with.
I hope I making sense, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I wasn’t.
TIA
jon

[Buster]

Jon,
All things considered: I suggest that you rent kayaks, trying different types and getting advice along the way.
I also suggest that google is your friend and you should surf a few websites (kayak forums) and accumulate some experience.
Finally, I think you will find that ocean kayaking can at times require more shoulder effort than kayaking on calm lagoons, lakes and rivers, where most kayak specific paddling makes more use of arms than shoulders.

A novice kayaker with compromised shoulders taking the lightest sit inside kayak he can find into ocean swells and boat wakes is a recipe for disaster.

But what the hey … what do I know?

But finally … if you end up buying one: I suggest taking your time and buy used.
I didn't want to deal with putting two kayaks on the roof of the car and back down, etc, so I also invested in a used kayak trailer. I don't have a garage, so the trailer with a harbor freight tarp on it houses the yaks in the back yard.
Your mileage will surely vary … good luck to us all.

[revelation]

A lot of good info.
First, yes, the shoulders are a risk. Buying a boat would be a gamble. I am more concerned with taking the Kayak on and off the Jeep.
Are there any that might be just 30 lbs?

I have never done ocean kayaking. I definitely understand the need for a rudder. What I am not following is the sit on V sit in? Based on limiting white water we used a skirt and I figured that would be best but you guys say No. Wouldn’t it get too full of water in the wind or chop?

Revelation and Buster both mentioned a sit on but I am not sure I followed the logic. More stability is great, while I was a canoe garu, I also spent most of my time upside down in kayaks.
Last the wheels. Are these wheels that you have in the car and then put the OK on? Not towing wheels.

Finally can anyone make a specific suggestion for the lightest weight they have experience with.
I hope I making sense, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I wasn’t.
TIA
jon

Everyone has excellent food for thought and renting one is probably the first step. Just like you, I spent half my white water days upside down skirted in. With my ocean kayak and most of them the have bulkheads in front of you and behind you. They make great (mostly) watertight compartments with a rubber type hatch on the type of the boat. As for wheels I had a little colapsible cart that had big wheels to make it to the put it. It would stow in one of the compartments. The roof rack maker “Yakima” has a specific model to help you slide the boat up on to it. It would work for either sit on tops or a sit in.

[Firemedic2000]

Jon,
A novice kayaker with compromised shoulders taking the lightest sit inside kayak he can find into ocean swells and boat wakes is a recipe for disaster.

He knows exactly what he's talking about. Sit on top kayak is the way to go. I have both and use them often. I keep the 12 ft sit in for company.

I use a 13 ft OLD TOWN PREDATOR SIT ON TOP with a rudder. It's not lite but it's extremely stable. I really like the PREDATOR 13 you can hook up trolling motors to it to hrlp out with your shoulders to. Stability is fantastic. You can stand up in it with zero problems.

Here's utube reviews
https://youtu.be/NMk5oGW3nGo
https://youtu.be/Gs9vI5yHOqA
https://youtu.be/RMS6ijoOb0Y

[TC6969]

One other piece of advice: Leash it … or loose it.

If the opposite of win is loose, whats the opposite of tight?