There's a sexist generalization that men are really into toys. While I think this is one of the stereotypes that actually is based on a large grain of truth, I think it is really those who have a avocation/obsession that get into toys and gadgets. Men are just more likely to have hobbies that involve a focus on doing things with stuff vs doing things with people. That doesn't mean all men do this and no women do, but more men than women do. Thus, as you can see, it is perfectly understandable that I am going to buy my third kayak in less than a year of kayaking...
I started out with a Boreal Designs Ookpik, 13 feet long and 24" wide, that I bought used from a kayak rental outfitter. I was perfectly happy until I (1) started looking at my speed on a GPS and (2) started paddling with other people in longer, faster boats. Six months later I bought a used P&H Capella, 16.5 feet long and 22 inches wide - and I was perfectly happy until I (1) continued looking at my speed on my GPS and (2) started paddling with people with even longer and even faster boats. When I finally reached the point (after taking some paddling lessons and trying out and then buying a fancy wing paddle that increased my speed a bit) where I felt that the boat was the limiting factor (not the paddler), I decided I could justify buying a new boat. Well, I could always justify buying a new boat, but I felt that I could explain to Carole with a straight face why I was buying a new boat...
There's an unwritten rule in buying new toys that the next one always costs roughly twice as much as the last one. That has worked with me in my other toy-intensive hobbies, such as bicycling and ham radio, and it was definitely the case in kayaking. That set the price parameter, some other search parameters I set were:
- Length/width: longer and skinnier means faster in boats, but it also means less maneuverable (both on the water and when carrying the boat) and tippier. I wanted to go faster but I wasn't planning on entering true racing categories, so I decided on less than 18 feet in length and more than 20 inches in width.
- Stability: The variety of kayak designs is pretty amazing, especially compared to bicycles. There are different hulls shapes, with really cool terms like "rocker" and "chine" and "primary/secondary stability". I am balance challenged, and don't get enough time to practice in rougher water, so I was willing to trade speed for stability. As someone has said "fast boats ain't so fast when you are swimming next to them instead of sitting on them paddling"
- Material: Just like in bicycles, there are different material choices for kayaks. Essentially, heavy is cheap (or at least less expensive), lighter is more expensive. All of our current kayaks are plastic, which is very durable but heavy. All of the faster kayaks are not plastic, as supposedly the drag and flex of plastic makes for a slower boat. So, I decided I'd go with non-plastic, which still left lots of choices of fiberglass, carbon, carbon/Kevlar, upsidaisium, flubber, etc.
- Load carrying capacity: I'm a smaller load than I was a few years ago but I'm still a big load. I wasn't planning on doing any multi-day touring, but I really, really wasn't interested in achieving that Dolly Parton's cleavage look of 10 pounds of rice in a 5 pound sack.
The most fun part of buying new toys is researching and comparing all the options. To make a long story short, I narrowed it down to the QCC 700, the Epic 18x, and the Kayakpro Marlin. Over the summer I got to do short test paddles in each of the three. They were all very similar in many ways and they all felt fast. However, the Marlin was the one that felt just as comfortable and stable as the Capella and fast. Since local kayaker Cyndi raved about her Kayakpro Nemo, and since Kayakpro assured me they had fixed the rudder cable crimp problems, the Marlin was it. Sometime in December it should arrive (but maybe later), so I guess my first paddling tryouts will be seeing how fast I can go in a dry suit.
So, while it took me 10 years of bicycling to make it to the third level of toys, it only took a year of kayaking. Probably means I have more disposable income now, or maybe I'm nearing that age where you aren't supposed to buy green bananas, either, but a lot of it is just due to how much fun it is to be on the water. Hopefully, Carole won't read this far down in the blog, but the one sad part is that if I add up all I have spent on the kayaks and the gear, I could have bought us a pretty nice speed boat and Carole could be doing the "trophy wife hood ornament front deck sunbathing" thing...
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