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Thread: Portable Tandem Kayak

  1. #1
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    Default Portable Tandem Kayak

    Hi,
    Okay, after some searching, LL Bean has a Point 65 Tandem Sit-on-Top Kayak. This can be used solo or tandem. The Point 65 site shows 8 middle sections with a bow and stern section being paddled along. Do I know 7 other people I would put in a kayak with me? Anyhow, looks good, it is wide and i need to research the tracking with this. I won't do heavy water, just ponds and really slow rivers.
    Anybody have experience with this?
    Camping World is advertising a Portable Tandem Kayak. It can be broken into 3 pieces, one style to do tandem, one style with the middle removed for solo. Anybody have experience with this? It looks good, but 3 pieces? But, lightweight and easy to get in even a small wagon. Okay, did some research. These are modular, fit together. The pieces fit in and seem to be pretty tight. There are different models, LL Bean has some etc. The company is Snapontop Kayaks. So, any ideas?
    Thanks,
    Mike
    Last edited by melk; 10-03-2012 at 04:53 PM. Reason: More added information

  2. #2
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    I've paddled a tandem in Puerto Rico and it was fine; type in kayak review and get to paddlenet. Almost everything is reviewed non comercially and you may find what you want used. Initial stability is important given where you are planing to use the boat; this means the tendancy to stay flat on the water, a nice thing when casting and fighting a fish. I personally would go for a one piece boat as I don't trust jointed things that are supposed to keep me above the water. The back braces are a must unless you want a great abdominal workout. Think about how windy your area is and how much boat sticks up out of water. There is a fellow posting pictures of an inflatable than you might consider; I haven't been in one since 1972 so what do I know, but, he speaks highly of the boat. It's in one of the earlier threads about kayaks.

    Good luck
    Scott

  3. #3
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    Mike,

    I have no experience with the model you are asking about, but, I can relate to what you are going through with trying to find the craft for you to use for what you want to use it for. I have been there and have spent money that I wish I never spent. In my opinion, you should first decide exactly what you expect the craft to do for you and what you want to do in that craft and then use that info to find the craft that comes the closest to providing those needs. There is nothing worst than owning a craft that you do not like something about it and it spends most of it's time stored instead of used. Just for instance and maybe be of some help to you. I first bought a 13' canoe and was thrilled with how light it was, how easy to load and unload. I did not like the stability of the canoe. It was not the best craft to stand and stretch in without having good balance. I hated paddling it up river against a current. So, I sold it and purchased a 10' Landau flatbottom boat that had a 60" width. I was impressed with the ease of loading and unloading. Pleased with the extra room. It had oars, but, they are only an advantage in open ponds or lakes and were a safety hazard in a river with deadfalls and boulders due to them getting hung up and causing problems. I ended up putting an electric trolling motor on it and it would travel upstream against a current great. I got tired of loading the battery, keeping it charged and paying for registration of the craft since it was powered by a trolling motor. Sold it and purchased a Hobie Cat 75 pontoon. Once again I was happy with the ease of loading and unloading. It had oars and it did go upstream fairly well but did require a little effort on my part but a lot easier to oar than paddling a canoe. I liked that I did not need to keep constant check on the inflation of the pontoons due to the pontoons were hollow polyethalene (sp?). Overall I was pleased with this craft and still have it although it is stored and has not been used for 4 years now that I have what I was looking for in a craft. I did remove the seat it came with and installed a swivel seat which allowed me more freedom to fish from either side. I was not impressed with the limited area for storage of equipment and the fact that you need to get use to your feet being in the water which in the winter is not fun. When I fish I will spend no less than 5 to 6 hours on the water whether that is wading or in a craft and that craft needs to provide comfort for me and I decided I would not be comfortable in a kayak since I would only have one option for seating and that is with my legs straight out in front of me and having to twist from the waist up to fish either side or reposition the craft. I also was not comfortable with the stability of the kayak for me. I am going on 65 and do not wish to be dumped into moving water.

    Sorry for the long winded response, but, I feel it is important for you to consider what you want out of your craft and then look for that craft. Advertisement will only tell you the positive things about the product. The best advise I can give is to seriously write down the things you want to be able to do with your new craft and keep those things in mind when you shop and if there is any way at all to demo a craft before buying, do it. A demo will let you know the negatives about a craft as well as the positives.

    All the above is offered as a friend to a friend and trying to keep you from going the route I did and wasting the money I did. No craft will do everything you want but one might do more than another one. Weigh this decision carefully or you might end up with a craft that you do not enjoy and will not use it.

    Demo, demo, demo before forking over the money is the best advise I can give.....
    Last edited by WarrenP; 10-04-2012 at 12:48 AM.
    Warren
    Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.

  4. #4
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    Warren you are amazing! Thanks for all the help previously with my NuCanoe questions and now all the thoughts on this craft. I just need to win the lottery to hire a big strong someone to drive, load and unload a boat for me!
    I'll keep you posted on the latest adventure! I can't find a Toyota Tacoma in my price range is # 1 problemo!
    Thanks,
    Mike

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by WarrenP View Post
    Mike,

    I would only have one option for seating and that is with my legs straight out in front of me and having to twist from the waist up to fish either side or reposition the craft. I also was not comfortable with the stability of the kayak for me. I am going on 65 and do not wish to be dumped into moving water.

    .....
    Any decent Sit-On-Top kayak can be sat in "side-saddle" with no problems at all. This gives the simple solution to the left or right issue, as well as leg positioning. Many modern SOTs can be stood in with very little problem on flat water. In my Wilderness Systems Ride135 I have absolutely no problems standing and fly fishing. The stability of well engineered modern fishing kayaks has to be experienced to be believed.

  6. #6
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    Yakima makes rack mounts called Hully Rollers that are rollers that attach to a rack. This allows the boat to be rolled on from the rear if that is feasable from your vehicle. Also there is a system that will lower rods down the sid and pull the boat up on top; failry pricy but other wise looks good. Finally those round foam pool toys, the ones at Wall-Mart that float, can be used to roll a boat up from the side.
    Good luck.

  7. #7
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    Thanks Scotthen. My problem is lifting the NuCanoe, for example, enough to safely, or as safe as I feel, up onto my Jetta. I am just really afraid of dropping the fool thing and there goes a bunch of body work $. Thule makes a "lifter" also, but too much for me. Could you elaborate on the round foam pool toys to lift up? I can almost picture it, but not enough.
    Thanks,
    Mike

  8. #8
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    I believe these things are called pool noodles, they are the round colored things you see at the front of Wall-Mart for about five bucks. This time of year you have to go online to get them; I am considering going to solid foam rollers instead of the hollow ones. Putting boats on top of cars inevitability leads to scratches in my experience. I have a Honda Fit, reported to be the cheapest car to drive, with over a hundred thousand miles and hail damage. Hard to tell the canoe scratches from the other scratches. My wife is suggesting a foam sheet to cover the roof. There are some great light weight trailors that wear well and are a joy if extra gear is involved. Don't know if a Jetta can tow.

  9. #9
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    My first boat was a 12' aluminum jon boat that weighed about 100 lbs. Buying a trailer and hitch, etc. was going to put too big of a dent in the family budget at the time so I got a car top carrier and put a 1"x2" between them. I would lean the boat against the 1x2 and then lift the back and swivel it around to the length of the car. I think they now make carriers with a piece between them but a 1x2 or a 2x2 would certainly support a Nucanoe or a piece of schedule 40 pvc pipe. I would give the auto a good coat of wax on a regular basis to minimize the effect of cartopping.
    Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!

  10. #10
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    If weight is a problem, you might consider an inflatable. I love my Advanced Elements Convertable, and Sevylor Rio boats.

    [IMG][/IMG]

    Quote Originally Posted by melk View Post
    Warren you are amazing! Thanks for all the help previously with my NuCanoe questions and now all the thoughts on this craft. I just need to win the lottery to hire a big strong someone to drive, load and unload a boat for me!
    I'll keep you posted on the latest adventure! I can't find a Toyota Tacoma in my price range is # 1 problemo!
    Thanks,
    Mike

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