Dolphins in Squamish

[Gormley Green]

I guess the herring recovery in Howe Sound here is proving effective. This is a beautiful area that has been abused for so long.

Can't wait to pick up our new kayaks and get out there!

 

[natjwest]

I am hijacking this thread to ask about kayaks. I'm planning a Discovery Circle tour later this summer and want to get on the water a bit, maybe some island camping. Can I get by with an inflatable sea kayak or must I really have a proper plastic kayak? Sorry if you don't know this answer. Mark can delete me if so.

 

[Gormley Green]

I am hijacking this thread to ask about kayaks. I'm planning a Discovery Circle tour later this summer and want to get on the water a bit, maybe some island camping. Can I get by with an inflatable sea kayak or must I really have a proper plastic kayak? Sorry if you don't know this answer. Mark can delete me if so.


Haha nice hijack! I can't help you though I'm a rookie. We're getting two Ocean sit on top's rigged for fishing to put around Howe Sound and the local lakes. I'm going to rig them up for salmon fishing, crabbing, and prawning.

 

[Alley-Kat]

Continuing the hijack...

Salmon fishing in a kayak provides a nice "ride" when you get hooked up.
Not so much with crabbing and prawning.

- - - - - - - - - - -

As for the type of kayak, everyone will have their own preferences.

I have an inflatable kayak for short hikes into Sierra lakes. No more than 2-3 miles, it becomes a burden after that. It only weighs about 10 lbs, and unfortunately is no longer in production. I purchased it at about $100. It's got a lot of patches on it now. And, I've had to paddle pretty fast a couple of times when I developed a leak of air, to get back to where I could wade ashore. Yes, some people fishing from the banks of those lakes at those times were laughing at me and were also ticked off at me (they thought I was breaking the law).

I also have 4, plastic, fat boat, kayaks, that I purchased over 20 years ago, still in great shape. They are wide in the middle and very stable, left to right wise. I purchased these "fat boat" kayaks for two reasons; 1) as the other members of my family, wife and boys, had never been on the water before (I did squirt boat kayaks, short and very small kayaks, in the rapids of most of California's rivers previously), and 2) because it works great when a big fish wants to go sideways to the kayak. The stability was the thing for me, my wife and boys never turned over or fello ut on a nice flat lake or flat ocean. These fat boat kayaks are very slow to paddle and you can't really cover much distance, due to the resistance in the water being so fat in the middle. Plus, no rudder to help steer. Very basic type of kayak. My old ones weigh about 28 lbs., the newer versions seem to be heavier and weight is everything when you need to haul it to the water or lift it up on top of the vehicle. Styrofoam flotation in both the bow and stern. My boys and I have even used them to surf 1'-2' waves in the ocean, filled them with water when we crashed (not really designed for this type of use), and they still floated. A person just needs some training on the hydraulics of moving water and never find yourself on the shore side of the kayak in waves (a full of water a kayak can be a powerful force when moved by wave).

Here's an example of the "fat boat" type of kayaks.

I've paddled the long, narrow type of ocean kayaks and they are a breeze to get going, often have a rudder for steering, are a little heavier, usually above 35 lbs. (up to 60 lbs.), however, can be a little unstable, side to side. Several of my fellow kayakers went swiming, finding this out, when they turned sideways in moderate swell or chop on the ocean. However, after some paddling time, everyone seems to do OK.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Thanks for the info, been thinking about getting one for years, Wander the West comes through again!

Smoke

 

[lqhikers]

Before you settle on any kayak make sure you try what ever model you are
looking at ,most (good dealers) will let you try first,if not find another dealer.

In my opinion for fishing,if you are going to be doing any trolling such as lake trout
salmon ,etc you can not beat a Hobie mirage,once you use one you will be hooked.

We used a double Hobie for years in both fresh and ocean.
they can be used as a regular kayak,(paddle ) or the pedal system,if you are not
familiar with Hobie's do some research they are available plain or fully set up for fishing.

We have had many different types of kayak's.ocean,river,inflatable,set on top,the Hobie was the one we used the most
and caught the most fish in!

And yes they are $$$$$,but if you take your time used is the way to go.(craigslist!)

Just my 2 cents worth.

Drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

Les,lqhikers

 

[Smokecreek1]

Thanks, like i say, been thinking about it for years, the more info the better, my possible new play thing could be,and new problems-like where does the dog sit, when i'm fishing for those lake trout!

Smoke

 

[natjwest]

Such excellent info here, I must continue the hijack.

For island hopping along coastal BC, open water crossings, etc. what is the best boat for myself and my 8 yr old daughter, just the two of us. I am strong and fit for loading/unloading on the camper roof. I have roof lifter shock thingies.

 

[Alley-Kat]

I'll focus on the concept of open water crossings, which can get wet & rough, and thus potentially dangerous... safety first, always. Even in the intercoastal waters of BC (I rented a small Gand Banks trawler in 2006 for about a month in August for that area).

I'd recommend a kayak style that has "skirts". The skirts attach to the kayak and around your waist to keep water out of the kayak, yet they will "pop-off" the kayak for easy egress from the kayak if needed in an emergency.

For a sit on top style of Kayak and even the style that has skirts, I'd want to have wetsuits, even thin ones will help a bit if you are in the water and near shore.

In my opinion, for any type of kayak, open water crossings require some training and excellent judgement on when to paddle and when to not paddle. If you buy a kayak from a store that has a pool (or access to one), they may offer some training classes and maybe even a short, half day outing lession in protected waters (covering... pre-paddle preparations, the paddle, and the post-paddle activites).

Prior to the above mentioned month long excursion, I once stayed a night on an island that I didn't plan to stay on, due to an unpredicted weather change that afternoon (yes, I had a weather report that morning). I was glad to have the training about what supplies to take with me on the trip (about 14 miles one way to the island) and I already knew how to make a basic shelter.

Start with smaller trips in calm conditions and then work up to openwater crossings over time. Use your best judgement skills on when it may be time to get ashore (anywhere) or when it's time to turn around.

 

[natjwest]

I used to do whitewater kayaking about 15 years ago, and have done some kayaking in a double sea kayak in bays and inlets. But I never paid attention to alternate technologies then nor since so wondered if some of the newer inflatable options would work. But I guess not, tried and true. I loaned my double sea kayak to a friend 15 years ago. Haven't seen him since.