12-Foot Hedgehog Productions | Outdoors / Choosing a Kayak

There is no such thing as a "general purpose" kayak, which is why many die-hard paddlers own more than one. :) Each different type of kayak is tuned to perform well on a particular type of water and with a particular type of paddler, and it may not perform well under other conditions. Thus, this article attempts to describe the pros and cons of the various kayak designs, as well as the different styles of paddling, in order to assist beginners in determining which of these is right for them.

1. Where Do You Want to Paddle?

Flat water or ocean paddling only

Touring kayaks, which are typically 12-17' long, will provide the best flat water tracking (tracking = the tendency of the boat to go in a straight line as you paddle it), the best performance in windy conditions, and the best stability in deep ocean swells. However, the tendency of the boat to go in a straight line is precisely what you don't want when paddling a river or creek, particularly one with tight turns and/or swift-moving water. A touring kayak may be unsinkable like the Titanic, but it steers like the Titanic as well. Many models provide either a skeg (a vertical fin that drops down to improve tracking) or an actual rudder.

Combination of flat water, moving water, and moderate whitewater (Class II, shallow features)

Recreational kayaks, which are typically 9-12' long, are a good compromise between tracking in flat water and maneuverability in moving water. You probably wouldn't want to take a recreational kayak on the open ocean, nor down the Grand Canyon, but these boats are appropriate for most "tame" rivers and creeks, as well as any lake or estuary. Basically, any river in which it would be safe to tube or swim can be run in a recreational kayak. The lion's share of recreational kayaks are between 10 and 11 feet long, which is considered a good "middle-of-the-road" length.

Serious whitewater (Class III and above, deep features)

You need a real whitewater boat with a good spray skirt to run these types of rivers. This would be necessary for running most rivers in the mountains, for running Central Texas rivers during big dam releases or rainfall events, or for surfing standing waves (see videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/bajateam2.)
Whitewater boats come in a variety of styles and are generally 6-9' in length. The style of boat is chosen based on the type of whitewater paddling you want to do (steep creeks, big rivers, or rodeo/freestyle.)
Whitewater boats don't generally track well on flat water, since they are designed for rivers that have no flat water, but they are extremely maneuverable in rapids.
You paddle a recreational kayak, but you wear a whitewater kayak. Paddling these boats is a different skill, as you use your whole body to steer the boat, not just your paddle. A skilled whitewater paddler will have no problem keeping a whitewater kayak straight on flat water, but beginners may find this frustrating at first.
The key to the enjoyment of whitewater kayaking is developing a solid roll. Since rolling the boat is a non-intuitive thing to do, it generally requires formal instruction and a good bit of practice.

2. Choose the Right Boat for Your Size and/or Gear Requirements

Touring Kayaks

These hold the most gear, but they are harder to carry (both by hand, due to the additional weight, and on a car, due to the additional length.) A kayak cart is often necessary in order to move some of the bigger touring kayaks without the assistance of another paddler.
Touring kayaks typically weigh in at 50-60 lbs. and can typically carry 250-350 lbs. (combined weight of paddler + gear.)

Recreational Kayaks

Many (but not all) models of recreational kayaks have sufficient carrying capacity and storage for overnight trips.
Some of the longer rec. boats, particularly the 12' models, have sufficient storage and can be outfitted for kayak fishing.
Recreational kayaks typically weigh in at 40-50 lbs. and can typically carry 200-300 lbs. (combined weight of paddler + gear.)

Whitewater Kayaks

Each model of whitewater boat typically comes in different sizes to fit the paddler's height and weight.
Creek boats or large river runners (see below) can be outfitted with special dry bags to allow them to be used on overnight trips, but in general, whitewater boats are designed to perform best within narrow weight ranges, so any kayakpacking that you do with one will need to be ultra-lightweight.
Playboats typically do not have enough capacity for overnight trips.

General Considerations

Is the kayak too big for your vehicle? Touring kayaks may require additional tie-downs (to the hood and/or the bumper) in order to haul them safely on a roof rack. Whitewater boats can usually be hauled in the back of a pickup or SUV (and sometimes even the trunk of a sedan, if the back seats fold down.) Recreational kayaks can generally be carried on a roof rack without using hood or bumper tie-downs, and these boats can generally be carried in the back of a pickup (but not most SUVs.)
Is the kayak too big for you to lift by yourself? It's never a good idea to paddle alone, but many times you may need to load or unload your boat by yourself.
If you are "vertically-challenged", then you will have more trouble controlling a longer boat, because your arms simply don't afford you as much leverage as those of a taller person (shorter people have to use shorter paddles.)
How big is your garage?
The specifications for recreational kayaks often list a "maximum carrying capacity". This is the amount of combined weight (paddler + gear) that the manufacturer thinks the boat can safely carry. Determining the maximum carrying capacity is not an exact science, however, so realistically, you want to stay well below this threshold. The closer you get to overloading the boat, the more unstable it will become. Often, the only way to truly determine whether a kayak will hold your weight is to paddle it.
Whitewater kayaks are often designed for a weight range, and it's best to stay near the middle of this range if possible. Whitewater kayaks can lose stability if overloaded and performance if underloaded.

3. Types of Recreational Kayaks

Recreational kayaks come in two basic varieties: sit-on-top (SOT) and sit-inside. The general advantages and disadvantages of these are as follows:

SOT boats are generally less intimidating to beginners, because you will be thrown clear if the kayak flips. For this same reason, however, SOT kayaks have a built-in limitation as to the level of whitewater they can safely do. Not that you would want to take any recreational kayak down the Grand Canyon, but you will be able to negotiate larger rapids with a sit-inside rec. boat (and a good spray skirt) than you would with a SOT boat, all else being equal.
SOT boats are typically self-bailing. If you swamp or flip the boat, the cockpit will automatically drain itself. Thus, if you flip a self-bailing SOT boat, you can easily get back into the boat in the middle of the water ("wet entry"). If you flip a sit-inside boat far from shore, then you would have to either roll the boat (assuming you were wearing a spray skirt), do a self rescue, or perform a T-rescue or X-rescue with another paddler to empty the water from the cockpit.
SOT kayaks have lesser gear requirements. With a sit-inside boat, you will need to purchase a spray skirt and helmet if you want to do much whitewater with it, or a spray skirt and a bilge pump if you plan to take it on open water. The spray skirt is necessary because, otherwise, you would have to drain your cockpit after almost every rapid or wave. The helmet is necessary because, when wearing a spray skirt, you will tend to remain attached to the boat for a few seconds if you flip. If you want to do moderate whitewater in a SOT kayak, then the only additional gear you really need is a pair of thigh straps (these help you to stabilize the boat as you cross strong eddy lines, etc.)
SOT kayaks are cooler in the summer, since your legs are exposed to the air and you are constantly splashing water on them with the paddle. For the same reason, however, you really need a full-body wetsuit or drysuit in order to paddle one in cold weather or cold water. Personally, I find that the only time I really get hot in my sit-inside boats is on flat sections of river, so I just pop the skirt for those sections and put it back on again before entering a rapid.
Sit-inside kayaks are generally faster, or rather, they are easier to paddle quickly.

4. Types of Whitewater Kayaks

There are four basic types of whitewater kayaks:

Playboats
Playboats are the sports cars of the whitewater highway. They are, in general, the smallest whitewater boats, both in terms of length and volume. Playboats are lightweight, extremely maneuverable and agile, and extremely responsive to changes in current, which makes them ideal for surfing standing waves and doing rodeo/freestyle tricks. However, you will really "feel the road" in a playboat. Playboats displace less water than other whitewater boats, and thus they will get caught by holes and tossed by waves that a larger boat would plow right through. Pure playboats (as opposed to river running playboats-- see below) are not recommended for beginners.
Creek Boats
These are the whitewater equivalent of jeeps. Creek boats are designed for running steep creeks in the mountains, which can often contain unavoidable recirculating hydraulics. Thus, creek boats are longer and more streamlined than other whitewater boats (which gives them additional speed) and have a larger volume (which gives them additional buoyancy.) Both of these become critical when trying to escape the churn of a big waterfall. The added length also makes creek boats easier to paddle in flat water than other types of whitewater boats, and the large volume allows them to carry more gear. However, creek boats are often designed with a "rocker" hull, so they provide less primary stability than a flat-bottomed boat (translation: to a beginner, they will feel "tippy".) And, like Charlie, they don't surf.
River Runners
These are the sedans of the whitewater world. A river runner is a mid-sized whitewater boat which has sufficient volume to punch through (or ride on top of) waves, holes, and other big features on rivers. Some models, called "river running playboats", are designed with a hull that can surf or throw tricks like a playboat. These are excellent choices for beginners who want to learn how to surf but don't want to get tossed around too much. Other river runners are designed as "river running creek boats." These are similar in size to creek boats, but they generally have more primary stability. Thus, river running creek boats are also excellent choices for beginners or for those wanting a good all-around whitewater boat that can hold extra gear.
Hybrids
Increasingly, whitewater kayak manufacturers are selling 9-10' hybrid whitewater kayaks to compete with the recreational market. On the whitewater highway, these would be like luxury SUVs with turbo-charged engines. Hybrid whitewater boats typically have a hull that is designed for maneuvering in whitewater, but most also include a drop skeg which makes them track well in flat water-- sort of the kayak equivalent of shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel-drive. Almost all of them have a large storage compartment behind the seat which can accommodate overnight gear. Given the large size of these boats, they are not necessarily the best choice for whitewater that requires very tight turns. Beginners, in particular, may find them difficult to steer in swift current. However, an experienced paddler can take one of these boats into some serious whitewater, and you can learn to roll them just like any other whitewater boat.

What About Inflatables?

The lure of a boat that you can deflate and shove in your trunk may seem irresistable, but there are some things to bear in mind when looking at inflatable kayaks:

Inflatables require deep water in order to operate. If the rivers in your part of the world run shallow most of the time, like the ones in Central Texas do, then an inflatable is not a good choice. Whereas a hard-shell kayak can skate over shallow, rocky rapids, an inflatable would stop cold (inflatables sit deeper in the water, in general, than hard-shell kayaks.)
Inflatables are less durable than hard-shell boats and are susceptible to tears from rocks and vegetation.
Inflatables are hard to steer. They steer like a raft, which makes them a bad choice unless you're running really big, fast-moving water with a nice, wide channel. Inflatables do not steer well at all on flat water.
Inflatables behave like a big sail in even a modest breeze.
A good inflatable is typically more expensive than a good whitewater or recreational kayak.
It takes forever to inflate/deflate them, which somewhat cuts into the advantage of having a kayak that you can shove in your trunk.

5. Try Before You Buy

Take it from a guy who went through three boats before settling on the "right" one -- don't jump into the decision. If you live in an area where there are a lot of places to paddle, then chances are that there is at least one club or other organization that can introduce you to the sport and maybe even lend you a boat. Additionally, most stores that sell kayaks (including REI) also rent them.

For those in the Central Texas area:

You can rent recreational kayaks from REI's North Austin store or Austin Canoe & Kayak for the weekend and take them out on the lake or on river trips to see how they perform. REI has discounted rental rates for members.
Join Austin Adventure Network. We do recreational whitewater trips occasionally, and these will give you an opportunity to see whether that type of paddling is something you want to pursue. For some of these trips, on-site kayak rentals are available at the river.
Take a whitewater class from the Olympic Outdoor Center in San Marcos. They teach "real" whitewater paddling, including rolling and surfing, and they have a large fleet of whitewater boats to lend out. San Marcos is home to Rio Vista Falls, a series of artificial standing waves on the San Marcos River that are an ideal place to learn surfing, rolling in current, eddy turns, and other whitewater skills.
The annual San Marcos "Springs Fest" in April, hosted at Rio Vista Park by the Olympic Outdoor Center, gives paddlers a chance to try out various whitewater boats which are on display by vendors.
The semi-annual Austin Canoe & Kayak Demo Days gives paddlers a chance to try out various recreational and hybrid whitewater boats. There is one of these events in Austin, San Marcos, and Houston.

6. Boat Recommendations

These recommendations are geared toward people that want to paddle all of the different kinds of water that Central Texas has to offer:

Hybrid Whitewater Kayaks

LiquidLogic Remix XP10 (CKS review)
When you look at the Remix, you see a boat that looks like a whitewater boat, but with its 10' length and drop skeg, this boat would be as comfortable on Town Lake as on the Lower Guad during a big dam release. All of that, and storage too. This is about as close to a "general purpose" kayak as you can get. Smaller paddlers may want to consider the Remix XP9. Anyone who thinks that these boats can't do "serious" whitewater should read this.
Pyranha Fusion RT (CKS review)
The Fusion RT is similar to the LiquidLogic Remix XP but is a bit less expensive, has better outfitting, and weighs less. However, it is also narrower and lower-volume than the Remix. This will make it feel less stable for beginners, but more experienced paddlers may be able to make the Fusion perform better than the Remix in technical whitewater, since it is narrower and has less displacement.
Dagger Axis 10.5 (CKS review)
The Axis is Dagger's answer to the hybrid whitewater kayak, but it leans more toward the recreational side of the fence. It has a fairly pronounced keel that will make it more difficult to maneuver in whitewater, and it lacks the more aggressive outfitting of the Remix and the Fusion. Still, however, with a good spray skirt, you could run some reasonably big water with this boat, and, like the Remix, it has a drop skeg for flat water and plenty of storage space for overnight trips. It is also less expensive than the Remix or the Fusion.

Recreational Kayaks

Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100
One of the biggest pluses of the Tarpon is that the deep, recessed storage area in the stern is exactly the right size for a mini cooler. I call it the "beer boat" for this reason. The same rear storage area can also hold a large dry bag which, when combined with the smaller storage areas in the hull, gives the Tarpon a surprising amount of cargo capacity for its size. The keel makes it somewhat slow to maneuver in swift current, but it is definitely possible (although not ideal) to take this boat on some big Class II rivers. Wilderness Systems also sells a version of the Tarpon 100 (the Tarpon 100 Angler) which is designed for paddlers who want to do occasional kayak fishing.

Whitewater Kayaks

Whitewater boats are very much a personal choice, and there are few generalizations that can be made about what model is the right boat for you. I can, however, speak to my personal experience. Of the three kayaks I own, the one I paddle the most often is a Jackson Fun series, a river running playboat. I haven't yet found any whitewater that wasn't runnable in this boat. People take them on the Ottawa, which is one of the biggest rivers (if not the biggest) in North America. The Fun series also surfs like a champ. These are great boats for beginners who are looking to get into serious whitewater and want a boat that is forgiving but which they won't outgrow. However, this is definitely not a fun boat to paddle in flat or slow-moving water.

My second whitewater boat is a 2006 Jackson Hero series. I use the Hero whenever paddling big, crazy water (particularly anything unfamiliar), but on most Class II-III stuff, the Hero just isn't as fun as the Fun. It's like driving a jeep on the Autobahn. The older Heroes like mine (pre-2008) were very long and had sharply-pointed bows and sterns, which gave them speed and a hint of flat water tracking. However, they were a bit difficult for beginners to control in fast current and had somewhat less primary stability than the Fun series (thus, beginners perceived them to be "tippy".) The new Heroes have been redesigned with a shorter, more high-volume hull similar in shape to the Fun, so they are more stable and easier to surf (but slower and less easy to paddle in flat water than the older Heroes.) A post-2008 Hero series is an excellent choice for beginners, but I predict that within a year, you'll find yourself wanting a river running playboat to supplement it.