SEA KAYAKERS; a moment of your time

But one thing we haven’t talked about yet is where you’re going to keep it when you finish building it. This last point is worth a bit of thought. If you’re like us, you’ll probably take over the garage to be your kayak building shop, or maybe you’ll build it outdoors like I did with my first canoe.

If you have the option, then storing your new kayak indoors is the best choice. While all of the building methods will give you a solid, durable kayak, even the commercially built kayaks are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. Keeping your kayak indoors when you aren’t using it can go a long ways toward extending the life of your kayak.

So before you order those plans & forms for that 19′ sea kayak, run on out to the garage or the storage shed and measure it one more time to make sure it will fit at the end of the day.

Let's start with the obvious. Tandem boats are bigger. That's good if you've got a big family, or if you have a lot of gear to carry. It's bad if you often paddle alone. A skilled paddler can paddle most tandem canoes or kayaks solo—you can buy solo seats to put in many tandem boats, in fact—but there's always a price to pay. Tandem boats are designed to be paddled by two (or more) paddlers. When paddled solo, they can be sluggish and unresponsive. And when the wind rises, they can be blown around a lot.

Still, tandem boats are more versatile. It's easier for one person to paddle a tandem than it is to cram two adult paddlers into a solo pack canoe. That can be done, of course, but solo boats are best when paddled…you guessed it…solo. So, if you aren't rich enough to afford a barn full of boats, and if you've got a growing family, tandem's the only way to go.

Instead of one tandem boat, they can buy two solos. This can sometimes be the best of both worlds—if both paddlers are equally skillful, that is. When one partner's still learning, however, things may not work out so well. It's no fun to watch your companion disappearing over the horizon, after all. And it's not much more fun to have to stop repeatedly to let a less skilled paddler catch up.

Differences in skill and strength don't have to cause such problems, though. Patience and understanding will work wonders. But not everyone is patient—or understanding. Such folks are better off in a tandem boat. No one gets left behind in a tandem. There's also no better way to learn to paddle than to share a boat with an expert. Spend a few months in a tandem, and you'll be better able to go it alone with confidence.

Solo boats are ideal for spur-of-the-moment trips, too. They're lighter than tandem boats made of comparable materials—easier to throw on the rack for a quick run down to the local park when a client doesn't keep an appointment, or when a wholesaler calls to tell you this week's delivery won't be coming until tomorrow. That's a good thing if your work doesn't leave you much time for paddling. Just hang a "Gone Fishing" sign on the door and head for the water. For many of us, such opportunities are our only chances to get out.

Expedition paddlers, on the other hand will probably opt for tandems. Paddling hour after hour in all weathers takes its toll. It's good to be able to ease up and let your partner carry the load for a while. Just be sure to return the favor. Anglers and hunters, too, often prefer to pair up. On a river, you can take turns being "guide" and "sport." That way, each person gets to concentrate on the rise (and his backcast), while his partner handles the boat.

Paddlers who really plan to venture "off the map" have another reason to go tandem, even in a kayak. Injuries happen to careful people. Healthy folks get sick. If you're in a solo boat and you're suddenly incapacitated, you're in a world of hurt. At best you'll have to be towed. At worst, you'll have to lay up in camp and wait for help to come to you. On the other hand, if you're in a tandem, you can go along for the ride while your partner paddles.

If you're a faithful reader, you know that I have a personal bias against tandems, based on our "disastrous" experience in Florida last winter. But I'm going to try to set that aside and discuss the pros and cons here.

If You're Thinking About a Tandem
Let's start with the obvious. Tandem kayaks are bigger and heavier. That means they're more difficult to transport and certainly more difficult to handle on the water if you decide to paddle alone at any time.

On the otherhand, a tandem may be a good idea if one person is far less experienced than the other or if your paddling partner is a child. It's not fun to go out paddling and get left behind or to have to constantly wait for the other person to catch up. With a tandem, you'll always be together.

A tandem kayak may also be a good option if you usually plan long kayaking trips -- you should be able to paddle further with less fatigue, since you can take breaks while the other person paddles and then return the favor.

Something else to consider before making your purchase: tandem kayaks require a high level of communication between the two paddlers. The person in back is steering, but the person in front usually has the clearer view of obstacles. So constant and productive communication needs to take place; unfortunately, that didn't happen when Doug and I paddled a tandem in Florida. I had to laugh when a reader wrote in and said in her family dubbed their tandem "the divorce boat.

On the Otherhand, Solo May Be Best
So, what are the pros and cons of solo kayaks? Pretty much everything negative about a tandem becomes a positive for a solo kayak and vice versa. Solo kayaks are lighter and easier to transport. They're easier to handle in the water on your own. They can be a drawback, as I mentioned, if you have different levels of experience and one person is powering ahead while the other person is struggling to keep up.

If there's an issue about who will control a boat, then solo is probably the best way to go. Our paddling style can best be described as "alone, together" and that's how we like it. We're together on the water -- always within sight and shouting distance -- but at any given moment, we're each off exploring different things. When we purchased our boats, we never even considered a tandem. (Hmmm....Is there someone here who doesn't play well with others?)

In the end, take a close look at your personal paddling preferences before making a decision. I always tell people to "rent before you buy," which is what we did. (It will also help you decide if you want a sit-inside or a sit on top boat -- a discussion for another day.) When it comes to tandem or solo, think about the ease of carrying, handling, and storing a large boat. Also consider if you'll always have a partner or if you'll want to go it alone sometimes. Do you work well as a team and enjoy clear communication? Are there children or less robust paddlers involved? Once you've looked at all the angles, I say go for it!

IMO fishing tandem sucks.
My first kayak was a tandem. I would be paddling along and my son would lean over to one side or the other to look at something and almost tip us over.
It is hard for the person in the back to hear the person in the front. They don't call them 'divorce boats' for nothing.
You also give up your freedom with a tandem as opposed to having 2 singles.
When paddling single in a tandem and the wind kicks up it can really push the bow around unless you bring along a ton of unnecessary gear to balance things out.
A tandem is usually heavier than a single and not as fast as a single either.
A tandem is harder to resell than a single.