Kayak clueless...

[TheQuintessentialMan]

Kind of interested in an entry level kayak to get a little exercise in but want something versatile enough it can be used for diving or other activities. Want to keep cost low on this until I get some time in the water. Any good advice or suggestions? I'm 6' 2", 210.

 

[Rred]

Would suggest renting a few to get the feel of them. The typical $500 /12 foot kayak may weigh 50 pounds, and that will be very different from a long slim fiberglass model meant to cover open water. But as soon as you add SCUBA tank...you don't want a kayak. Traditionally, that's a closed boat and you sit in and fully occupy, the only hole in the deck. You might prefer a "sityak" aka a canoe with very low walls (G) since you can drag your tank onto a sityak without trying to stow it through the same opening you are sitting in. Some of the sityaks are targeted to fishing, and that's likely to give you the most open platform and flexibility to add stuff on.

This is the time of year when summer fun gear is being sold on Craigslist to prevent winter storage. And speaking of storage--once you hit 12' in length, you may find it hard to store that sityak.

Odds are there's a rental place that will let you try out a couple of them, for a reduced rate, if you let them know you're trying to figure out what to buy. And they may also be looking to sell off used inventory.

 

[Altamira]

You are likely going to need a two person, sit on kayak if you plan to use it for diving as you will need space to store and secure your dive gear while enroute to your dive spot. Have you thought about what you are going to do with the kayak while you are diving? As a boat and kayak owner, I highly discourage people from diving from either vessel without having someone topside to deal with dislodged anchors, drifting, and boaters coming over to check out the seeming "abandoned" kayak. I know some folks drop anchor and hit the water, but more than a few people have surfaced to find their boat/kayak nowhere in sight because the anchor became dislodged, or someone decided to make off with their kayak while they were enjoying their dive. I also agree with Brad that you should rent one a time or two to get the feel of the kayak and to see if diving off the kayak is going to be your cup of tea. I found it was not as much fun as I thought it might be, far preferring to dive from my boat, but you may love it.

 

[2airishuman]

Kind of interested in an entry level kayak to get a little exercise in but want something versatile enough it can be used for diving or other activities. Want to keep cost low on this until I get some time in the water. Any good advice or suggestions? I'm 6' 2", 210.

There are all kinds of outfitters that rent kayaks that are roughly the right size for you. Start there, but realize that these aren't nice kayaks. You will at least get a feel for this style of boat and its capabilities.

Diving from a kayak is not a beginner activity and you're going to want to be a good diver, kayaker, and waterman before you go there. There are a few kayaks marketed specifically for diving but most of the larger fishing kayaks will work. You need enough weight capacity for you and your gear and a place to stow your gear. The cheap rotomolded kayaks are OK but you will have to get something larger than the bargain basement ones at the sporting goods stores. When you pay more you get lighter for the same strength and also more accessories like hatches, hatch covers, rod holders, and lashing points.

Longer and thinner is faster but less stable and harder to reboard after diving, which is an athletic activity under the best of circumstances.

I used to want a kayak and a paddleboard until I figured out that I can do everything I want with a canoe.

 

[TheQuintessentialMan]

So I've decided on a Sun Dolphin Journey; it's tagged as a fishing kayak and looks like the Bali but with holes for fishing poles (dive flags ). It's 12' long, rated close to 400 lbs, and sit on top. I'm land locked so it will mostly see local freshwater lakes, already have an Old Town 174 canoe so got that covered. Was really wanting the kayak for exercise and maybe exploring some of the local streams/rivers but wanted to find out what angle there is for SCUBA so the comments helped a lot.

Thanks.

 

[Rich Keller]

You are likely going to need a two person, sit on kayak if you plan to use it for diving as you will need space to store and secure your dive gear while enroute to your dive spot

Another good reason for a two person kayak is they are rated to carry more weight. The closer you get to the maximum weight rating the harder it is to control and paddle the kayak. There are many kayaks that have the option to paddle a two person kayak from a center seat by one person. This will give you a higher weight rating and also makes it more useful for recreational kayaking with a second person.

 

[sologuy]

Like said - RENT a yak... Look at big singles or two man options. Another note- Think about BALANCE / BOAT TRIM. If you are going to use it with tank/s AND just as a yak (no diving) some yaks have like a 3rd seat in middle... pay attention. Look at the seating for trim/baest balance, ALSO look at how seat hardware attaches, some are not so good..... There are a LOT of options so look far and wide and pay attention to the details I mentioned- ONE LAST THING.... some yaks are a PIA to enter from water- rent one and enter it WITHOUT fins....in deep water (over your head)