Sea kayak sizing?/?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a sea kayak but am not sure what size to get. I am a female, about 5 foot 5 inches. Any magic on what size kayak I should get? Any other features or suggestions??

Answer 1

There are a variety of boats that will suit you - first, I'd think about where you want to paddle it, and what your skill level is.  If you're just starting out, go to a paddling shop and ask to test paddle a variety of boats that would fit you.  Tell them where you want to paddle - open ocean, surf zone, calm bays, inland lakes, slower rivers, etc.  Sea kayaks can right at home on all of these bodies of water.

Here's a short article regarding this: http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showA...

If you can take a class, you would do well to get out on the water with an instructor in a boat similar to what you are interested in.  You'll learn some great skills, and become comfortable in the boat prior to buying yours.   Here's a list of paddling schools, hopefully there's one near you: http://www.paddling.net/schools/   Most of them will provide boats to use for the lessons.  

One of the challenging things to fit for someone who is small is the cockpit of a sea kayak - ask for help at your local paddling shop.  Sit inside a variety of boats, and make note of the cockpit dimensions.  Then, as you shop, you'll know by looking at the specs of a boat whether or not you'll fit in it well.  Too large of a cockpit, and you won't have any connection to the boat.  You need to have hips that touch, knees that touch, and feet on the foot pegs.  Those three points will allow you to control the boat, put it up on edge, and eventually, roll it.  There are aftermarket pads that can be added to make a boat fit better - you can work with your paddling shop to get the right padding that is needed.  

Volume of the boat is an issue too.  If you weigh 120#, you don't want a  high volume boat that's made for a 220# person, it will ride really high in the water, and make capsize/re-entry quite difficult.

Good luck!