what is your favorite length for a yak?

I prefer the shorter kayaks, a 10 foot boat is just about perfect for me, light and easy to carry, easy to store, and fits in the back of my truck with no problems.

A lot of fun to paddle too.


The biggest problem is that such a short boat is slow, so when paddling with others who have longer boats, I have a hard time keeping up.

Derek Hutchinson says that the perfect length for a sea kayak is 16' 10". Why? Because his garage is 17'.

For going across big water with big waves 17' was nice to have.

I used a 17 foot Chinook last year in BWCA. Went across lakes 1-4 like a needle. It was a bear to portage however. Now I use my other kayak which is a 13 foot Old Town tourer with front and back hatches. Comfortage and handles well. Still heavy on portages, though.

About 12' because my car is about 14' long and it would look really funny to have a kayak longer than the car on the roof rack.