Anyone kayak? Will I fit? xpost

I want to try some more activity based exercise...give me something fun to do on the weekends, give me "something" I can say I enjoy doing, and as an added bonus it will be exercise. So I'm researching some of the local parks and their rentals, etc. I would love to try kayaking...but I'm not sure I would fit into one??? my hips and legs are my biggest parts. I wear 18/20 in dress pants and jeans...my legs are big big big...oh and is there a weight limit in general??? Hips are around 50, waist 40.

Sarah, We have kayaks!  My husband is 6'1" about 240# and wears 38 waist jeans.  He uses a bigger kayak than I do and an XL skirt.  There are several sizes of kayaks, and the folks at the shops will be happy to help you find one that you're comfortable with.  They love the sport and love to see others enjoying it also.  Most places will also do lessons.  We've taken some lessons, and it's a lot of fun!   Linn

The state park I'm looking at offers lessons and kayak rentals...it's a definate rental thing at this point need to see if I like it before I would buy. Thanks for the info.

My husband is really good at finding bargains, and the ones we have were rentals that were being sold (2 kayaks, skirts, helmets, and paddles for $800).  There are lots of resources to find good used equipment once you find what you like.   Linn

I found an e-mail to the rental place so I asked them if they had larger ones available at the park.

I kayaked once when I was probably a size 24 or so.  It was pretty tight and I wasn't very comfortable.  But, that was just one kayak.  There may be ones that have larger openings than others.  Plus, I would think that at a size 18/20 you would not have trouble fitting in one.

Sarah, I love kayaking.  It was harder to do when I was bigger but I actually kayaked when I was a size 30-32.  When I was an 18-20 it was really easy.  Most kayaks fit a lot more person than you expect.  We have 4 kayaks.  Our kayaks range from a max weight of 350 up to 650.  They are not sit in style, but sit ons.  I prefer the sit on style.  I kayak in bigger rivers, lakes, bays and the surf.     You might want to ask the rental what kinds they carry.  After you find the brands and models, look them up on the internet.  There you can find the max weights.  Usually the bigger the kayak, the slower it moves and the harder it is to get going but kayaks are so much easier to maneuver than canoes or other boats, so when I say "harder" it is fairly easy. You will love it, but beware, it is addictive.   Katy B

Hi Katy, I was suppose to go yesterday, I e-mailed the place ahead of time and asked if they had rentals to accomadate me....yeah can't be shy just said hey I'm 5'3 and weigh 290...etc...so then we went and biked first...went to change to kayak and my friend locked the keys in the car so instead of kayaking we waited for AAA...next weekend though....for sure.

Be sure and let us know how you liked it.  I am a total addict.  I love gliding up on birds and fish who don't seem to care that I am there.  I see and hear things I would never hear and see in a motorized boat or walking on the shore.  You will love it. Katy

The kayaks that we rented last week were open.  If your doing white water it could be more of a problem, but the open ones are quite roomy. Rob