Hi,

I'm relatively new to buying my own kayak and looking to buy my first playboat soon. What I was wondering if anybody could help me out with was whether the recommended paddler weight suggested for each kayak and kayak size accounted for the clothing he or she was wearing? I've tried looking up articles about this issue but so far I've found nothing.

Any help with this is appreciated.

Cheers,

Dan.


BTW: I hope this is in the right forum section !!!

Hello Dan

First of all welcome to playak and to the best sport in the world:dance:


short answer:
yes that includes clothing, gear etc

Long answer
Well this is a little more in depth... The recommended weight stats are \"ball park\" numbers put out by the manufacturer. The true honest answer gets skewed because a whole lot goes into the boat and how it floats... easily put, if an object displaces more water than it weighs, It will float. The more water it displaces the more load it can take.

sooo

Do pay attention to the specs but not too much... eg, i paddle a Project 62 which is 62 gal its 6 ft 4 long (I dont remember how wide) It has a Max weight of 240 lbs... The jackson Super star is 63 gal, 6 ft 5 and 1 inch wider but according to JK suggested weight is approx 220lbs. aka the superstar is higher volume, longer and wider but JK suggests a smaller paddler... What Im gettign at is this is not scientific law

Really what those numbers tell is how well the boat will behave. or better put the optimum range for boat performance. The lighter you are for the boat, the more retentive the kayak will be in a hole etc. but the harder time you will have throwing it about. The heavier you are the easier you'll be able to throw it around btu you'll flush out of a hole faster,(not to mention when running rivers if youre too heavy you'll get your butt kicked)

I nkow Ive kinda rambled along here a bit... so let me say this. Demo as much as you can and buy what you feel best in. If you're looking at some specific models I'd be more than willing to help.

Good luck and I hope Ive not made this too confusing

Keep us posted on how you do

Don't forget that you will probably put flotation bags in your boat too. Basically, where you fall in the weight range will determine how close your chines are to the water. If you're low in the weight range, they will be further from the water making it easier to river run. If you're high in the weight range, it will be easier for you to engage the chines for play.

Another thing to keep in mind is leg length. I, for example, am built somewhat like a T-Rex--all legs, no arms. For my weight, I should have a Jackson 2Fun, but there is no way my legs will fit in the boat, so I had to bump up to the Fun. Get in the boats and try them out. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice guys!
I eventually went out and bought a second hand Riot Air 55 for €440. I'm a bit light for the boat (I'm 60kg) but I'll probably do a bit more river play than than full out play anyway. Looks like I'll just have to pack in all the mince pies I can get over the holidays!

I too am having the same issues. I am80kg +gear looking for a boat for river running (not playing) or river running /easy creeking.

Bliss stick mini mystic is rated for 50-85kg so I am at the top of the range , But mystic seems very heavy big and might be an overkill for someone like me doing grade 2 at the moment. Also i heard that bliss stick measure their volume with the outfitting in where other companies measure it without.


Would mini mystic then fit me and act like a river runner/ easy creeker, and for somene lighter be a full creeker???

I think that the weight range is more about the optimum paddler weight. Our family owns both a dagger nomad 8.1 and a 8.5. Even though we are close to the maximum recommended weight for the 8.1, and in the middle for an 8.5, we both agree that the 8.1 preforms better and is more fun.

For a river running kayak that is not built like a tank(full creek yak) you wil not be dissapointed with a Fluid Spice Large.
Try one out if they are available in your area.
d