Grassroots selfpowered watersports. Kayak, or that other thing you paddle?

+1 on convenience. My Pungo 140 is a great boat but solo rooftop loading is a bitch at 14' and 60#.

On kayak vs canoe, my first time out in a kayak felt like second nature. Low seating keeps the CG lower and more stable. A good seat and well adjusted foot rests feel secure and comfortable. My long day in a canoe was awkward. My legs killed from a mix of weird positioning and trying to brace myself.

In reply to Brett_Murphy:

I think it has more to do with how my fat butt is designed, rather than how the kayak is designed. At 6'2" and 280#, it doesn't matter how the seat is built, my legs and feet need to be below my hips. I'm just not flexible enough to stay seated that way for long. My kids, on the other hand, love the thing and could paddle it for days.

Try it all, then decide.

the only problems I had with Kayaks... I hate the water running down the paddle as you go to the other side.. even the rings that were on the paddle I used did not stop that from happening.. and I dislike how kayaks "weather cock" unless you have one with a steerable rudder

mad_machine wrote: the only problems I had with Kayaks... I hate the water running down the paddle as you go to the other side.. even the rings that were on the paddle I used did not stop that from happening.. and I dislike how kayaks "weather cock" unless you have one with a steerable rudder

You need better rings on your paddle then. Kayak's wanting so turn have so much more to do with paddling technique than an issue of boat design typically. It's amazing how much less of a problem it becomes as you spend a good amount of time with your boat.

Hobie Adventure Island owner here.. You have to LOVE the mirage drive.. and being able to take the kids means using it in Trimaran from instead of Kayak mode.. It moves nicely either way.

Last weekend was a trip down the river. Mirage drive and Ama's got left at home.. perfect fun that way also..

Only downside is cost, but at the point the dollars per smile are very, very low..

My son and I rented a canoe and paddled around the local lake. It was fun, but I don't think I'm going to buy one. I don't think that if I had one I would use it enough to justify it. See, this is why I put a 30 day waiting period on all hobby purchases.

Good decision.

My wife has given me the OK to purchase a Hobie Mirage, but I think I'd like to rent one first.

I just finished building my scarfing Jig.

For those do not know, when you go to make a longer piece of wood from two shorter pieces, you need to "scarf" them. This is cutting at an angle and then gluing them together. You usually want an 8:1 ratio on your angled cuts.

As I am dealing with 4mm thick plywood, I needed a 32mm long cut. To do this I built a jig to hold the plywood in place while also holding my router at the correct angle.

First I started with a 2x2 piece of laminate pressboard. As long as it never gets wet, it stays very stable and will not warp. To this I cut two pieces of red oak at 2 feet in length and then after using a micrometer, cut them at the proper angle to get me that 32mm "scarf" in the 4mm plywood.

Then came a 36x18 inch piece of half inch ply that I cut a 4" hole into to hold my router in place. I found out the hard way that a 20v dewalt does have enough torque to really hurt your wrist when the holesaw grabs and then tries to rip your arm off and beat you to death with it.

For more strength, I added some more red oak in the form of ribs to the upper edges of the half inch ply. This should keep the ply from bowing in the centre when I am cutting.

Now to try my scarfing Jig on some scraps and see how it works. Routers are one of those power tools that scare the E36 M3 out of me.

I like kayaking, I have an inflatable kayak. I've never been in a canoe.

I did stand-up paddleboarding (with a surfboard) once and I think it's the dumbest way to move on water. It requires very careful balance to stay on the board (if the water's flat, good luck if a boat wake hits you), it's murder on your ankles, and your body acts as a sail, making travel into the wind harder than going up a down escalator.

SUPS are great for portability, surfing, and core workouts. Actually trying to get somewhere on them seems dumb. Like skateboards!