Help buying a kayak?

We're looking to buy a tandem open-deck.

Our target is to be able to do overnights on ocean bays, estuaries, lake powell, etc.

A couple of possibles we're looking at:

Ocean Kayak Zest Two http://tinyurl.com/8kspm
Wilderness Systems Tarpon 130T http://tinyurl.com/arqw8
Malibu Kayaks Pro2 Tandem http://tinyurl.com/ajrmp

Any experience or suggestions you'd care to share?

Thanks!

Topkayaker has the best list of articles, a nice buying guide, and a decent forum.

http://topkayaker.net/KayakData/DataMain.html

Kayakfishingstuff is just that, but the forum is the best, buying guide, articles, it's a great site.

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/default.asp

Both of those have a good reputation for buying/shipping kayaks.

Here is a forum just for Malibu:

http://1.myfreebulletinboard.com/malibukayaks.html

Paddling.net is a pretty serious forum, mostly cold water sit inside kayak (SINK) info there, but tons of good info.

http://www.paddling.net/

I don't know who organizes this event in Utah, but in the summer someone has a 'demo day' when you can go paddle around in different boats, that sounds like a great idea, one of the dealers hosts it, I think.

I'm guessing your problem will be camping with a tandem, the lack of below deck space is crucial, you can't pile to much weight on deck without making the boat top heavy, the weight is best carried as low as possible, so I would look for hatches, as big as possible.

Pay attention to the weight capacity, it does matter, figure a full camping load, both people, it adds up.

I'm buying a Malibu, the XFactor, because of stability and carrying capacity, supposedly you can stand up in one, and enough gear for long trips. The downside is it has a rep as a sluggish pig, and is heavy to portage.

Portage weight is less crucial in a tandem, since you can share the work.

I am firmly convinced these sit on top (SOT) kayaks are safer than SINKs, because reentry is MUCH easier, vastly reducing the time spent in the water, a deadly problem in low temp water.

Folks may tell you SINKs are safer, because you can 'Eskimo roll' if you tip. The problem is, that roll is not easy to learn, and if the roll fails, then you must 'wet exit' into the water (experienced kayakers have died failing to complete this first step) while the boat is inverted.

So, wet exit while upside down, flip the boat, find and deploy a paddle float (using your oar as an outrigger) on the oar, tie the oar in place, and somehow scramble back into the now flooded boat, then pump or bail the boat, staving off hypothermia the whole time.

If your good, you may have been in the water 10 minutes. 45 degree water, and maybe this is a fatal flip, unless you were wearing a drysuit, at least a wetsuit.

If I fall off my current yak, a Scupper by Ocean, this is the procedure: The boat doesn't flip, I just fall off. I climb back on in 20 seconds, and maybe my head is still dry. The boat drains itself. Done.

I know you asked about the SOTs, I've just been needing an excuse to rant about the safety thing in the two different styles of yak, because my beliefs go against many folks 'conventional reason'.

Good luck on your search, yakking is a blast, maybe I'll see you out there, fire away with more questions...

thanks, donny h

P.S. - I like the SINK acronym :haha: That's what I almost did with a tandem sit-in while abalone diving...

We wound up buying this one

Ocean Kayak Zest Two http://tinyurl.com/8kspm

See you on Lake Powell / Green River / Colorado River!