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I'm looking to get myself a kayak, but weight limits are an issue for me. I like the ascend kayaks from Cabala's because of the high back seats. I'm undecided if i want to get a 10' hybrid kayak or a 12' angler kayak (to handle my weight).

Will I have issues keeping up with people in more traditional non fishing kayaks?

What other things should I look for?

I will mostly be cruising down rivers with little to no fishing going on. I had a 10' sun dolphin arua ss but I was about sinking it and the seat back was to low and uncomfortable on a 3 to 5 hour trip.

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    Hi Corey, and welcome to TGO.SE! This site avoids shopping questions because they tend to become outdated pretty soon. I've edited it to better suit our focus, but feel free to change it again if you feel it's not what you wanted to ask. And check the tour if you haven't done so yet.
    – Roflo
    Jun 6, 2019 at 22:17
  • What are these more traditional kayaks like? Touring boats are much faster than (whitewater) river-running boats, but IME it's not uncommon for people to take long WW boats cruising down rivers; in fact I've taken mine on canals. You'd probably have trouble keeping up with touring boats, but not WW boats
    – Chris H
    Jun 7, 2019 at 7:00
  • ... But a big boat will still be better and quicker than one that's too small and rides too low in the water.
    – Chris H
    Jun 7, 2019 at 7:28
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    @Roflo I think your edits make the post fit well here.
    – James Jenkins
    Jun 7, 2019 at 12:00
  • I have no clue about kayaks/paddle boats, so my question comes from a naive standpoint (and is meant as a question/suggestion): The possible duplicate looks more open towards various types of paddle-boats to me, while this one seems specific to kayaks. Maybe the difference warrants a second question?
    – imsodin
    Jul 31, 2019 at 5:28

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Go big or go home

Look for boat ranges with an "HV" (high volume) or large option.

The most important factor to you is going to be how well the boat holds your weight and how well it handles under that load. Most boats have a design weight for the paddler usually capping out at around 130kg (285lb) mark for high volume boats. Allowing for a reasonable amount of cargo weight for a touring or sea kayak that should be enough for you.

Length is speed

If you're worried about keeping up with others, go long. There's a general (to a limit) correlation between boat length and hull speed. The longer your boat the faster you'll be able to go in it.

Seats can be replaced

Don't worry too much about outfitting in boats, it's reasonable, and entirely normal among some groups, to completely strip out all the fittings and replace them with something more suitable for the paddler. Boats often come with "club" outfitting, which is the most basic and hard wearing version with options to upgrade for more comfort, better fitting, better padding etc. Speak to dealers to find out what the options are for the boats you're considering.

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