(This is a continuation of https://www.reddit.com/r/kayakfishing/comments/1ltqq2s/first_kayak_ride_ends_with_sweetsour_feelings/ )
I wanted to keep sharing my experiences here, since its not easy to find reliable information and real life experience of people over 300lbs.
I'm 41yo, 6'1", and currently weighting around 364lbs. I'm Spanish and live near Santander in the north coast of the country, so for me thats 186cm and 165kg, but I will try to put all in imperial since most readers here use that. I left the 375lb since its what I was weighting when I bought the kayak.
I will kayak and fish in the Santander bay. Its protected by a sand bar, so water is usually very calm. But its no lake, there are some currents, tides, and sometimes its windy and choppy.
For me, moving here from the capital was a big decision to make a change in lifestyle, live better, lose weight. I spend more time outside, more actively, and have since started fishing and then kayak fishing. The weight loss is ongoing steadily, I have medical help and my new lifestyle and improved diet (as in how and what i eat, not a specific Diet) was already making me lose weight steadily, just slower. I would like to not focus on the weight itself and its need to be reduced right now, since this is already ongoing, sure it will be better after losing 50 more pounds but I want to be kayaking right now while summer lasts, and for it to be a part of my new lifestyle. I would like these experiences to be of help to anyone who comes in the same situation and wants to start when he is near 400lbs rather than when he is already at 300 or less. I think any kind of outdoor activity like this will help.
So, limited to the European and more specifically Spanish kayak market, and that is very limited compared to you guys who can walk to the closest Walmart or brico depot and choose between tens of models, I tried to get something affordable and that would hold my weight. When I found a cheap Old Town Predator 13 at a couple hours drive distance, I jumped in and bought it. It was just 300 bucks (euros ha) and a bit of a risky bet, since with a declared max load capacity of 460lbs I thought it would hold me well enugh but wasnt totally sure.
My first outing comfirmed that it was a bit too much… it worked but with about 1 to 2 fingers of water in the deck. Water sometimes would get dangerously close to the central console lid, which accesses to the hull…
I couldnt write right away so some time has passed now, and I have since gone out a couple more times. Le me tell you how it has all evolved.
I had ordered a full set of scupper plugs. These are the "1-way-valve" plugs from Ocean Kayak/Old Town. I installed them as soon as they arrived and even was optimist enough (innocent me) to prepare a basic kit of fishing gear inside the hull… a rod and a few small jigs, couple basic tools to try and fish a bit in case I found a good looking spot.
Weather was great, but I was stupid to think 24kmh winds (13knot) wouldnt be too much. This was a rookie mistake, or rather, I didnt want to see because I wanted to go out and kayak and try to fish, because I know this wind is rather strong, I flew acrobatic kites as a kid…I should remember.
The ramp I'm going to is easy and comfortable. I have many access points in the bay but most ramps are slippery with wet moss when tide goes down. The other option is the floating docks from rowing clubs, there are also a couple, but I dont dare board the kayak that way yet, straight from the platform to deep water. Also I dont know if I would be able to exit without falling espectacularly.
But this ramp is at the end of a river, its rather slow, there are a couple kayaking rental companies that take you down the river and pick you up at the ramp. Its the end of the bay, by the long sand bar that encloses it. Its generally a shallow and calm area.
But last friday there was a combination of wind and boat traffic…great weather means tons of boats coming to this sand bar beach, and the water was very choppy. I saw it as a practice opportunity and went on.
On the way into the bay the kayak felt great, deck emptied mostly and the kayak was moving easily…I had the wind coming from my right so I thought it wasnt helping me (it was). Went for… probably a couple miles, then decided to go back to the bridge by the ramp before getting too tired, planning that going back against the wind would be harder. Then I would stay and try to fish around the bridge near the ramp.
I started energized and optimistic, it was fun, very choppy, up to 1.5ft waves, some splash but the kayak was cutting them fine and feeling pretty stable. I could gather some momentum and keep going. But as I was crossing closer to the bridge I went into the current of the river coming out. Between the strong wind and the waves I didnt notice, you couldnt really see it, if it was calm and flat you would see the water moving here and still everywhere else. So I ended up rowing for… probably longer than 20min, and the bridge wasnt getting any closer. Ok so everything seems far out here, distances are long, lets take a closer reference, one of the navigation buoys, a red one, then 10 more minutes and checking the buoy nearby and I noticed I wasnt almost moving. As soon as I stopped "the wind" was pushing me in the opposite direction.
I did lots of scuba diving 10+years ago. In scuba emergencies, there is a mantra: "stop, breath, think". So I stopped, observed the situation around me, then I noticed I was in the river channel, and it wasnt only the wind, but also the current coming out that I was fighting. And the tide going down was probably adding to it. I had 2 good options, go with the wind to the next marina, use their ramp to get out, then roll the kayak for about half a mile on the sidewalk back to my car, or cross to the other side out of the river current, near the beach, and paddle along the beach to the other side of the bridge, where I would just go across the river current briefly.
Yeah, you and me both know which was best, but still my pride made me try to reach my ramp paddling. So I went across, near the sand, and went on, just against the wind. Here the reference was easier, people walking in the sand were going slightly faster than me, and I was putting quite some effort into moving… so I decided to pull out the kayak and roll it on the wet sand. I think it was a decent decision, although I dont have sand wheels and pulling the kayak in the sand turned the evening into a gym "leg day" hahaha. I walked probably the same distance I would have with the other plan, just in sand and pulling more weight, until I was far enough to let the wind push me towards my ramp.
I re boarded the kayak and went across the current and into my ramp, and called it a day. The rod didnt go out at any point, there was no fishing attempt that day.
There were a few lessons learnt here:
- There is a lot to learn about being at sea, even in the bay. Weather, currents, etc. There is a steep learning curve here.
- I'm just paddling, and would like to keep it like that since I want the exercise. A motor or engine would have made the situation completely different here. And I'm paddling a lot of weight and a kayak that may not be performing as desired due to being overloaded. I did good by trying to keep a good energy reserve and all but I should do even better.
- Paddling was better, the practice over those 2 days is making the kayak move better. Still feels very heavy but I'm starting to think it may be inline with the opinions I see online about it – with a bit of added effort thanks to "my tan body" as we say in Spain lol.
- Scupper plugs dont do magic. Also all the deck got covered in floating posidonia plants from the splash, and those wouldnt go away throught the scupper plug valves. At some points the deck was emptier but in the end physics are physics and it was inline with the surface. I will play with them and keep some, remove some, to try and have a dry bottom while allowing water (and plants) to come out.
- I tested the life vest, landed on the beach and went for a short swim with it, it floats fine, its fine for the bay. I plan on eventually getting a better one, with more buoyancy, maybe good pockets, long back, etc for when I go out to open sea. As I mentioned in the first post I want to keep costs down until I'm totally sure I will keep kayaking. Most people here buy a kayak go out 4-5 times and stop. If I will be one of them, I will not lose that much money. Once I'm sure, budget wont be a problem, up to the price point where I can just buy a trailer with a real boat (Hobie I'm looking at you).
So this was the 2nd outing. Tough but good experience.
Since then, my brother came visit and is staying for a week. And he also wanted a kayak… something cheap and simple to use probably 5 days per year. I knew of a rental place at an hour distance that was selling some really-beaten-up stuff for really cheap, and we went to check the pile of canoes and kayaks they had. We bought a Perception Kiwi 2. I think its the older model of the older model of a…. Wilderness Systems Pamlico 135T (or one of its equivalents in the Confluence Outdoors brands). Its basically that concept, 13ft sit-inside kayak with open cockpit, 2 seats with folding backs, the front seat can slide back to a central position and be used solo. And it has a 550lbs max capacity, which means it could hold me better than the Predator 13.
Its very scratched, the bottom has a bump, rear seat doesnt have a folding back and it was full of dirt and snails, but for just 100 bucks it should do the job. We bought a paddle from them as well… 1 piece alu shaft with super strong blades, for another 20 bucks.
So now my brother has a kayak for his visits, and I can try if I feel better on it than on the Predator. We went out to try the Kiwi, on another part of the bay, closest to home. It was a super quiet day, no traffic, no wind, super still, very subtle currents, high tide. We went to a deeper area by the airport and did a bit of jigging. No bites but at least we had a first fishing experience and it was a good evening. The Predator still feels heavy but I guess I'm becoming used to it.
I will keep posting how this evolves, I will try the Kiwi soon myself and see if I feel better on it than on the Predator, then decide what to do: Keeping the Predator until I'm at a weight it can handle (next summer probably?), get something with more capacity and sell the Predator… will see!
Thanks everyone for reading and sharing your experience with me.
Posted by Khali_FC