Hey all,

I am fairly new to the world of kayaking. I have gone on a few day tours in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, but never really considered buying one. I am back in Nova Scotia now (was landlocked southern Alberta) and am going to buy my first kayak.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Riot Brittany? I can get a new one for a pretty good price, but can't try it out first.

I am mainly interested in taking it on lakes, exploring the provinces coastlines in the oceans, and taking trips in various bays.....

Would that be a good kayak to choose? Remember, I have limited experience in kayaking. I did sit in it, and it felt nice, but that was in the store.

I look forward to learning much through here and am excited to start the adventures!

Cheers,
Dave

Dave, my input for you would be to get connected with a kayaking club/group/association somewhere nearby, and also look for dealers who will let you try boats. The idea is to simultaneously learn more about what's involved in open-water paddling, and to try out boats. Nova Scotia's own Scott Cunningham, of Coastal Adventures in Tangiers, is a well-known expert and resource on Nova Scotia sea kayaking, and would be someone to contact, for sure, as he's literally "written the book" on the subject. www.coastaladventures.com

I wouldn't spend a lot of time at this stage in your kayaking career worrying about whether this or that boat is right for you, and I wouldn't pay that much attention to anybody else's opinion of whether any particular boat is the one for you--better to get paddling time and experience in, in a number of different boats, then you'll be in a better position to figure out what it is you're looking for.

Never buy what you cannot try. You need to try it for 20 minutes at least not 5. Why can you not try it? Looks nice http://www.touringkayaks.com/riot_brittany.htm

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input.

I can't try anything since mostly everything is still frozen up here

Also, I talked a to a few people who do paddle and they suggested that this should be a good boat for me - I'm not a huge guy (6'2" 180lbs). It is on sale too right now ($500 off). It's brand new for $1200 with a rudder.

So I am kind of in a tough spot. Since I am close to the Bay of Fundy, I want to be able to explore the coast of it, which would probably eliminate the shorter kayaks, but I don't want to feel too unstable in calm waters since there are a ton of lakes around as well and want to enjoy that aspect as well. At the same time, I want to get something I am not going to outgrow.

In everyone's experience, if I wanted to paddle coastlines of NS, lakes and open bays, do I need a 16.5 foot Brittany sea kayak?

There are 3 left. There is no way I can try it out first....

Thoughts?

Thanks guys - Regardless of whether I get this, I can't wait to soak up the knowledge here and start having fun on the water again. Being in southern Alberta for 3 years, the first thing I promised myself was to get involved in kayaking if I ever moved back to NS....So here we go

Thanks again
Dave

Dave, Nobody---absolutely Nobody--ends up paddling the kayak they started with. So, if you can get the Riot Brittany at a very attractive price, you might as well start out with it as well as any other boat. The important thing is to become knowledgeable about safe open-water paddling (especially important on the Bay of Fundy!), and to get time in the cockpit with people who know what they're doing. Read some sea kayaking manuals; take some lessons. Let us know how you're doing.

What Strange Magic says about your first boat is also pretty much true of your first paddle. Be at least as diligent about your choice of paddle as you are about your boat. And while you're at it, there's still more to go after you select a boat and paddle. See what you've gotten yourself into.

I say go for it.
Regarding stability, as you familiarize yourself with your boat it will feel increasingly stable. There are different hull profiles with varying degrees of rocker and chines and as you gain experience and time in the cockpit, perhaps some time in other boats as well, you'll be able to decide what works best for you. Many paddlers end up with a few different boats, so watch it.
I can't stress the importance of formal instruction! There are things in this sport that are counter intuitive - like rolling and rescues - that I insist people learn early and practice often. Another thing for your region, especially with the Bay of Fundy, is learning and understanding how to paddle safely with tides and currents! Tide races, tidal bores, whirlpools, etc abound in that region and these absolutely require specialized instruction.
Again, buy the boat, get out on the water, join a club and have fun and remember this is a wet sport.

be well versed on what safety equipment you need and for the water temps you will paddle in. Good Luck! I am new too and did a ton of reading and many videos probably 8 of each. No substitute for instruction but you have a clue what they are trying to teach you in a lesson.

I couldn't agree more on the safety aspect of all of this. I am 37 years old and the "recklessness" of my youth is long gone haha

I am going to open up a can of worms though.....rudder or skeg?

Put yourself in my shoes - new paddler, trying to figure out what boats is right for me (certainly some sort of sea kayak) and then on top of that needs to figure out whether to get one with a rudder or skeg. I've read some debates on this - tough call for someone that is on the outside looking in (my first thought would be skeg - but that's just from reading)
For those that have read my posts on the Brittany, it comes with a rudder - is that good or bad - no idea lol

Or does it really matter for a novice which one to have?

Cheers,
Dave

Okay, I'm going to shock everyone; I favor a boat that has no skeg and no rudder. My 19'-2" NC Expedition has neither and I wouldn't have it any other way. If I had to choose between a skeg and a rudder, I would and have chosen the deployable skeg.

Dave, you're right, this debate is on going and probably will be as long as there are boats. One thing to be aware of is that the prime reason for rudders is not for steering, but for compensating for a boat's tendency to weather and, or current cock. The steering aspect is secondary and really probably only in tight spots. Your paddle and body english are the real steering mechanisms in a kayak. How many canoes have you seen with rudders, or skegs?

Anyway, the Brittany is available with a deployable skeg.

Dave, if you get a kayak with a rudder, get used to paddling the boat without the rudder deployed--keep it flipped up and out of the water. That way you'll learn (because you'll have to) the basics of boat handling and control using just the paddle and leaning the boat, and not become rudder-dependent. Then, after you've mastered paddling a kayak "clean", you'll be able to use the rudder for what it's best at--A) as a trim tab, a variable-azimuth skeg useful for making long passages in all sorts of different wind and current situations; and B) for paddling tight, winding tidewater marsh channels. Looked at this way, a rudder is like a much more controllable and adaptable skeg, and, unlike a skeg, a well-designed rudder is much less likely to jam.

Whether you end up with a boat with a rudder, a skeg, or neither, after some years of paddling, depends on your own final approach to sea kayaking--whether you like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. There is no one true religion here.

I brought it up because I can only get the Brittany on sale with the rudder. Now it says that it has a "pilot rudder". Is that different from the old school rudders where one leg goes up and the other down? My concern would be not having sold foot braces to use as leverage with a rudder. Does a "pilot rudder" offer this? Even if the rudder is up out of the water, wouldl that give me a stable foot brace?

I know, I should have looked at that when I sat in the boat - but I'm learning as I go and had a million questions anyway, so I am asking them all here...

Thanks again lol

I like a rudder if it is real windy. The newer rudder pedals you steer with the toes or top portion of the pedal and always have a nice solid foot bracing position. If the boat does not have this type you can get them for about 75 bucks.

Dog raises an excellent point about having (or getting) rudder pedals that provide firm, non-moving foot position, while permitting moving the rudder using only the toes or tip of the foot. All of my rudders have been of that sort--my current boat (Epic 16x), and my 3 previous boats all had rock-solid footrests with toe controls.

That's what I want too....This one doesn't have those.

I also just found out these boats are no longer made in Canada (Riot is Canadian) but are now being made in China.

On a positive note, I picked up a used Thule rack for my SUV (Locks, cross rails, feet and endcaps for $100 - only one year old)

So Dave, is the "made in China" thing a deal breaker? I know it would be for me. Not that I've never bought anything made in China, but at least for now, some of the best kayaks are still built in North America.

Yeah, I think so.....I have heard some things already about the quality of the Riots coming out of China. Mind you, it's all what people say on the internet, but still..

I think I am going to do a ton of research this summer, try as many boats as possible, learn as much as I can, and then make my choice this time next year. I hate being rushed into things and I felt waaaay too much under the gun with this Brittany.

I may end up paying a bit more, but then again, maybe I'll still find something on sale down the road. This will also let me accumulate the things I need over some time so it isn't a brutal shock to the wallet all at once:)

I'll be on here alot though, asking questions as they come up - and there will be many

Thanks again!!!

Plenty of kayaks made here in the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia for me to easily skip China. There are also plenty of them used if you are not in a dire rush. I picked up a 08 Solstice last year with all the accessories and tax would have cost me 4800. I got it for 1600 and it was like new. I have to like what I have in my hand and be proud of it and China doesn't do it for me. Nothing against the Chinese it is their one-way trade policy and currency manipulation. Leaders in the USA just keep lapping it up so my anger is mainly at them.

Yeah, I'm holding off. Better not to be rushed anyway.