Sea Kayaks for Heavier Individuals: Do They Exist?

November 4, 2020 1:07 PM

Looking for solo sea-going kayaks, I keep seeing "Recommended for up to 250 pounds". Are there any kayaks that accept people up to 350 pounds? Looking for someone close to me, this is their dream.

I have been breaking myself against Google trying to find this, but I don't know much about kayaks so am finding it difficult. I can find tandem kayaks with that weight capacity, but apparently you can't solo in a tandem kayak. This needs to be a sea-worthy kayak capable of going a lot of miles, so it can't be an inflatable kayak either. Needs to carry about 40 pounds of gear in addition to the weight of the person inside said kayak, and to have a sit-inside design.

Also if you know for sure this doesn't exist, please let me know.

posted by corb to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (13 answers total)

The Hobie Adventure Island has a capacity of 400 lbs. But it's a sailing kayak with a pedal drive, so maybe not what your friend is looking for. But it's a blast. There's a larger Tandem Island with a 600 lb capacity, and it's possible to solo.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:23 PM on November 4, 2020

you can't solo in a tandem kayak.
Who says? A single person can paddle a tandem kayak; my co-paddler and I did a week in the Okefenokee in two-seaters loaded with camping supplies and food and ice. But that was a swamp, so no waves or rapids and only mild current. Maybe the extra length is a hassle/dangerous when you're dealing with friskier water.
posted by Don Pepino at 3:02 PM on November 4, 2020

(I found this list: https://paddlecamp.com/best-kayaks-for-big-guys/. There are a couple on there that might work--aren't inflatable, can take 500+ lbs.)
posted by Don Pepino at 3:10 PM on November 4, 2020

Long distance ocean kayakers use tandems. The challenge with many boats will be actually fitting in the cockpit. There are quite a few listicles, but one they didn’t mention is the Borealis XL which is a kit boat by Pygmy Boats. I have a Pygmy (long discontinued model) that I got to fit my big feet. They also have a triple that can be paddled in the middle.

Pygmy is currently in stasis due to COVID, but will hopefully be back up and running soon.
posted by rockindata at 5:49 PM on November 4, 2020

Chesapeake Light Craft Great Auk Is rated for paddlers up to 400 pounds, and can accommodate an additional several hundred pounds of gear.
posted by rockindata at 5:55 PM on November 4, 2020

The Cadence by Northwest Kayaks is “perfectly suited to larger paddlers” and has a total capacity (paddler plus gear) of 455 pounds.
posted by rockindata at 6:02 PM on November 4, 2020

The Tsunami 175 is another potential option.
posted by rockindata at 6:34 PM on November 4, 2020

Chesapeake Light Craft Great Auk Is rated for paddlers up to 400 pounds

Chesapeake makes good kits but being a fiberglass over strip wood boat it's also expensive. Yostwerks has free plans for skin on frame kayaks (solid, filoding and inflatable) and at least one rigid version, the Sea Tour 17 EXP, is rated to 350 lbs. The Yost boats can be built for a few hundred dollars.
posted by Mitheral at 9:02 PM on November 4, 2020

I can’t recommend anything specific, and not sure about what specific use scenario your friend is thinking of, but fishing kayaks often tend to be larger and sturdier, with higher weight capacity. I agree that for a sit-in, cockpit size is going to be an issue. Sea kayaks are generally narrower. I have a 10’ “recreational” kayak that has been used by people who weigh at least 300 lbs, and it has a very large cockpit. My other kayak is not technically a sea kayak, (Liquidlogic Inuit 13.5) but it is 23” wide, with a 19” cockpit, and I think it could fit someone up to 250 lbs, depending on proportions, just to give a frame of reference. Weight limits tend to be conservative.

I’ve been sea kayaking on a sit-on-top kayak, so that is definitely a thing, depending on the application, and they are a lot more forgiving for a range of weights and sizes. I’m a larger person who loves kayaking, and I just want to say it’s worth being flexible to find a boat that works and just get out on the water!

A final note, I’m pretty sure there are inflatable kayaks that are seaworthy and capable of going a lot of miles.
posted by catatethebird at 9:19 PM on November 4, 2020

Also consider a double paddle canoe. This little canoe has a 500lb capacity.

The stability of a kayak or canoe diminishes the more it sinks into the water, and a boat with a high rated capacity is going to assume that a good part of the weight is gear and stored low. I think the idea of a tandem is a good one since its designed for a lot of live weight.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:47 AM on November 5, 2020

So for clarity: what I’m seeing (and please correct me if this is wrong) is that the maximum carrying capacity of a boat is “will float with that weight”, but that to be able to maneuver in choppy ocean waters, a kayak needs to be sitting at about 65-75% of that carrying weight. And some sites are saying that weight capacity includes the kayak. So the figures I’ve been working with are 325 (body weight) + 40 (gear) + 50 (kayak) for a total weight carried of 415, and then trying various formulas to see how much “gap” he would need, so looking at a 500 or 550 need.

Would-be kayaker is looking for a sea kayak not for speed but for very long trips - 40-50 miles or so, island-to-island travel, and so wants something that is stable and can withstand bad conditions because the understanding is that if you fuck up on a kayak 35 miles out, you die because you can’t possibly swim or float long enough to be rescued. So that’s why he’s leaned against the inflatables and the sit-on-top which his impression was they were less stable.

I talked to at least one of the manufacturers of a tandem, and they said that he’d be really unlikely to be able to control it solo in rough water. But that might have just been that one manufacturer, so please let me know what you know! I really appreciate so many kayakers in here.
posted by corb at 9:10 AM on November 5, 2020

I am worried that your friend is thinking of attempting something very reckless. Kayak camping along the Florida coast or island-hopping in the Keys is one thing, going offshore is a entirely different category of risk. I encourage you to do your research on similar trips and take baby steps.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:58 PM on November 5, 2020

Hey thanks! I've done some further research as suggested and seen that the idea is to stick relatively close to shore even when doing serious travel. He is probably going to get either a Great Auk High-Capacity, or a Seaward Tyee XL, which claims that it also has a high-capacity option.
posted by corb at 5:01 PM on November 7, 2020