Well today was my first kayak class. I took it through REI and it was Learn to Kayak taught by Uma and Paul. Great instructors who covered everything I wanted to know at a beginner level. I’m pleased to say I did not overturn (nor did anyone in the class) and was able to maneuver around quite well. It also provided for a comparison in different kayak styles as they had a number of them there. I was in a Pungo 140 from Wilderness Systems which appears to be discontinued now.
It didn’t have the black “dash board/cup holder” shown in the picture so the cockpit was very open. I kind of liked this extra leg room and may consider enlarging the cockpit to somewhere in between on the Resolute assuming I can find a skirt to fit it (or have one made).
Final verdict, I really enjoyed the experience and have a lot more confidence now that I will enjoy a kayak over a canoe. This means my kayak build is a go. The next few weeks will be starting to gather the supplies (tools, materials, etc.) to accomplish this.
So far the biggest hurdle seems to be finding a wood to use but I’ll leave that for the next posting.