I prefer sit-in

Jackson sit ins are great. I have two Kilroys. But there are a couple of models available at a lower price point.

https://www.jacksonkayak.com/

Nu-canoe is another brand I like.

https://www.nucanoe.com/

Both are known for extreme stability.

I'm not an expert, just a casual kayak user.

I have Tarpons (10' and 12') and they are great. Very stable, relatively quick and easy to control.

Lots of great points / tips above. I would only comment that, based on my usages on relatively calm lake / river water (exception is when speed boats create large wakes), I might consider a sit-in.

Calm water and good swimmer (in swimmable water) may be a good match for sit-in for me. Like mentioned above, SOT can be very heavy - even the 10' is a little unwieldy for me. I envy the kayakers who can lift and transport their sit-in kayak by themselves.

I would probably kayak more often in more places if I could transport more easily (ie - sit in). Many time I want to go kayaking by myself, I end up not going because of the difficulties of the heavy SOT kayak.

Summary: I really like the SOT kayak (Tarpon) but it's challenging to go by myself. I'm interested in a sit in (for calm waters) so that I can manage by myself better.

Check some any local outdoor stores for kayak nights. I know REI and Alpine Shop here is St. Louis have kayak nights at local lakes for you to try before you buy. Also try renting a couple different ones. Kayaks, like everything else is you get what you paid for. Buy once, cry once.

re: " I don't like the feeling of half my body stuck in it, or getting wet, or how hard it is to get back in it if you fall over in deep water."



years ago I tried the only kind the lake rental guys had available, a 'sit-in' style. The comment above was my same feeling. I settled for a canoe for a few hours.

A sit-in will be much easier to paddle. Greenland style are the easiest. Also, with a couple hours of training you can learn to roll the kayak. This skill gives you much more confidence with where you can go.

Also sit-it would be much lighter. I would continue to research, and then buy a used kayak.
I kayaked 400 miles before I learned to roll my whitewater kayak. Life was so much easier after I learned how to roll.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Consider your local for sale ads (Craigslist, Next Door, Offer Up, etc) . End of the kayak season tend to have the lowest "get that thing out of my house, you never use it anyway" discount.

Got my current kayak in October several years ago exactly that way. I'd been looking for a particular model for half the summer and one popped up on CL. Exactly what I wanted for a great price.

Up here the water never gets all that warm so I prefer a sit in for comfort and tracking. Adjustable foot pegs in a sit in let you brace yourself for more power and protect your back.

I've fallen off a sit on top, but never fallen out of a sit in. I have swamped a sit in though. The falling off and swamping happened while I was trying to surf 3-5 foot breaking waves.

I've never worried I wouldn't be able to get out of a sit in. The recreational ones have huge cockpit openings.

Some common sense is required. Wear a proper, quality life jacket. Don't go farther offshore than you can swim back from. Pay attention to the wind. Paddling against an offshore breeze isn't much fun.

I take additional steps if I'm going offshore which are beyond the scope of what the OP is wanting to do.

I have checked marketplace and Craig’s list with not much luck. I will be in calm waters with usually just me on the water.

quote:

Originally posted by BennerP220:
I have checked marketplace and Craig’s list with not much luck. I will be in calm waters with usually just me on the water.

A low end SOT kayak from Academy may suit your needs. It sounds like you will not be spending a lot of time in it or making long runs in it. I still think that you need to focus on how comfortable the seat is.

Yes, I plan on going there and sitting in the ones I’m interested in.

So I took yesterday off and went to Academy Sports. I had them take the kayaks down that I was interested in and I sat in them. I wasn't very happy with any of them. Then, one of the sales associates told me that they had a canoe that he thought was on clearance.

I told him that I hadn't look or thought much of a canoe because of the size and the cost. So, he took me to a 2017 model Old Town with a square stern. The original price was $750 and had been marked down to $674.99. He scanned it and it showed $168!!

It is 15'6" and had the oar socket kit included. I ordered oars for an additional $38 with free shipping. My wife and I went to pick it up and the guys bringing it up told us that the canoe had scratches and a couple of the Old Town stickers were coming off so they decided to give me another 20% off of the $168!!!

It fits perfectly on top of my 2003 4runner but it will take two adults to put it up there. I guess that's good since going out on the water is best with at least two people.

My wife and kids are excited since I can take them out, too. I'm excited because I can add a trolling motor and we can take a cooler and make a day out of it if we want.

Now, I wait for the oars and then the maiden voyage!

That is a great deal. Paddling with your family will be a lot of fun, and you can do some overnight trips if you wish.

Awesome score! Canoeing is fun, once the person in front gets the hang of it. The one in back is the motor and rudder and the one in front is a paddler. They sometimes like to think that are the driver, engine, cruise director and the only person onboard.

That said, make sure you get PDFs. The passive inflatables are perfect and the active are excellent too, but at a little more cost.

That's awesome! Kids are going to love it.

quote:

The one in back is the motor and rudder and the one in front is a paddler.

yes.....and be aware the 'one in back' needs to be of a larger displacement than the one in front or you will end up having to paddle backwards.

Don't ask how I know this.

Thanks, guys. Keep the pointers coming!

My dad is looking at little trolling motors for us. I really need a good life jacket. I am interesting in the auto/manual ones. I like how small they are until you need it and the co2 blows it up.

It took a while to explain to my wife that the one using the oars sits backward to row. She didn't understand why he didn't sit forward so he can see where he's going.

That was a super deal. They sell new decals.

You can clean the bottom and put a nice wax job on it for protection and speed.

A square stern is a nice feature to have.

Let me know the next time you go looking for a deal.

You are also going to have friends coming out of the wood works now that you have a canoe.

You can put a mirror on the stern to see where you are going.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?...nue=43&v=ItaOwyFso5Y

Thanks, 41. I liked the video, too. Give me a call and I'll go with ya to get a deal!

I am gonna put my oar sockets on tonight or tomorrow. My oars will be here on Thursday.

quote:

Originally posted by 41:
That was a super deal. They sell new decals.

You can clean the bottom and put a nice wax job on it for protection and speed.

A square stern is a nice feature to have.

Let me know the next time you go looking for a deal.

You are also going to have friends coming out of the wood works now that you have a canoe.

You can put a mirror on the stern to see where you are going.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?...nue=43&v=ItaOwyFso5Y

That's an awesome deal and you should have lots of fun with it. You should see if that store has a trailer on clearance for it too!!!! You STOLE that thing.

We use to put a piece of Teflon in the oar socket for friction free movement.



Looks like the have an insert for the oar socket.

la-449944579611&psc=1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/SeaSens...a-449944579611&psc=1