A good friend of mine, Dave, is looking at buying a sea kayak. He asked me what he should buy, to which I replied, “You really need to try as many boats as you can for yourself.”
Having established that he is looking for a general-purpose sea kayak, one that will do for one or two nights away camping and handles well, we decided to discount the longer “expedition” boats and concentrate on the more general-purpose sector for your average-sized bloke.
There are so many kayaks to choose from, but trying as many boats as you can will help prevent any expensive mistakes.
I know Ann Shand at Argyll Kayaks has a good demo fleet - mostly Rockpool and NDK (Sea Kayaking UK) boats. I bought my Romany Surf "Irn-Bru" from Ann in Tayvallich. So, having contacted Ann, Dave and I arranged to meet up at Tayvallich for a boat demo day.
Dave first tried out an NDK Romany Classic. There was a fair wind blowing into the bay from the east, which limited our options a little. We launched from Tayvallich Harbour and paddled out into the wind before turning into Coal Scotnish for a little protection from the wind.
This gave Dave a taste of how the boat handled in the wind and swell. Then, in the shelter of Coal Scotnish, he could see how the boat handled without any wind. We paddled up to Eilean na Circe, a fortified dwelling, before making our way back to Tayvallich for lunch.
Distance: 4 nm
Time: 1:30
Following lunch, Dave tried the Rockpool Isel. This time, we headed to a couple of islands in Loch Sween, once again seeking shelter from the wind. With high water approaching, we were able to navigate our way around the Fairy Isles. There was not much in the way of birdlife, but there were a few seals.
Distance: 4.3 nm
Time: 1:48
Tayvallich is an excellent place to paddle from. It has a really sheltered harbour and, within minutes of setting off, you are in the wilds. Carsaig Bay is literally one mile to the west of Tayvallich, with its superb views looking over towards Jura.
The conclusion: the jury is still out. Dave preferred the Isel but found both seats uncomfortable. But then, the Romany lacked any seat-side supports, and the Isel’s backband wasn’t set up particularly well. I guess this is always a problem when trying boats out, not to mention using different paddles if you are new to sea kayaking. It is by no means easy.
Keep on trying more boats, Dave. It’s a bit like a wizard choosing a wand – its the wand which chooses the wizard...
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