Boats & Accessories
Specs:
- Length: 11 feet overall
- Beam: 30"
- Height: 14" (hull only)
- Weight: 59.3 pounds
- Capacity: 300 pounds
More: Lifetime Weber Angler 110 ...
This is for sit-on-top kayaks with closed hulls. Open-hull sit-inside kayaks don't really need hatches.
You can order any kind and size of hatch on eBay. They are easy to install - just trace the hole on the hull and cut it out with a jigsaw. A hatch like this one has a storage bag for small items like keys and phone, which removes for access to the inside of the hull.
More: Hatches & Storage ...
Don't spend a fortune on a PFD, or Personal Flotation Device, commonly known as a life preserver. Unless you plan to go far offshore in deep water, you will never need it or wear it. Most of the places I go, self-rescue would be a matter of standing up, or a couple of strokes to shallow water or the shore.
More: PFD & Other Required Gear ...
If you go online, you can find a good deal of kayak snobbery. If you are going fishing in the ocean, or white-water, then yes, you could justify an expensive boat. But if you are just going on calm inland water, you really can't beat Lifetime boats for price, handling, and features. And they are indestructible. Lifetime also makes Emotion kayaks.
One more note: if you are going inland, then yellow is a great color for a kayak - it makes you easy to see and hopefully harder to run over by drunken motorboats. But if you are going in the ocean, yellow has a major drawback: Sharks are fascinated by yellow. In World War II, the Navy found out that yellow life jackets were a very bad idea. Online, you can find multiple videos of sharks harassing kayaks, and in every case it is a yellow hull. I even have personal experience: Once on a dive I got into a school of spiny dogfish, and they took turns trying to steal any yellow gear I had. Fortunately, dogfish are small and harmless, and the whole thing was kind of comical.
More: Plastic Kayaks ...
Your new boat probably came with a paddle. I've never seen a boat come with a good paddle. It is just a starter, to get you going. Get a good paddle that is the right size for you. It will make a world of difference. Keep the old one for a spare. Rule of thumb: your paddle should be at least your height. If you install a thick seat cushion, you might want to go a little longer even.
I regard my paddle as an emergency signalling device as well, which is why I like the yellow color pictured, especially if your boat is some camouflage shade of green. The paddle above is about $50 at Dick's. I really like it. No sense hobbling yourself with the piece of junk that came with the boat.
More: Paddles ...