Jackie kayaks on Lake Superior!

"Don't know about the area where you live, but here in the Puget Sound region a lot of the rental operators sell off parts of their fleets every year around September/October. Try renting boats for a while and find what you like and don't…"

"Do you know what boats were rented to you that made you "love sea kayaking?" I say this because this might be a helpful way to at least start with some sort of an idea on what felt good or did not feel so great. Other wise start by…"

"You really should spend a few hours in a boat before you drop the bucks. Outfitters might rent you a boat for a few hours, but they might also insist that you take the safety course for $80. I have a couple of wilderness systems 15'5"…"

"Go to paddling.net every day till your out of time and look in the classified ads. There are always great values in used kayaks in your area. You'll be able to get alot more boat for less money. More boat could mean a Kevlar built boat that…"

"I second the recomendations to look at a Rotomolded boat. For your first purchase the costs will be slighly lower than composite (fiberglass), the plastic boats made by Valley and P&H are far superior than they were 10 years ago, they don't…"

"I want to thank everyone for their input... Still not sure on what I will wind up with, but surely value your experience! - see you on the big water. Jackie"

"Jackie, Like Taylor said, lots of options. You said you expect to get our 4-8 times each summer. More specifically, how do you plan to use the boat? Are you going to be doing short day tours, long day tours, overnights? I know that Superior gets…"

"Jackie - the advice already given is pretty solid. You want a little length for speed. But also a boat with a rep for stability... Also, you may want to consider a skeg to help with tracking (less complicated than a rudder). A Venture Kayak Easky…"