Quote:
Originally Posted by alanw
I'm sure it's personal preference, but I feel the bigger the better in open water. I've paddled a 12' kayak and it always felt too short for me. I didn't like that the bow was only 3' in front of my feet, and felt like the short length contributed to it tracking horribly and having a slow speed. I went to a 14' boat and it felt much better, it rode over steep swells better and tracked better too. I wanted more speed though so I went to a streamlined 16' boat, and that felt perfect for length on the water, it tracked like a dream and handled swells like a boss. 6' of bow in front of my feet made it feel like I could punch through anything. If I was younger or a better paddler I'd say this is the perfect boat. But being streamlined it compromised stability, which wasn't bad but at 50 my balance isn't what it used to be and worrying about flipping every time I reached back for bait took some of the fun out of it for me. I opted for the 14' PA and feel that's it's a good length and of course stable too. Tracking isn't too bad and I can peddle it fast enough to be happy. Weight definitely could be an issue though. My advice is to go as big as you can, considering storage, transportation, weight, and cost.
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Weight is my biggest concern, I'm 67 with a jacked up back. I can lift 100lbs but I don't like to. My camper shell is too high but I've made assists to help me load. I have a good kayak trailer I made but I prefer to not have the parking issues it brings, but it's great to use at Mission Bay, I back down the boat ramp and drop the kayaks right at the water and there is plenty of parking for the truck and trailer. I guess my main concern is going off shore, is 11.5' adequate or do I need longer? It's looking like most prefer about 14' for wave penetration and stability