Will a white water kayak work well on a lake?

Question

What about a Dagger 7.9? I'm getting it used for only $75.

Answer 1

Sure. But..... Not really the right tool for the job.

White water Kayaks are designed for maneuverability, not stability and speed like Ocean Kayaks and Lake Kayaks. Plus the white water versions typically have less storage.  

You can buy kayaks that will work for both. Not really great for either one, but more versatile.

Answer 2

A kayak is paddled with a double bladed paddle. Any kayak will track if paddled correctly. Yes, length will affect speed.  A short kayak will draw more water than a longer one, hence the drag.

Answer 3

Unless you're a very patient and highly skilled paddler, you'll spin in circles on a lake.  It'll float, and you can paddle it, but don't expect to actually point it in one direction and travel.  That's not what whitewater hulls are made for.

Answer 4

the only one that i would recomend is a Dagger RPM, and that is more biased towards WW. the longer the kayak, the better it tracks, but as far as whitewater goes, anything other than a playboat or planing hull creeker is going to be very similar. whitewater boats made for racing and attaining would be your best bet, but it would extremely narrow the field of whitewater kayaking you would be able to do, and they are more expensive and harder to find than plastic boats.

Answer 5

The shorter the boat, the slower you'll go (-9ft).  The longer the boat, the more speed and straight tracking you'll get (9ft+). I take my playboat out to roll practice and mess around on the lake, but  I usually don't go for a good long flatwater paddle in it. My creekboat would work fine for a flatwater paddle...and I wouldn't even have to wear the skirt if I didn't feel like it (always a PFD though!!! and I personally like to have my helmet on so my brain stays in tact if I flip). If you're going to focus on flatwater, get a flatwater boat. It will make your time more enjoyable. You can camp and picnic out of a bigger boat and won't have to fight to manuever it. Good Luck.