[Closed] Kayak experts. Need your advice.

Costco have some at about £240, you often see them on ebay for £50 more.

Not an expert by any means, but can testify that Brookbank are excellent. Really helpful. I recently got rid of my whitewater kayak as I never used it, it's a pain in the A*se on steady water as it never tracked straight.

Last summer I Got a take apart Point 65 Martini that I stick in the car and take down the river in the evenings. Great fun. Took it to Scotland last August, pootled around in Loch Hourn catching Mackerel in the evenings. Love it.

Brookbank are ok - bought a few boats from them in the past.

Where are you as I might be able to think of something more local?

Id suggest something like a dagger approach or pyranha fusion, they'll do most things alright. Remember to include for paddles & bouyancy aids if you've not got them. Good paddles make a huge difference.

If I was buying two solo SOTs I'd be looking for a model that stacks easily - something like a OK Frenzy.

Venture Islay 14 or Dagger Axis e10.5, both tested in the August Canoe & Kayak mag, might suit - both are flatish water do it all boats with a bit of day storage. Both do break your budget a bit though. The Islay is more of a short touring kayak and will carry more and be better in a straight line, the Axis a bit shorter and more manoeuvrable.

edit - do you actually mean by "sit in" a traditional kayak (where your legs are covered) or a sit on top like Druidh has recommended above? If Sit-on-top, sorry - I know nothing!

Plas Y Brenin often ell their leased kayaks after they've been used for a couple years. you can pick up a well looked after kayak for a reasonable price.

Give them a ring to see if they have any

http://www.pyb.co.uk/contact-us.php

No, not a 'sit-on-top'. I probably didn't need to refer to it as a 'sit-in' kayak as I guess all Kayaks are 'sit-in' other than actual 'sit-on-tops'.

I'm based near Warwick so Brookbanks is on my doorstep. I guess stability is our main goal as we both want a calm day out on the water, just enjoying the views and peacefulness of it. So we're not looking for speed or anything super fancy.

I've seen quite a few within my budget but am I not being realistic in getting something decent for that sort of money (other than 2nd hand). I have no frame of reference so wouldn't honestly know if I was buying something of good quality or a junk so I'm using price as guide for quality really i.e not cheapest I can find, nor the most expensive.

I guess stability is our main goal as we both want a calm day out on the water, just enjoying the views and peacefulness of it.

If stability is the main consideration, why not a sit on top?

If stability is the main consideration, why not a sit on top?

We looked at them but we thought for canals which we have an abundance of around here that a traditional kayak would be more comfortable and have better chance of keeping us dry.

ARE SOTs not inherently less stable (Centre of mass above centre of bouyancy etc) unless much much wider?

ukriversguidebook might be able to help with advice and second hand.

Point 65 Martini:

😯 😀

I have a Dagger Blackwater 10.5. I am no expert and mainly use it on inland lochs. Has a storage hatch big enough for a day sack and hiking boots. Try to get a kayak with a drop down skeg. Helps keep the boat tracking straight.

That Blackwater Dagger looks very similar to the Dagger model I mentioned above. Price is not bad too- only just over the £500 barrier.

Totally agree about the skeg - nothing more frustrating especially for a beginner that trying to paddle across a loch and fighting the whole time to keep it tracking straight.

sit on top's are great for a French resivoir in summer, in shorts. But lets be honest, we get maybe 2 or 3 days a year like that in the UK? (when we're not stuck in an office 😉

Would get something from teh likes of Dagger, thats quite long with a decent seat & back rest arrangement, as for a boat of that type, its comfort and ease of use that your after, especially for the inexperienced occasional user. And most budget/flat water boats I've come across often have a very poor outfitting, when what you want is a floating armchair, I know I would!

£500 is a generous budget for such a boat too. I would expect £375-425 would be about the right ballpark for that kind of boat.

Paddles can be very expensive (I dropped £300 on some lush carbon jobs, but then I'm probably in the water 200hours a year) but some decent fibreglass blades will be in the £75-95 range, less for plastic, but they are generally awful, though judge it depending on your usage.

Wetboots, spent about 5years teaching uni kayak groups and we would always suggest the 1st purchase should be wetboots! In the UK/river/lake/sea, they are all cold so its really nice to have warm feet and not ruin your other shoes. cost about £20-40. Nookie/reed/palm all make good ones for that price.

I use a Dagger RPM for pretty much the same usage as you described. It's a real good kayak for day trips but if you are thinking of camping at any point I would go for something similar but with storage compartment inc.

Brookbank are a good company and know what they're talking about - they'll give you better advice than anyone on here.

If your after a kayak try looking at the Pyranha Master or Venture Kayaks stuff - British made too...

Pyranha master (223litre?) are what we used to use for instructing all sorts on open water & within a harbour, VERY stable, and with the optional skeg, hold a straight line pretty well for a boat of their type. Easy to carry though heavy, and they DO stack very well. Once had 6x 223 masters, 17x paddles, 3x people and 5x peoples equipment in/on a mk1 fiat punto.
No idea how much they cost, but for one for yourself, enquire about a better outfitting set for them as the cheap/stock one is maybe OK for a 10yr old, but the elasticated back doesn't cut it for anyone else.