So, most of July was spent on the all important job of buying 2 kayaks!
Makes & models were endlessly discussed, reviews read, pros & cons weighed up… skeg or rudder? what shape hull? what length? what paddle? wetsuit or drysuit?
Budget was a factor, and more so because secondhand kayaks are like hens teeth, so we accepted we would have to invest in new ones… we probably rang & emailed every kayak dealer in the country, comparing prices & deals!
Trying out wilderness kayaks
The process was a good indication of the friendliness & openness of the seakayaking community – everyone had their tuppenceworth to add and we got a lot of good advice on choosing a kayak & essential gear.
We also got to try out a few different types with Kayakmór, Shearwater & Deep Blue, and everyone had a different opinion on the best one to buy 
One piece of advice that proved invaluable was on length – a lot of the kayaks we looked at were 14-15 ft but we realised that we probably would outgrow them too fast, and we would be better off investing in a slightly longer boats now. I wasn’t totally convinced, especially as I was worried about lifting a 17ft kayak by myself, let alone getting it onto a roofrack! I followed the advice, thankfully, and went with the longer boat – I would have been kicking myself now if I’d chickened out!
We ended up in River Deep in Galway. Pat, a whitewater & sea kayaker, gave solid advice without pushing a sale – always good! After weeks of indecision we finally made a choice – a lovely red Valley Aquanaut & an even prettier sunburst yellow Venture Easky 17! The initial plan was to share them & take turns… that didn’t last longer than a few days – J paddles the Aquanaut & I’m at home in the Easky
settling in to our new kayaks
Coupled with a pair of Werner paddles & Yak cags & pfds & a few other essential bits&bobs of safety equipment, we were ready to go play with our new toys!
It’s great once you get all your own kit together. Some good choices of kit there Helen. Thanks for the links back to my reviews!
Thanks Duncan
once I catch up with myself I’ll review some of the kit we bought
A nice red Valley Aquanaut – very sexy!
J agrees with you