Background
Several years ago we did a family vacation to Kelowna and we rented kayaks. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting out on the water, getting a work out and seeing scenery from a boat.
During the last 2 months I have been researching kayaks for a local scout group. The scouts will probably end up with canoes. However as I got into the research and read more and more about it. My interest quickly moved from inflatables to recreation to touring and then to sea kayaks. My brothers have gone to the west coast a number of times and have done island hopping with their families and I thought that would be great fun. That narrowed my interest to something that would be sea worthy which lead me to my interest in sea kayaks.
As I was exploring I came across a really good deal on an older model Tempest 170. I had read some good reviews that indicated it would be a good model to start with and something that I could also grow into. I measured the garage and it would fit. It is probably a bit larger than what I need for local waterways but I wanted the option to take it out to the coast or even rough water on larger lakes.
In theory I should have tested it out first but since I didn't have much experience with kayaks other than recreational kayaks, I wouldn't know what to look for and my sense was that this would be a good place to start.
Below are the reviews that swayed my decision.
During the last 2 months I have been researching kayaks for a local scout group. The scouts will probably end up with canoes. However as I got into the research and read more and more about it. My interest quickly moved from inflatables to recreation to touring and then to sea kayaks. My brothers have gone to the west coast a number of times and have done island hopping with their families and I thought that would be great fun. That narrowed my interest to something that would be sea worthy which lead me to my interest in sea kayaks.
As I was exploring I came across a really good deal on an older model Tempest 170. I had read some good reviews that indicated it would be a good model to start with and something that I could also grow into. I measured the garage and it would fit. It is probably a bit larger than what I need for local waterways but I wanted the option to take it out to the coast or even rough water on larger lakes.
In theory I should have tested it out first but since I didn't have much experience with kayaks other than recreational kayaks, I wouldn't know what to look for and my sense was that this would be a good place to start.
Below are the reviews that swayed my decision.
The reviews pointed out the Tempest 170 has fair stability and good tracking which are important features for me. It will probably be a dog to turn due to the design compromises but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.
The fascination with the sport quickly grew with the anticipation of getting out on the water. Through my research, I became aware of the safety issues, techniques and precautions. I signed up for a kayak class at the University of Lethbridge pool (6 week course Monday nights) that starts next week. I have been pouring over videos on the internet and reading background information. It became apparent that you just don't want to go cheap and test out the sport, ...that gets people drowned.
The fascination with the sport quickly grew with the anticipation of getting out on the water. Through my research, I became aware of the safety issues, techniques and precautions. I signed up for a kayak class at the University of Lethbridge pool (6 week course Monday nights) that starts next week. I have been pouring over videos on the internet and reading background information. It became apparent that you just don't want to go cheap and test out the sport, ...that gets people drowned.
Go Big or go home!
A huge concern is going for a swim in frigid waters and getting hypothermia. I get cold very easily so I need to really pay attention to staying dry, warm and when the time comes to take a swim being able to get back in the boat quickly. Many lakes and rivers I want to explore are in the mountains and runoff from snow pack can be extremely cold. With that in mind one of the first purchases I made was a good dry suit.