What kayak for creaky legs?

[bob notts]

Hi folks, I have been on the water for a year now and have a kayak and an open canoe but need to upgrade my kayak. I am a left leg below knee amputee and have a replacement knee in my right leg and my issue with both legs is restricted knee movement and sometimes my balance is not great. My current kayak is an old Perception Kiwi which I love because it's a V shaped hull hence very stable and has a large cockpit opening but I still struggle getting in and out though. I know my open canoe is a breeze getting in and out of but I would still love to have a modern kayak that gives me easy access as well..

So I would like some advice on makes and models if I can please from those of you who are lots more knowledgable than myself because it gets confusing looking on websites.

Many thanks. Bob.

[Whitey1]

Depends on your intended use but IMHO Jackson's have the best balance between comfort and ease of use. You can virtually set them to suit you within a minute, then just make slight tweaks, possibly even think about a Sweet Cheeks for even more comfort. They tend to have large cockpits too for ease of entry and exit. I'd think if you can pick up a used Zen or Karma or even a Hero/Superhero you'd be well sorted and if it's more for cruising then maybe a Traverse, though I've never actually seen one. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of other boats which you can set up to be equally comfortable but I'm thinking of your specific requirements when I say Jcksons because the cleat system is just brilliant for ease of use and especially access.

[Chris Bolton]

Bob, what kind of water do you kayak on, and which aspects of the Kiwi do you want to improve on? There are so many different types of kayak, whitewater, sea, general touring, etc, that it would help target suggestions. The Kiwi has a larger cockpit than most, so it will be tricky to find something you can get in and out of. Would you consider building a plywood (stitch and glue) boat if there was a suitable design - the reason I suggest that is that you could modify the cockpit opening. Another possibility is a sit on top?

[Adrian Cooper]

To generalise, sit-on-tops get a poor press on this site but they can be entirely appropriate for some people and uses. I have general advice that if a sit-on-top looks like a sea kayak it will be better than if it looks like it will be good for fishing but for other uses, different parameters can apply. Look at the Pyranha Fusion SOT which is quite useful for both moving water and touring, less appropriate for the sea. If you want something more for touring, look at the Tarpon but go for a longer one (looks like a sea kayak)