Thread: Yak advice.

Have you been to Anaconda ?? A mate got a really good deal on a couple of sit-on kayaks there.
I believe they have a 20% off everything sale tomorrow ( Thursday ) too

Yep, we've been notified about the Anaconda sale so we'll be going there tomorrow night. Not sure how big their range is though - I don't think I saw any double kayaks last time we were there, but maybe they can get them in.

the store on the gold coast often has "sit on" as well as "sit in" doubles on display.

Could give them a call.


Wazza

Plus you can hire Kayaks etc from them for the weekend.
So you might be able to hire a model or two to try them out before you buy.

Just a thought.

Wazza

Thanks Wazza, I'll give them a call.

We've found another place near the Gabba called Goodtime, they let you hire a kayak and if you decide to buy then the hire cost comes off the price. I suppose Anaconda might do the same sort of deal ...

The sit on kayaks are great fun on most any water surface, rivers, lakes or even surf. I've not tried one in rapids, but that's not what they are designed for.

One comment though, make sure you get back rests, without them it doesn't take long to get sore.

There are just so many brands and models and so many uses for kayaks, its hard to know where to start.
What one person finds perfect for their needs will be useless for someone else.
There are some places that hire kayaks. If you go ahead and buy, they deduct the hire fee from the purchase price. It helps a lot if you can try before you buy.
Be aware that a SOT kayak the length of the ones you mentioned will be slow.
That won't matter at all for messing about in the surf, but if you happen to go a few kms up a river or around a lake and you have to fight your way back against the wind at the end of the day when you are tired, then you will wish you had something a bit more efficient. A few of the people I often go with on leisurely paddles have swapped their very short, fat, slow SOT for a proper sea kayak for that very reason.
It is possible that you will love your kayak in the surf, but hate it on the river.
A kayak under 4 metres will be slow, but a tupperware kayak over 5 metres will be heavy. Not a problem on the water, but a PITA when it's time to lift it onto the car.
As with so many things, there is no design that will suit everyone. You just have to be fairly sure about how you will use it, try it out before you buy if possible and accept that every design is a compromise.
My needs are quite different from yours, so my kayaks are quite different. I have a 4.57 metre single that weighs under 12kg and a 6.4 metre double that weighs 24 kg. I love them, but they would not suit you.

carrying on from what vnx205 said, have a look at this webpage
http://www.southernadventures.com.au...ntopKayaks.htm

it rates 4 major aspects of each kayak, and where they are from/made. a good page to start from.