Thinking About Getting A Kayak
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I recently bought a 15' aluminum canoe and use a 240cm double ended paddle. Even with just me paddling with my wife and daughter on board, I can go all day without getting too tired.
Last weekend, I went for 2 hours at a fairly leisurely pace, but a constant speed. Out of curiosity, I wore an HRM and my rate rarely broke 90bpm. I raced it back home to beat a thunderstorm and it broke 100 for a bit. Now, my lying at rest heart rate is about 42, so take that into account, but I don't find it much of a workout that I would count on. I got much more blood pumping when I drug it out of the water and carried it back to my yard - up to about 130 for that time!
Its fun, and yes it works your arms, shoulders, and back some, but FOR ME I would consider it more of an "active rest" activity than a muscle "toning" or cardio activity. I think if your goal is a good workout I would look into a sculling boat.0 -
GauchoMark wrote: »I recently bought a 15' aluminum canoe and use a 240cm double ended paddle. Even with just me paddling with my wife and daughter on board, I can go all day without getting too tired.
Last weekend, I went for 2 hours at a fairly leisurely pace, but a constant speed. Out of curiosity, I wore an HRM and my rate rarely broke 90bpm. I raced it back home to beat a thunderstorm and it broke 100 for a bit. Now, my lying at rest heart rate is about 42, so take that into account, but I don't find it much of a workout that I would count on. I got much more blood pumping when I drug it out of the water and carried it back to my yard - up to about 130 for that time!
Its fun, and yes it works your arms, shoulders, and back some, but FOR ME I would consider it more of an "active rest" activity than a muscle "toning" or cardio activity. I think if your goal is a good workout I would look into a sculling boat.
Like I said, I'm 57 years old. I can get in the cardio zone just walking at a 3.5 to 4mph pace...:)
I'd probably die if I tried doing what you did with your canoe.
I'm just trying to find something fun to get a little upper body and cardio action.0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Thanks everyone for your posts.
I have a park a couple miles down the road where I ride my bike and walk. It has a big lake there, so that is where I plan to do most of my kayaking.
I only walk and bike to increase my fitness to a decent level and lose weight, and that is giving me a pretty good workout on my legs and cardio, but I just want to do something to give my upper body a bit of a workout, and get some cardio at the same time. I figure a kayak can give me all of that in an hour or less. I can do that 3 times a week, ride my bike 3 times a week, and walk every day to get my 10,000 steps in.
Yes I plan on getting all the needed safety gear, and I only plan on doing it on calm waters. I want something that I can easily get in and out of with little effort, and I think the "sit on" type is best for that, plus the sit on ones have drain holes. They only weigh 40 to 50 pounds, and I can get a rack for my car to slap it on and take it to the lake.
I'm 57 years old, so I'm just trying to get to a good fitness level and maintain a healthy weight, and have a little fun while doing it.
Can you rent at the lake? It might give you an idea of whether that's something you would enjoy doing that often.
I think there is bigger park that I can rent one. I've been in canoes and row boats before, so I'm pretty sure a kayak is something that would be fun for my, but I may go rent one first if I can find a place close enough to me.0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »GauchoMark wrote: »I recently bought a 15' aluminum canoe and use a 240cm double ended paddle. Even with just me paddling with my wife and daughter on board, I can go all day without getting too tired.
Last weekend, I went for 2 hours at a fairly leisurely pace, but a constant speed. Out of curiosity, I wore an HRM and my rate rarely broke 90bpm. I raced it back home to beat a thunderstorm and it broke 100 for a bit. Now, my lying at rest heart rate is about 42, so take that into account, but I don't find it much of a workout that I would count on. I got much more blood pumping when I drug it out of the water and carried it back to my yard - up to about 130 for that time!
Its fun, and yes it works your arms, shoulders, and back some, but FOR ME I would consider it more of an "active rest" activity than a muscle "toning" or cardio activity. I think if your goal is a good workout I would look into a sculling boat.
Like I said, I'm 57 years old. I can get in the cardio zone just walking at a 3.5 to 4mph pace...:)
I'd probably die if I tried doing what you did with your canoe.
I'm just trying to find something fun to get a little upper body and cardio action.
I should point out that I have a rowing machine and it is fantastic cardio exercise, but I don't think it's done anything for me muscle-wise (except help brush the fat off). Of course, the resistance of the wind and water might be more than the highest machine setting, but I still wouldn't imagine guns like those pictured come solely from kayaking.0 -
Kayaking will definitely help tone your upper body, though.0
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Kayaking sounds like a lot of fun. We've gone kayaking and canoeing around the Nashville area a number of times. We also make it a point to go kayaking when we are in Cocoa Beach, Florida through the Banana river. There are these mangrove islands you can kayak around, lots of fun. My daughter loves it so much that she's going to take paddle sports as her PE class - she is going to be a freshman in college this fall.0
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barbecuesauce wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »GauchoMark wrote: »I recently bought a 15' aluminum canoe and use a 240cm double ended paddle. Even with just me paddling with my wife and daughter on board, I can go all day without getting too tired.
Last weekend, I went for 2 hours at a fairly leisurely pace, but a constant speed. Out of curiosity, I wore an HRM and my rate rarely broke 90bpm. I raced it back home to beat a thunderstorm and it broke 100 for a bit. Now, my lying at rest heart rate is about 42, so take that into account, but I don't find it much of a workout that I would count on. I got much more blood pumping when I drug it out of the water and carried it back to my yard - up to about 130 for that time!
Its fun, and yes it works your arms, shoulders, and back some, but FOR ME I would consider it more of an "active rest" activity than a muscle "toning" or cardio activity. I think if your goal is a good workout I would look into a sculling boat.
Like I said, I'm 57 years old. I can get in the cardio zone just walking at a 3.5 to 4mph pace...:)
I'd probably die if I tried doing what you did with your canoe.
I'm just trying to find something fun to get a little upper body and cardio action.
I should point out that I have a rowing machine and it is fantastic cardio exercise, but I don't think it's done anything for me muscle-wise (except help brush the fat off). Of course, the resistance of the wind and water might be more than the highest machine setting, but I still wouldn't imagine guns like those pictured come solely from kayaking.
Basically, I just want it to do for my upper body the same as walking and bike riding does for my lower body.
I'm not looking for any significant muscular conditioning, and I am well aware that those 2 guys did not get ripped like that from kayaking...:)0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »Thanks everyone for your posts.
I have a park a couple miles down the road where I ride my bike and walk. It has a big lake there, so that is where I plan to do most of my kayaking.
I only walk and bike to increase my fitness to a decent level and lose weight, and that is giving me a pretty good workout on my legs and cardio, but I just want to do something to give my upper body a bit of a workout, and get some cardio at the same time. I figure a kayak can give me all of that in an hour or less. I can do that 3 times a week, ride my bike 3 times a week, and walk every day to get my 10,000 steps in.
Yes I plan on getting all the needed safety gear, and I only plan on doing it on calm waters. I want something that I can easily get in and out of with little effort, and I think the "sit on" type is best for that, plus the sit on ones have drain holes. They only weigh 40 to 50 pounds, and I can get a rack for my car to slap it on and take it to the lake.
I'm 57 years old, so I'm just trying to get to a good fitness level and maintain a healthy weight, and have a little fun while doing it.
For what you have in mind, I think a sit on top would be fine (or a stand up paddleboard). Try both out if there is anyplace where you can rent and then I'd look at Craigslist to find one at a good price. Whatever you get make sure you can lift it onto the car without hurting yourself or scratching up the car - practice that motion before you buy it.0 -
I was thinking about getting a kayak. I live directly across the street from a large lake and boat launch, but there are alligators in there. People actually use it as a hunting ground for gators when they are in season... would it be safe? I am also interested in sit-on vs. sit-in for a shallow lake as well.0
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Yikes! No way would I kayak in a lake with alligators. I would be afraid of one climbing on/capsizing the kayak, not to mention chomping your arm off while you're paddling.
With regard to the type of kayak, sit-on-tops are more stable (less tippy), easier to get in and out of, and have a very quick learning curve. Sit-insides are usually faster, easier to maneuver and lighter, but also tippier and require more training on self-rescue techniques. Sit insides (river kayaks and sea kayaks) are important for whitewater paddling in rivers and in the ocean, where its essential to keep the water out of your boat (by wearing a spray skirt). On lakes, not so much, unless you'll be paddling in cold water.
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Yikes! No way would I kayak in a lake with alligators. I would be afraid of one climbing on/capsizing the kayak, not to mention chomping your arm off while you're paddling.
With regard to the type of kayak, sit-on-tops are more stable (less tippy), easier to get in and out of, and have a very quick learning curve. Sit-insides are usually faster, easier to maneuver and lighter, but also tippier and require more training on self-rescue techniques. Sit insides (river kayaks and sea kayaks) are important for whitewater paddling in rivers and in the ocean, where its essential to keep the water out of your boat (by wearing a spray skirt). On lakes, not so much, unless you'll be paddling in cold water.
Your gator fears are my gator fears! The water doesn't get so cold in North Florida, maybe 50 degrees or so for a few months in the winter. I'll check out the sit-on-tops as well.
If I end up travelling anywhere with this potential kayak, it will be to one of the slow-moving, spring fed, freshwater rivers that are scattered throughout the state. You've helped a lot! Thanks 
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Got one of these for $200.00 (they were running a sale ($100.00 off), plus I got 20% off in addition) to the sale price...
sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=62449166
Took it to a lake at one of the parks near me and did it for about an hour. I could feel all the muscle groups in my upper body working as well as my core, and was able to get (and keep) my heart rate into the cardio zone.
I was just guessing that I would get a workout of all the muscle groups in the upper body based on the movement of kayaking, and now I can see that I guessed right. I can feel all the pulling and pushing muscles working as well as the core muscles, and have full control over the intensity level.
GREAT way to get an endurance workout of the entire upper body all with a single activity, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is wanting a full upper body endurance workout.
PLUS IT'S FUN!!!...:)0 -
I was thinking about getting a kayak. I live directly across the street from a large lake and boat launch, but there are alligators in there. People actually use it as a hunting ground for gators when they are in season... would it be safe? I am also interested in sit-on vs. sit-in for a shallow lake as well.
People hunt for gators where they're allowed by the landowners, though. There are alligators in most good-sized retention ponds (and even some that aren't large).
Given the number of people who use waterways vs. the number who are attacked, it's pretty safe. Just don't take your dog, those get attacked quite frequently. I saw the other day where a woman fought off an alligator that went after her dog at a golf course.
I just looked it up on Wikipedia and it seems the last fatal alligator attack in FL happened to a guy who was breaking into cars outside of the Miccosukee casino in 2007: http://web.archive.org/web/20071116160533/http://news.aol.com/story/_a/aggressive-gator-kills-burglary-suspect/20071113224509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
See? Don't be a petty criminal and you should be fine.0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »I was thinking about getting a kayak. I live directly across the street from a large lake and boat launch, but there are alligators in there. People actually use it as a hunting ground for gators when they are in season... would it be safe? I am also interested in sit-on vs. sit-in for a shallow lake as well.
People hunt for gators where they're allowed by the landowners, though. There are alligators in most good-sized retention ponds (and even some that aren't large).
Given the number of people who use waterways vs. the number who are attacked, it's pretty safe. Just don't take your dog, those get attacked quite frequently. I saw the other day where a woman fought off an alligator that went after her dog at a golf course.
I just looked it up on Wikipedia and it seems the last fatal alligator attack in FL happened to a guy who was breaking into cars outside of the Miccosukee casino in 2007: http://web.archive.org/web/20071116160533/http://news.aol.com/story/_a/aggressive-gator-kills-burglary-suspect/20071113224509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
See? Don't be a petty criminal and you should be fine.
HAHAHA that seems to be a rock solid plan. I will endeavor to not be a petty criminal to avoid potential gator attacks.0 -
I guess this has turned into a gator thread.
Anyway, the kayak seems to give me as good a workout as I thought it would.0 -
Lol I actually learned how to kayak in a lake with gators. It was at a boy scout camp where they always went canoeing. As far as I know, there hasn't been any gator attacks in the 50+ years they've been using that lake.0
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I should have titled this thread "Kayaking With Gators".
Oh well.-1 -
I have a Jackson Cruise kayak that I of last year that I really like.
http://jacksonkayak.com/2013-cruise-high-res-dealer-gallery/
This is this year's model, although mine was last year's model. It has a large deck, so you have plenty of room to stretch your legs out. It also has a removable seat, so you can take it out and use it as a chair if you stop at an island or sandbar or something. No need to bring a camping chair with you. It also has two different positions that you can set it in. There's a high position that's good for fishing, and a low position that's better for paddling. It's really worth getting a good seat since you're going to be spending most of your time in the boat sitting in that seat. An uncomfortable seat is just going to make the entire experience miserable.
It also has a large cargo area in the back, which makes it good for if you ever want to take it in a river camping trip. You can get a ton of crap back there, not mention what you can fit into the hatch up front. The tall, wide deck also keeps you out of the water better than some other sit-on-top models, which makes it better for cold weather paddling. The wide deck also makes it really stable -- you have to make a pretty concerted effort to get the thing to tip over. Plus, even if you do go over, there's no cavity full of water to empty like there is with a sit-in model.
If you're unsure about what kind to get, look into some local river companies in your area. A lot of them have demo days where they take a bunch of their kayaks and canoes to a local river or lake and let customers test them out to see if they like them. Some companies will even take you out on a special demo float if you're interested in a particular model and there isn't a demo day comming up. Plus, the boats that are used during the demo days are often sold for a discounted price. My kayak was used during a demo day, so the company I bought mine from knocked $200 off the price. It had a few scratches on the skid plate from where people dragged it out of the water, but it was otherwise totally new. Local companies will also spend more time with you to fit you to the boat that's best suited for you. The guys I bought mine from spent over threes hours helping me find the boat that was right for me. Big box stores just won't do that.
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