Hey all, been reading around a bit lately and decided im finally going to buy my first yak and all the gear.

im new to the sport and pretty big so it makes picking a boat pretty tough. i know what im looking for and ill try and give the best info i can.

i read other posts on same subject, but didnt want to steal peoples threads.

me: im 6'6"-6'7" and about 260 lbs (hopefully less soon...) and size 15/16 shoes US.

use of the boat will be pretty much an allaround boat, from whitewatter to lake and even some ocean use (just riding waves). but id like the primary focus to be whitewater/rapids running. something maneuverable thats easy to steer around and stuff... so far im looking at these boats. ill list them in order of what i like from best to least

wavesport z - i like the design and the price, just unsure of the fit ...

wavesport diesel - looks nice, pricey and cant find a lot of details on purpose

Jackson super hero - seems like the best size to fit me..

those are the top 3... but im very open to other suggestions as i dont really know much about boats or anything, i was a mountain biker untill i wrecked hard and ruined my right knee... and ive always loved the water so yaking seems like the best option.

thanks a ton in advance.

If i were you id go for the diesel because it is a good stable boat and can be used for a variety of things (Ive even seen it cartwheeled). It is also a good river runner and can still go far without your feet falling asleep or you arms giving up.

Although if you would rather after a while go into the playboating scene then I would recomend a proper playboat, due to the fact that you will learn quicker and advance in kayaking as a whole quicker. It may be a struggle at first but you will get used to it. I wish I had bought a playboat first rather than wasting my money going to smaller and smaller boats when ever i saved the money up.

Hope this helps

im not too much into the playboating stuff like tricks and whatnot, mostly just want to do fast rapid runs and some waterfalls. and as i progress go bigger and bigger.

ok, id recomend the Dagger creekers but that mainly because the look cool.

Id also recomend the wave sport diesel, Liquid logic huck and the Riot sniper the are all great boats for multiple purposes but mainly rapids.

Have fun choosing your boat and gear, thats all part of the fun. Just try as many demos as you can get your hands on thats my advise.

Have you taken lessons yet?
You should take lessons before you buy a boat. Rolling is a huge obsticles for a new boater. Use boats in the lesson before you buy your own. If you do buy, get your first boat used. You will be wanting something new within 4 months. Luckily you aren't growing but because of my own changingg desires and sizes, I have owned 6 boats in the past year and a half. Luckily,they weren't all new.

ive been looking around for used stuff on ebay. i havent taken lessons, but ive done some paddling around and have a pretty good hang of it enough that i feel comfortable buying something.

Try www.boatertalk.com there are literally hundreds of used boats for sale on there. I dont know where you are located, but it should'nt be too hard to find a decent boat not too far away.

If I were to put in my own two cents on the boat selection, I would say the Wavesport Z. It is a pretty good all-round boat. You could run some drops (I would say up to about 15 feet), its long enough that it is pretty fast downriver and on the flatwater, but short enough that you wont feel like you're paddling a freight train. As for Size, I am about 6'3 and I had loads of room in it. I think it would be a great boat for learning the basics, as well as an all-round good boat. It is good enough in all areas of paddling that it will let you see where you want to go next (smaller playboat, heavier duty creeker, whatever you want). Happy paddling

it sound slike what you want is a creeker, but i would stringly recomend you taking classes before buying, and preferably demoing everything before yo buy. i fyour new, waterfalls are going to be a bit and a good solid roll is what is going to make kayuaking a whol lot more fun. But hey who am i? if you really want to just get out there and do, go for it, youve got more nerve than i did. Boatwise the diesel seems like it would be a relaly good bet for you.

you may want to check out the super/4fun. Those will alow u to get into play boating later if you want too. but if u know you dont then i would go with the desel. I used it a few times, its a nice boat but it was waaaaaay to big for me. If u dont want to playboat, dont get the superstar! its a nice boat but not what ur looking for.

I would also recommend waiting a bit longer. It really helps to explore all aspects of kayaking and test out lots of boats before jumping in and buying one. I bought my first boat a bit too early, and as a result have gone through 4 in the past two years. I dont regret it, but its not a cheap option!

I would also recommend waiting a bit longer. It really helps to explore all aspects of kayaking and test out lots of boats before jumping in and buying one. I bought my first boat a bit too early, and as a result have gone through 4 in the past two years. I dont regret it, but its not a cheap option!

dagger juice they can surf, run rapids, play, but not really big drops so might not be good for you

I would suggest doing lots of demos.
The Diesel is a good boat, a decen tbenchmark for performance vs. fit for bigger guys... get used to it and demo several others 'against' it...
The Jackson Super fun is a good playboat for bigger guys, I really like way it paddles and it rolls very easily, but I wouldn't take it off too many waterfalls...
Demo, demo, demo...
and definitely take a few lessons... helps heaps!