Ocean Kayak

[wmadams]

Which brand of two person Kayak has been the better of the brands to acquire for cruising and stowing topside against the life lines...plz also let me know why...

-which color is preferable

currently gathering all the items for a long term cruise with my family.


thank you

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, wmadams.

[scoobert]

depends on your budget, but there is a sponsor here that makes a 2 man inflatable.

[Mike OReilly]

We recently purchased two Advanced Elements kayaks, one being their tandem version: http://www.advancedelements.com/adva...nvertible.html. It's certainly not as good as a quality fibreglass or plastic PVC kayak, but I was very impressed with how the boats handled and moved. Best of all (for us) they fold down into a large suitcase size bag which we can easily store.

[Teknav]

Hi! Try for size the "Ocean Kayak Malibu Two XL Tandem Kayak", in red/orange color. It cost around $900 USD. It is rugged, very comfortable for plus sizes and has plenty of cargo/gear space. Very easy to stow/retrieve, as well! Good luck!

Mauritz
Knows and sees all...ONLY a Dullah!

[annsni]

I got my Ocean Kayak Malibu Two for $350 on Craigslist. It is certainly not fancy but for my family, it is perfect. I kayaked in Edgartown Harbor in Martha's Vineyard in 25 knot winds and did well. We can have one or two on it comfortably and even add a small third person to it! It is also so stable that my kids like to use it as a raft to jump off of and climb on again and it doesn't tip.

[JayH]

My only experience is with the Malibu Two (not the XL). We carry two of them outboard of the lifelines in Garhauer racks. It takes a moderate amount of muscle to get them on and off the boat. Works great for us, but it probably depends a lot on the boat. We're a 48' catamaran.

[settingsun]

We used a Hobie Mirage i14t (inflatable tandem).

The beauty is that it is pedal driven (as well as paddle driven) so it's hands-free operation (you can use binoculars or camera at will).

We stored it inflated in garhauer racks outboard of the lifelines and made a bridle to raise and lower it with the spinnaker halyard.

Fantastic kayak. We could stand up in it easy -- extremely stable. Loads of fun. Great exercise. Good platform for cleaning the sides of the boat. If you have a large locker you could store it deflated, but the bag is quite large.

For pics and more info, see this:

Hobie i14t Tandem Inflatable Kayak

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by JayH

My only experience is with the Malibu Two (not the XL). We carry two of them outboard of the lifelines in Garhauer racks. It takes a moderate amount of muscle to get them on and off the boat. Works great for us, but it probably depends a lot on the boat. We're a 48' catamaran.

I've always wondered about the outboard racks. Spinnaker sheets don't foul?

We sometimes carry inside the lifelines and sometimes stacked on the davits, which is handier for us.