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The Boats!
Depending on your preferences and intended paddle distance, some types of boats may fit your trip better. Below the available options and their specifications.
If you want to be sure that your preference is available for your trip, we recommend you send an email to info@unpackandkayak.com prior to booking.
One-Person Touring/ Sea Kayak
Our one-seater kayaks are long (5.10-meter) touring/ sea kayaks. Their narrow build means that they cut through waves easily and that they have little water resistance. This makes them ideal for long distances, with a higher speed!
The downside of these boats is that their narrowness means that they are slightly less stable than the other two options. Furthermore, since you're in the boat alone you have to rely on your own strength to move forward (whereas two-person kayaks and canoes allow you to combine your strength with the other person). You don't have to have strong arms, seeing as you will largely be using your abdominal muscles during your trip.
There are two waterproof compartments (one at the front, and one at the back of the boat) that make for plenty of storage space. Here you can fit your camping equipment, clothing, food, and utilities. After all the camping and cooking equipment has been placed in the boat, there's still about 50L of volume left for your personal belongings. We recommend you put your personal belongings in small bags that can fit in the nooks of the boat. If you show up with a big backpacking bag full, you won't be able to fit the whole bag in.
These boats are suitable for people who are a maximum of 2 meters tall, and 105kg in weight. The boats have a capacity of 135 kg (including your own weight).
Two-Person Touring/ River Kayak
Our two-person touring/ river kayak is a wide, 4.90-meter long vessel. The shared strength between two people makes it easy to gain speed and travel longer distances. The rudder (steering) at the back means that you can use your feet to turn the boat (rather than depending on your arm's ability to turn).
Although the width of the boat makes it stable, it also means that there is a bit (not much) more water resistance when paddling.
This boat is ideal for people who would like to be able to combine their strength and paddle longer distances. It also works exceptionally well for families with young children, since the children can sit in the front while the parents paddle in the back.
Similar to the one-person kayaks, these boats have two waterproof compartments. That being said, you have to share this space with two people so you have (relatively seen) less space than single-person kayaks. If you pack essentials and don't take your entire closet on the trip with you, you should be perfectly fine! When packing makes sure you use various, small bags that you can fit in the nooks of the boat. If you show up with a big backpacking bag full, you won't be able to fit the whole bag in. After camping equipment has been packed in the boat, you have approximately 50L (shared) volume.
These boats are suitable for people up to approximately 2 meters in length, and 115kg in weight. These boats have a capacity of 280kg (including your own weight).
2-3 Person Canoe
Our canoes are the proverbial mules of the fleet. With a wide, tall, 4.75-meter long build they are ideal if you want to carry a lot of supplies or people with you. Being able to comfortably fit 2 adults or a small family of two adults and one or two children, they're great if you want to have a cozy, 'gezellige' time while on the water.
Their very wide build also means they have a high level of stability. As much as that's a positive aspect, their width also means that they have high water resistance and are slower in the water. Since you'll be using a one-sided paddle, trips over 15km - 20km in one day are not recommended (unless you're up to the challenge, of course!)
That being said, if your intention is to paddle around the area, not do long trips, and simply take a bit more of a relaxed (rather than sporty) approach, these boats are great.
When you rent a canoe you'll also receive two, large (60L), waterproof containers for the supplies and your possessions. After one of them has been filled with the supplies, you'll have approximately 70L of volume left for your (shared) belongings.
The iconic 'mule of the fleet' title is reflected in the capacity of these boats. Being able to carry just over 360kg of supplies and people, you really can take a lot of things with you. The fact that you're not sitting in the boat, but rather on a seat, means that your length isn't much of a problem here. These boats are suitable for people up to 2.15 meters. As long as you weigh less than 135kg, you'll be perfectly fine here.