Namaste, I know that many kayak places sell their equipment in the early spring. You may want to check these places out as they have all levels of kayaks but mainly beginner/intermediate ones. Blue Waters in Tomales Bay just merged with another company-- Tamal Saka Kayaking <wahh, I'll miss Kate the owner> and I am pretty sure they'll be selling tons of stuff (though i may be wrong so don't hate me)

go to www.bwkayak.com for more info.

cheers!

Holly

hi namaste,

for easy river kayaking i highly recommend an inflatable kayak. these have come a long way in recent years. they are very stable and very safe. my 14-year-old daughter was comfortable on class 2+ water her very first time in one.

paddling on the bay is a different matter entirely. unfortunatley, you will need a different boat. sea kayaks are bigger and longer. also, do not underestimate the skills required to kayak on the bay. the key thing is that conditions can change rapidly out there if the wind comes up. so you have to know that you can handle not only the conditions that prevail when you launch, but whatever else might come up while you are out there.

finally, it is possible to use one kayak for both river and the bay, but it would have to be a sea kayak (river kayaks get blown all over the place on the bay), and this would limit you to essentially flat-water rivers.

i teach kayaking, by the way, both privately and through CA Canoe and Kayak, and would be happy to give you the instruction to get you started safely out on the bay.

best.
bob

paddling.net.