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Health & Fitness

The Kayak Search Continues...

I honestly thought I would have had a kayak sitting in my garage by now, taking up space.

But I don’t. And its not without a lack of trying.

Just this past weekend I attended a promising (but lame) Bike/Kayak swap meet in St. Louis Park and stopped at Gander Mountain to see if I could use a Cabela’s giftcard to buy a kayak. Alas, no.

If I wanted to pay full retail for a kayak, it would be in garage already. But I don’t like paying full retail for anything  – who does?

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To go back to my , here’s how I’m going to use the kayak “most” of the time:

  1. Overnight trips on the river with my bestie
  2. Afternoon tours
  3. Races and tri events

The longer the boat, the more stable it is in the water, which means more speed (#3) and less wear & tear on your upper body for paddling (#1).

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Therefore, I need a 12- or 14-footer. Anything longer than that is considered a “sea touring” kayak… and is more money. When beginning your kayak search, figure out your priorities—what are you NOT willing to give up? Mine are:

  1. Double dry bulkheads: If you do overnighters, you need two of these. One for firewood and one for your pillow/blanket. The rest of your stuff, including Oreos, can sit on top in a drybag.
  2. Comfie seat: For trips any longer than 3 hours, you will wish you spent a couple hundred more for a seat that adjusts in several places.

With all that in mind, following are the ‘yaks I’m most interested in. (All are around $800 to $950 range.)

1. Wilderness Systems Pungo 140: 14 feet in length with double bulkheads plus a SUPER comfie seat system. Their seat adjusts in several places and if you kayak for more than 3 or 4 hours in one day, you want adjustments. Wilderness also created a cool “Kayak Konsole,” which offers even more storage and CUP HOLDERS! Yes, the kayak community finally figured out that beverages are a part of any kayak outing. The another great point is the cockpit is OPEN, very wide and very open. Even when you put the Konsole on, you still have a lot of room.

NOTE: The Pungo 120 is, you guessed it, 12 feet in length and less expensive. BUT, you only have ONE dry bulkhead and you lose a little of stability with the shorter version. If you think you are just doing day trips (no overnighters) then this is a great alternative.

2. Perception Carolina - 14 feet with double bulkheads. I didn’t find their seat AS comfie as Wilderness systems, but it also adjusts in several places and would be great on long trips. The cockpit was smaller/tighter, but not as tight as a sea
kayak. Its a great hybrid for people who think they might be in rougher water and need the sleekness of a sea kayak with the comfort of a touring ‘yak.

NOTE: They also have a 12-foot version that loses a bulkhead and is less expensive.

I find these two kayaks pretty interchangable, but feel Wilderness edges out Perception with their better seat system and the Kayak Konsole.

ANOTHER NOTE: I know what you are thinking, you’ll just buy Wildnerness’s seat system and put it in your kayak. Sorry, they don’t sell them separately. Boo. But, you can buy that Kayak Konsole separately if you have a kayak with a large cockpit area. Retails for around $70.

3. Dagger Axis 12 – A 12 foot kayak with only one bulkhead BUT it has a skeg. A skeg is essentially a drop down rudder system that you can use when you need it. When down, the skeg helps you track on the water better – especially useful in high winds.

I’m torn on this one. The skeg sounds awesome – but I’m losing out on  a bulkhead and two feet of boat. Theory goes I won’t need those two extra feet for tracking ease because I have the skeg. But when discussing this with other kayakers, many said they never even use the skeg.

There are others in the mix, but they don’t fit well with my priorities above. For instance, Old Towne Camden 120 looks like a great kayak as well, but it only has one bulkhead. This version also comes as with a fishing package. The Black Cherry color is to die for – never saw a kayak with that color. This is where I almost bought a ‘yak based on color.

Current Designs is a popular kayak brand, but I find them WAY too far out of my price range. And I don’t see what that extra money is getting me. The Kestral series comes as a 12 and 14 footer in both composite and rotomolded. The composite can run up to $2,000 (ouch!) while the rotomolded sits at $999 for the 14 foot price. For $50 to $100 more than the kayaks above, I don’t see what that’s getting you other than the Current Design name. And Wildnerness still kicks
their pants when it comes to the seat design.

My morning ritual now consists of me searching on Craigslist for “kayak” and scouring the outdoorsy places in the Twin Cities for potential sales. My search should have began last fall—but I was moving and not interested in hauling a kayak from Milwaukee to the Cities.

The adventure continues….

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