Marilyn Donnelly enjoying her 16-foot Prijon Seayak. Having a boat you love to paddle means you paddle more often and longer. (Tim Jones photo)
Marybeth from Connecticut wrote asking advice on picking kayaks for her and her husband: “We are looking for something for the lakes, but have an opportunity to kayak on a quiet ocean inlet in Maine where we vacation.”
By knowing where she wants to paddle, Marybeth has made a good start on getting the right boats for her and her husband.
There’s no way I would ever recommend a specific kayak for anyone. Kayak preferences are as personal as underwear. But there are some general considerations which can help you find a kayak you can live with happily.
Not all kayaks are created equal. Sadly, there are lots of slow, clunky kayaks that aren’t much fun to paddle. They are cheap, so people buy them thinking they are getting a bargain. Typically , they get used a few times, then abandoned. It’s like trying to pedal a clunker bicycle — despite best intentions you don’t go far or stay with it. Good equipment makes a difference.
This 14-foot Perception Carolina handles ponds, flatwater rivers, lakes and ocean bays.(Tim Jones photo)
So here’s my advice for what it’s worth:
1. Know yourself. What’s most important to you? Do you want to go far and fast? Or are you content to paddle just far enough to see the sunset? Do you have good balance? Do you want performance from your kayak? Are you agile enough to get into and out of a tight cockpit. Do you need the protection of a sit-in kayak with a spray skirt, or would a sit-on-top work better for you? Do you paddle alone? Do you want to carry camping gear? Are you strong enough to load a kayak onto a car rack by yourself?
2. Know where you want to paddle. There’s no such thing as an all-around kayak. Do you paddle on rivers, ponds, lakes, the surf, protected bays or the open ocean? The best boat for paddling on a quiet pond is not the best boat for a wild, whitewater river , paddling Inn to Inn on Lake Champlain or camping the Maine Island Trail. Decide where you paddle most and buy a boat for that. If it works in other situations, great. If not, rent when you need to (or own more than one kayak!)
3. Based on the above answers, you should be able to narrow your choices. A salesperson at a good paddling shop can help you narrow your choices. Generally, shorter boats are lighter, more maneuverable, slower and less seaworthy than longer ones. Wider boats tend to be more stable but harder to paddle. Longer boats are faster, heavier, handle bigger water and carry more gear. Smaller cockpits are harder to get into but aid performance once you are in. Sit-on-top-boats are fine for warm weather and water. Plastic boats are heavier, cheaper, stand up to more abuse than composites (Personally, I think plastic boast are the only reasonable choice for rocky New England.)
This Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 is a stable, versatile, and lightweight, at home on rivers and ponds, but some people will want more paddling performance. (Tim Jones photo)
4. Try as many kayaks as you can before your buy. Rent! Borrow! If someone has a used kayak for sale near you, ask if you can paddle it. Go to a paddling demo or buy from a shop that lets you get in the boat.
5. If you buy a boat and eventually find isn’t perfect for you, don’t despair. There’s a strong market for used kayaks. Just sell it and get another one that suits you better. You’ll know more about yourself and what you want and will be more likely to get it right the second time.
My personal choices? I like kayaks in the 14- to 16-foot range, especially if you are only going to own one boat for pond, lake, flat river and ocean bay paddling. Marilyn started her paddling career in a stable, comfortable 14-foot Perception Carolina, but just bought a fast, lively 16-foot Prijon Seayak. She’s in love. I have a big, 17.5-foot Aquaterra Sea Lion for the ocean and big lakes, kept the Carolina for paddling on smaller waters, so now we are a three-kayak family. There’s nothing wrong with owning more than one kayak! Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out paddling and enjoy!
Picking A PFD
You never just buy a kayak. You also have to buy, at least, a paddle and a PFD (flotation vest). Let’s start with the PFD, since no one should EVER get into a kayak without one. The only two criteria you really need to worry about for kayaking are fit and flotation.
These folks are out having fun on a lake in kayaks that are just right for them. (Tim Jones photo)
To fit properly, a kayaking vest has to be the right size for you and it has to let you sit comfortably in the seat of your kayak and move your arms in a natural paddling motion. If it pushes up, binds or limits your paddling motion, it doesn’t fit. Women will typically appreciate the anatomic contoured fit of a woman’s vest.
PFDs are categorized by Type. Bulky Type I and II vests, for example, will turn an unconscious user upright in the water. The need for unrestricted paddling motion usually eliminates most of the bulky Type I and II PFDs. Kayaking-specific Type III or Type V vests are your best choice if you intend to paddle regularly. The only difference between Type II and Type V is that a Type V vest must be worn at all times. Since you should always have on a vest in a kayak, the distinction is meaningless.
Vest have different buoyancy ratings, usually marked on the hang tag. My advice: get as much flotation as you can in a vest that fits.
Marilyn and I both use paddling specific vests from Kokatat. Hers is a Type III MsFitTour woman’s vest with 16-plus pounds of lift. Mine is Type an Orbit Tour with 15.5 pounds. Both are so comfortable we don’t mind wearing them whenever we are paddling.
Picking a Paddle
Kayak paddles come in different lengths for different boats and paddling styles, with different blade shapes for different purposes. One general rule with paddles: all else equal, lighter is better, which is why carbon fiber is the (expensive!) material of choice. Most paddles today allow you to adjust the blade offset angle (feathering) to your personal preference. As someone who grew up paddling canoes, I prefer an unfeathered paddle, but it seems I’m in the minority these days
Some paddles have the blades in the same plane, others are “feathered” with one blade offset from the other. Most are adjustable. There are bent and straight shaft. Try different configurations and find what’s right for you.
Marilyn has a better paddle than me and I’m, frankly, a little jealous. She paddles with an elegant, lightweight 27-ounce Wind Swift paddle from Eddyline (a company which also makes some exquisitely beautiful kayaks . . .). My “best” paddle is a Harmony Tortuga Featherlock Carbon which adjusts for both length and blade offset. I use it for long paddles, especially in the ocean. Most of the time, however, I use a lovely older two-piece wood paddle with a brass ferrule from Mitchell Paddles. It’s heavy by today’s standards, but pleases my eye, balances well, feels good in my hands, and has a big blade that really drives the boat, which makes it a fine paddle for me.
Sprayskirts and Rudders
If you are paddling a sit-in kayak where there’s any chance of encountering a wave or boat wake big enough to wash into the cockpit, you really should have a fitted spray skirt. Personally, I think every sit-in kayak needs a spray skirt—it just makes the boat more versatile. Take paddling in the rain, for instance—it can be a lot of fun and a lot more comfortable with a spray skirt than without. Lot’s of times, you don’t need them, but when you do, you do. I always have mine with me in the boat, and if there’s any chance of rough water I have it on (you wear them like a funny-looking skirt, hence the name) and ready to snap into place around the cockpit if the wind, waves or boat wakes kick up. My spray skirt is a Gore Tex model from Kokatat, Marilyn has one from NRS, while our “spare” is from Harmony
For paddling on quieter waters, a splash deck can keep paddle-drips off your legs and protect them from the sun. I don’t own one, but if I did a lot of paddling on ponds and quiet rivers, I sure would.
Two of our kayaks, my 17-foot Aquaterra Sea Lion and my sweetheart Marilyn’s 16-foot Prijon Seayak are outfitted with rudders, which can be very handy on big water to keep you tracking straight, especially in the wind and waves. Our other boat, a Perception Carolina 14 doesn’t have a rudder and therefore require more finesse with a paddle. A rudder isn’t always necessary, but there have been many times I’ve appreciated having one, even though they add cost, weight and complication to your boat. If you want to add a rudder to a kayak you already own, Harmony makes re-fit kits for many popular boats.
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Tim Jones, Founder and Executive Editor, started skiing at age 4 and hasn't stopped since. In the summer, he hikes, mountain bikes, paddles and fly fishes. In addition to his work at EasternSlopes.com, Tim also writes a pair of syndicated weekly newspaper columns, Active Outdoors and Eastern Slopes, and is Managing Editor of The Angling Report. He lives with his sweetheart Marilyn in New Hampshire with 25 ski hills within easy day-trip distance. 
