Hi all.

I really want to get into kayaking and have been looking into it for a while now. I go up to the ocoee river every year to raft and wanted to do some kayaking. I do not currently own a boat and unfortunately where I live there isn't anybody giving kayaking lesson for miles and miles and miles and miles (a few hundred at that). I am not going to do a lot of playboating but I do expect to do some. I want a boat that is forgiving, easy to roll, stable and reasonably priced (~ $1000). I will probably be doing more river-running than playboating but I still want to have a boat that can do both. I want it to be easy and forgiving and easy to roll because unfortunately I am going to have to learn to do things on my own since there's no one close to my area that can teach me. I am slender also if that matters.

Height: 5'5
Weight: 115 lbs.
Skill level: 0...(hoping to change that)

Thanks in advance to you all for helping me get the ball rolling.

For a kayak that does great as river runner and also allows you to do some freestyle have a look at the Fluid Spice. For your size you would want to look at the small or medium. I would suggest that you try and demo them. Have a look at what the kayak can do:

hope you get what you need and get on the water soon.
Cheers
d

you might want to try the liquid logic trigger or lil joe. these are both very comfortable and fast. they may not be as playful as the spice but they are well worth a shot.

good luck:)

Fluid Spice would be a good bet for sure. It's probably what you're looking for - a river running kayak with play potential. Demo one if you can!

Thanks guys. The nearest place to demo one or any boat really is in Birmingham, Alabama. I'll try to make it there eventually. We are thinking about going on vacation in eastern TN, so I know I could probably demo one there. I know I'll find one I'll like. Thanks, again.