Arwen may well be joined by........

 We are locked in a great family discussion about buying a 'family' tandem sit on top Kayak. 

My daughter has taken up surfing and wants to learning to stand up paddle board as well. She was as a youngster and teenager, a water baby, to be fair. Happiest on a beach - mainly rock pooling with her old Dad. And now she is an ecologist!  Her husband is an 'outdoors' kind of guy. He prefers walking and camping but is happy to be on top of the water rather than in it. But, a double sit on top that could be paddled solo as well - he'd be up for that! He could accompany his wife whilst she was on the paddleboard.

My son is a mountain walker and he also loves wilderness canoeing. He has done canoe expeditions down our river Wye. He would be definitely up for a sit on top kayak as would his partner as well. She is up for anything outdoorsy as well. They live near some great large river systems over the east of the UK. Plenty of kayaking opportunities over that way. 

As for me and the boss - well - when I was in my twenties, I was actually quite into kayaking and gained some level three BCU qualifications and participated on an instructor training course as well, although it was so long ago now that I cant quite remember all the particulars, other than I did courses at Calshot, somewhere in Pembrokeshire and Plas Y Brenin - along with a whole host of training and courses on summer and winter mountain leadership across the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia. 

The boss enjoyed her paddle in a double sit on top across parts of Lake Powell and parts of the Colorado river when we toured the SW USA states last spring. She would accompany me for a paddle on days when it was 22C+, the water temperature was 18C+, there was no wind whatsoever and the sun shone all day. Through in a coffee, a wine bar, a beach and a good view - she'd be well happy. 

And we have such great areas to paddle. The whole of the Tamar and Lynher river systems. Then there is the Erme, the Avon, the Dart and the Fowey, all within easy driving distance. All of the Kingsbridge estuary. The whole of Plymouth Sound. Along the coast, from Wembury to Cellars Beach; or around Burgh island. 

So to cut a long story short - I've been out and about looking at tandem sit on kayaks and what an investment in one might mean for us and the family budget. 

I've built two wooden kayaks in the past and sold both on after a while

This one, Aneira, was lovely and tracked really well. I added a homemade rudder to it controlled by pedals within the hull. I also made a 'Greenland' style kayak paddle

I was able to indulge my hobby of pyrography as well. I have no idea where this design came from. It wasn't mine. Someone sent it to me and I loved it. 

The wolf design was mine, sort of!  I based it on several different drawings I found on-line and combined very similar ones into one final 'composite' image. 

I've also built a Wee Lassie canoe as well

It was 'fun' but a little too close to the water line and also a bit of a tight fit

Angharad's pyrography designs were all based on celtic designs - crosses, borders, patterns etc

Anyway, getting back to the more modern versions. We have narrowed a new sit on top kayak down to two possibilities, although if you know of a third we should look at over here in the Uk, then do please drop me a comment in the box at the end of this post: 

• the Feel Free Corona

• the Feel Free Gemini Sport

https://www.manchester-canoes-and-kayaks.co.uk/sit-on-top-kayaks/feelfree-gemini-sport.htm

https://www.manchester-canoes-and-kayaks.co.uk/sit-on-top-kayaks/feelfree-corona.htm

NOTE: I am not endorsing this particular supplier in any way - but they had good pages which describe the two kayaks well. 

the gemini sport 

Fee Free Corona

A 'three' person kayak but one that can be paddled 'solo 

Both of these would be deluxe packages with more comfy seats and fibreglass paddles. equipment wise, I have most of the stuff I would need but a preliminary list of new purchases looks like this:

• the sit on top kayak
• two paddles
• two seats
• skeg
• portage trolley
• scupper bungs x 4
• small kayak anchor
• roof rack ties
• roof rack pads

Clothing wise - as I will be hoping to paddle regularly throughout the season Spring to Autumn - I will need to invest in some new clothing: 

• a kayak jacket with adjustable neoprene waist, neoprene cuffs and a decent adjustable hood - breathable of course
• Neoprene trousers with a higher waist/back cut (I don't like full wetsuits or sleeveless wetsuits or wetsuit shorties)
• wetsuit rock boots
• a new PFD for Maggie - I will continue to use my old but perfectly functional Palm Kaikoura - famous in so many of our videos 
• Possible invest in a 2mm neoprene rash vest 
• some thin 1 or 2 mm neoprene gloves 
• and, optional, depending on whether I go coastal rock gully and cave exploring or not, a helmet

It has taken quite some time to arrive at this decision. I have sat in many, many sit on top kayaks. I eliminated sit in kayaks - the rest of the family don't feel confident in them. Ditto for canadian canoes although my son and I would have easily gone for one of those. A great excuse for building a strip canoe - maybe another time for that project!  I have had to think carefully about what I would want to do as a solo kayaker. essentially I'm not looking at heading a few miles off shore on one. Up the tidal rivers, along more sheltered coasts, some inland flat rivers and lakes. It has to be big enough for two and easily manageable by one! I want to be able to take overnight camping gear with me on occasions as well. Something that tracks well and is very stable. As light as I can get it. Easy to turn. 

Inevitably it all comes down to compromises! The biggest issue as it turns out is whether I can single handedly lift it up onto the roof rack of a Skoda Yeti! 

I was very reassured talking to the very experienced staff in my local kayak and canoe shop. They were immediately happy that actually I was doing the correct thinking, asking the correct questions, evaluating the advice given and demonstrating I had good safety, weather, water knowledge. They have been very patient as I have already made three x 1 hr trips to their shop to 'talk' things through. 

As I see it, most of the safety on the water and around other users knowledge I already have. Navigation knowledge is fine and many of the principles of mountain navigation and sailing pilotage are the same for kayakers. Weather understanding - yep - all good; water temperature rather than air temperature being a major factor for kayakers - noted! Need to develop my 'reading the water' craft. I agree - sailing a dinghy up and around the rivers is slightly different to kayaking directly at water level - ferry gliding, rip currents, eddies etc will affect me on a sit on far more than in Arwen - so some work to do there. Similarly with some of the techniques - entry and exit, landing/leaving a beach.  

Lots of homework then before making a final decision. On the other hand, there are good deals on at the moment so I need to get a move on! 

So why now I hear you all ask?

Several reasons I guess, but one of them is that I am not very fit and I need to get fitter. Rapidly! And, sailing Arwen doesn't get me fitter. Regular viewers of my YouTube channel will know that this year I haven't been particularly well and frankly I've struggled a little at times. Been the worst year for illness since I retired six years ago. So, if I can get out on the water quickly and paddle a few miles regularly during the week, this should help. 

A second reason is that we own a motorhome and we often pop down to Cornwall in it - within an hour and a half we can reach Lands End. We can't get a kayak on the motorhome. Impossible! But it is easy just to take the car as well. So we could then access some great beach, coast and river kayaking further south as well. I won't feel guilty about taking the car. The motorhome has been kitted out to be totally off grid now via solar and extra battery capacity. We wont be plugging in very often. We can leave 'Bryony' on site and then just use the car (Zebedee) to pootle about, if we want to carry the kayaks somewhere. Otherwise we just use the E Bikes. 

And when we go abroad in Bryony?  Well, we will just have to hire a tandem kayak on those southern Spanish and Croatian beaches and those lovely northern Italian Lakes, won't we! 

I'll let you know ho I get on over the next few weeks. 

In the meantime, if you own a tandem sit on kayak in the Uk and have some recommendations or pointers, then do please let me know - drop a line in the comment box below - thanks in advance 😀

A postscript:

And then there were three. We visited another Kayak shop and they threw a spanner in the works.

• The aquaglide Chelan 140 inflatable kayak

Details about it can be found here : https://www.roho.co.uk/aquaglide-chelan-140-ds-1-2-person-inflatable-kayak and  https://www.roho.co.uk/blog/post/aquaglide-chelan-inflatable-kayak-our-review

So more to think about. Initial thoughts - Pros of inflatable - storage, transport, load carrying, no costs of roof racks, roof bar accessories etc.  Cons - cleaning, drying, tracking in wind or strong currents, puncture risk?

So, some more homework to do. However, I can take one for a test paddle up along Exeter Canal and that is a great bonus!