I weigh 320 pounds, can I Kayak?

Question

I would like to Kayak. I weight 320 pounds, but it's a "big athletic type" 320 pounds. I would like to do so with my girl who is under 150 pounds. Is thier a tandem Kayak that is built for this? Or will they all hold our weight?

Answer 1

Absolutely you can kayak!  My first kayak was a solo recreational boat that had a 450# weight capacity!   No modifications need to be made, the kayaking industry isn't only geared to small people.  One of the best kayaking instructors out there, a guy named Wayne Horodowich, is around 6'7" and probably 280#.  He's an amazing sea kayaker, so have no fear! There are all kinds of boats for big guys.  

In tandem kayaking, it can be a struggle to get the two paddlers in synch with each other.  Keep in mind that this can be a bit of a test on a relationship.  Many kayakers refer to tandem kayaks as "divorce boats."  The weight disparity between the two of you may require some work as well.  As you can imagine, a boat that is out of balance (popping a wheelie, essentially) will handle differently than a boat that is trimmed out and evenly balanced.  

First, determine the type of kayaking you want to do most of the time.   Are you going to be on inland lakes and slow rivers?  Do you want to explore the open ocean swells?  Are you wanting to run winding rivers or rapids?

The single best resource on the web is Paddling.net.  There are over 55,000 members who contribute on the message boards and product reviews.   The guidelines section can help you to choose the type of boat you want, and will help you with boat demos - so you'll know what to look for.

Just to start you off, here's a list of tandem kayaks that have a weight capacity that will more than cover you:

Malibu Pro 2 (Sit On Top)

Cobra Triple (Sit on Top)

Perception Acadia II (Recreational)

Perception Sundance II (Recreational)

Eddyline Whisper CL (Sea Kayak)

Seda Tango (Sea Kayak)

Check out the archives to Wes Boyd's Kayak Place site below.  Wes spent years gathering information on kayaks for bigger people, and his resources have been archived at KayakWisconsin.net.   Great material!

Answer 2

I think you'll have to go custom by modifying a canoe, because I can't imagine what's now considered as a kayak being able to carry 470 pounds.

Answer 3

proply not u weight to much

Answer 4

You can go kayaking by yourself most likely.  And even this may need to be customized kayak.  I dont think you can go with someone else.  Good luck man.

Answer 5

I took my dad down the Animas last year on my inflatable kayak.... he's a good 280+ [I'm 180... 460? total].....

It was a little akward at first but we got the hang of it..... An IK with that much weight absolutly bashes holes....

I think you'd actually be suprised.... I would not however try a hardshell.... inflatables are much more forgiving.