Buying a kayak?

Question

I'm using it mostly for the rivers in central Va.I'm not sure what to buy,i've been kayaking the past few years,but i'm not sure if I should get a sit-in or sit-on-top kayak.I also don't want a really long one,but I need a little storage still.Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Don't get a sit on top for rivers.  Get one that can be used with a spray skirt.  Even if you are only paddling in flat water its nice to have a skirt when the water is cold.  Without one you will get wet just from water dripping off your paddle.  The skirt means you can start paddling earlier in the spring and later in the fall and still be comfortable.  I still like the old style boats with a round bottom as opposed to the newer flat bottom planing hulls for running rivers.  I have several kayaks and the one I use most on rivers is a Dagger Crossfire.  Others to look for are the Perception Dancer or Pirouette and Dagger RPM.

Answer 2

buy one with a closed deck. it'll keep you nice and dry.

i'd recommend a Pyranna H3. they're an oldish boat but are still great and there'll be looooooads of second hand ones floating around.

Answer 3

buy a creeker  they are a bit bigger than the playboat but you can carry more with you but that means your roll has to be better.

Answer 4

I would recommend a creeker. The Dagger Nomad and Dagger Redline and Perception Supersonic and Jackson Kayak Hero  and Punk Rocker series are all good boats for that type of thing.