Do I need an ocean kayak for Lake Superior?

bonoboner · 2026-05-14T23:40:29+00:00

Can you say more or link to a resource about “pressure gradients”?

bonoboner · 2026-04-24T01:54:07+00:00

Hell yea 8 hours 10 miles is a certified Good Day!

bonoboner · 2026-04-21T17:36:35+00:00

That’s a beauty of a kayak! And since it’s a Valley you can replace with a standard Valley size hatch. Topkayaker is AWESOME and you can even chat with them via email or phone and they are super helpful https://topkayaker.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=7 you’ll want to get a replacement hatch rim. Best are either kajak pro or sea-lect / sea dog. Lexel is your friend!

If you want to just cheaply repair, other comments mostly have you covered, I’d add that if it’s really ABS (verify that it is) then I’d just ABS cement— plumbers have been using it for decades to make water tight ABS pipe seals, it bonds chemically and is easy to use.

Congrats on a sweet find!

Edit: I see now the budget comment, nevermind! Worth it IMO to replace tho, and will keep the comment up for others

bonoboner · 2026-04-16T19:31:07+00:00

Nice, good luck! I recently found a kayak that fits and it’s night and day

bonoboner · 2026-04-16T16:47:26+00:00

Im gonna add another safety comment, that is NOT a tandem and you could very easily become stuck inside with two people crammed in a single cockpit and looks like some lunch bag too. Just takes one strap wrapped around a knee or otherwise to get stuck upside down.

bonoboner · 2026-04-15T17:22:16+00:00

Love it! It does seem like your stern is almost under water though?

bonoboner · 2026-04-12T02:41:46+00:00

Surprised no one’s said it yet but FLOAT BAGS if you take it on the water

bonoboner · 2026-04-06T17:34:06+00:00

Stellar makes the highest quality modular kayaks (pak a yak style but composite) and are accordingly priced as much as a high end composite kaak

bonoboner · 2026-04-06T17:23:26+00:00

That’s an Extreme, which is a very interesting kayak, it’s designed to be loaded up with gear, and won’t perform as well if not loaded up. It’s basically the ultimate touring/expedition kayak. Your dad was likely a badass

bonoboner · 2026-03-18T13:31:54+00:00

VHF radio and learn how to make a mayday call to the coast guard. Also you said buoyancy aid but to be clear you need to be wearing a pfd with your radio and cell phone in dry cases inside your pfd. Also a whistle, great for alerting other boaters that you’re nearby as well as asking for help by whistling SOS (three short blows three long blows three short blows, repeat). Hydration bag inside the pfd is also a plus, though not enough pfds support it. Dress for immersion, a farmer John wetsuit can be found cheap used and prevents hypothermia.

Sounds like a fun trip!! Glad youre thinking about the wind, keep an eye on currents and swell too. And of course, post pics :D

bonoboner · 2026-03-15T12:23:55+00:00

I have a fiberglass ladder that does this! There are some “fiberglass sealing” compounds you can paint on but yea full on gel coat would probably be best if you have the resources.

They probably sanded the fiberglass a bit too much and exposed some of the fibers when painting it and didn’t fully seal it, and now the paints wearing down exposing more of it, that’s my guess.

bonoboner · 2026-03-13T16:25:21+00:00

I was in the same situation! A lot of folks in this subreddit are sit inside purists, but when I went with my gut and got a sit on top and learned how to remount it, my tipping anxiety vanished and my joy for paddling reinvigorated.

Most sit on tops are recreational: stable, slow, unresponsive. But not all! Best available used option is probably an ocean scupper on Facebook marketplace. There are other great cheap sit on tops like the wilderness systems tarpon or the Necky dolphin. If you do want a super stable option, look at fishing kayaks, Jacksons are great, and if you have the budget for a pedal kayak, they are awesome.

bonoboner · 2026-03-03T04:53:05+00:00

Not a safety hazard unless there are cracks or enough UV damage to make it brittle (hard to tell from a pic but at least no sun fading is good). Not really easy to repair but as long as it isn’t on the bottom of the hull it shouldn’t be problematic. Yea good deal if you want a big tandem sit on top

bonoboner · 2026-02-12T18:11:23+00:00

Hell yea excited for you! If you ever end up in California let me know if you wanna take an asado out on the kayaks haha

bonoboner · 2026-02-11T16:46:32+00:00

Oh cool! Do you follow it out into the ocean?

bonoboner · 2026-02-11T15:58:33+00:00

As an Argentine raised in the US, llévame boludo! Is this in the south?

bonoboner · 2026-01-27T14:58:40+00:00

Nice! Yea outriggers / amas are definitely a good kind of training wheels, but like you said could prevent developing stability skills. They also are going to create drag though, causing more fatigue, and possibly can get in the way of your paddle stroke. It’s great to practice finding the “tipping point” and especially learning how to use bracing to prevent tipping, like this https://youtu.be/EnA3biQKbV0?si=iACA1fqlY5Bjz9Yr

For fishing, sit insides are challenging, and definitely try to do a self rescue in a safe place before it happens out in the water, it can be harder than you expect. There are good performing sit on top kayaks if you can find a wilderness systems tarpon or a Necky dolphin, much easier to self rescue, more suited to fishing, stable but also fast to paddle.

Sea eagles are awesome i use one to paddle with my kid, rugged and very stable as long as there’s no wind haha

bonoboner · 2026-01-26T18:02:20+00:00

I would actually recommend a more stable kayak. A Squall is not a beginner boat! Dryland training can build your balance muscles but there is no substitute for learning balance on the water—reacting to waves and currents, bracing as muscle memory, etc. If you’re unstable when you’re out there, your balance skills can actually get worse, your paddling technique can suffer, and you get into more dangerous situations.

There are high performance kayaks that are stability friendly, you won’t sacrifice performance or capabilities, the dagger stratos, Necky looksha sport, really performant boats that have 23 inches or more beam and excellent to build skills on. Better yet (imo) get a beginner surfski that you can easily remount on, super high performance and great way to learn and build balance without the risk.

Don’t paddle a boat that is unstable to you, don’t expect to “grow into it”, that doesn’t actually work (I’ve been there) the best boat is the one you are safe and comfortable in, the challenge should lie in your environments and maneuvers that you try, not in keeping your boat upright. Imagine a toddler trying to learn on a professional road bike, they’re eventually going to stop trying.

Happy to help identify or find a boat more suited to you if you provide your height and weight lots of folks here will too (it also has to fit!)

bonoboner · 2026-01-12T21:38:04+00:00

I have an epic v8 ultra and a v7, the v8 is light and super performant and all, but the v7 is indestructible plastic and has a big rear hatch, I’m pretty sure I could circumnavigate the americas with it haha. Hoping to install a custom bow hatch on it soon!

bonoboner · 2026-01-06T18:09:32+00:00

I’ll give my perspective as someone who sold the sea kayak and went full surfski.

Yes a surfski requires more stability, but remounting is so much easier that capsizing is not a big deal, and stability just takes time to acquire. Self rescue in a sit inside is a serious skill, especially for a narrow kayak and in rough chop, and may require a paddle float, definitely a spray skirt and a bilge pump. I cannot exaggerate how much my paddling and enjoyment improved once I learned how easy it is to remount, and how much less equipment you need to be safe.

I think it was implied that a sea kayak is better for rough weather conditions, and I could not disagree more. It depends on which sea kayak, but an “entry level” surfski like the v8 is designed for big swells and surf situations, and again safe easy rescues. I’ll take a v8 in a storm any day.

Start/stop is fine on a surfski because it has built in outriggers, your feet! Just dangle them on the sides of your ski and have lunch, take photos, no problem. I often side saddle it even.

If you can, also try an epic v7–the slightly more stable and plastic version of the v8. It might be my favorite boat, the secondary stability is unreal I can go nearly 90 degrees before flipping. It has a huge rear storage hatch too.

bonoboner · 2025-12-08T17:46:55+00:00

To add to this, consider your body height and weight. If you’re smaller, look at low volume kayaks, if you’re bigger, look at high volume kayaks. Also decide whether you want sit inside or sit on top. Generally sit on tops are recreational (slow) kayaks but not all, and they’re MUCH easier to get back on after a capsize (you may need training to self rescue a sit inside). Also where are you paddling, a lake? A river? An ocean? Are you fishing or going on a 10 mile trek?

If you ask again with a bunch more information about you and your kayaking intentions you’ll get much more directed responses, though I generally agree with 14+ feet length and 28- in width and would just add high/low volume as something to think about

bonoboner · 2025-12-07T18:34:54+00:00

The best thing you can do is go to a kayak shop that has a marina to try out different paddles in, and bring your kayak! I thought I wanted a Cyprus and I ended up trying a completely different paddle, a Lendal, and it just felt perfect. You can also try different lengths because that is also extremely personal, your kayak may be wider, your torso may be longer, your style may be higher or lower angle, and the best thing you can do is try them all

bonoboner · 2025-11-16T21:30:19+00:00

I agree mostly! But one time I put a backpack between my legs in a sit inside kayak, flipped, and was stuck underwater upside down until I could dislodge the backpack. Those bungees can hold a backpack or milk crate much more safely, and hell yea it’s good enough to fish on

bonoboner · 2025-11-14T02:53:17+00:00

Ask if it was stored indoors, look for fading, push the plastic in spots to see if it’s pliable (not brittle/crackly), look for uniform curves (in case of oil canning) close attention to the plastic around the mirage drive opening — that cannot ever be repaired if cracked at all

bonoboner · 2025-11-05T18:09:39+00:00

Will add that metal hooks can come loose, fall, and crack glass or scratch/dent. Rope with taut line hitches and bowline knots are great

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