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Today's popular form of sea kayak used as a diving platform is the
Washdeck (aka Sit-On-Top) hull design. Rather than having a hole like the
traditional style kayak into/through which the paddler inserts their bottom
half and tries,thereafter, to keep dry, the Washdeck style kayak has a butt
bucket (depression) on top of the kayak and recesses for feet and legs. Other
than that, you're fully exposed to the elements. Perfect for diving from,
no?
There are two major styles of Washdeck kayaks with variations and
cross- pollination galore.
The most common style is exemplified by
Ocean Kayak's
Scrambler and
Scrambler XT.
It has no large hatches big enough to slip in a speargun or set of fins.
Instead, it has front and rear "tank" (equipment) wells. The hull is heavily
chined and these boats are very very stable. THIS is THE dive kayak you'll see
in the dive magazines and at dive resorts. Personally, I don't much care for
them. They have much less carrying capacity, equipment of any size must be
stowed on top and secured against loss, they are lousy to paddle, and they're
not suited for long distance paddling. |
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The other popular style is seen in
Ocean Kayak's Scupper Classic.
Utilizing a more traditional sea kayak hull design, this boat has a large load
capacity with plenty of internal storage for tanks and equipment.
 The current model comes in two configurations:
ScupperTw
with it's rear tank well or rear hatch (note - last time I checked,
Ocean Kayak is only advertising their
rear tank well version of the Scupper). The rear tank well appears "friendlier"
to a diver because it's possible to dress a tank before launching, strapping it
behind the paddler, and dumping it over the side as soon as you arrive at the
dive site. The big problem is that you lose ALL of the rear storage capacity
inside the kayak. That's a major loss and one I'm not sure I'd make.
 Someone has recently pointed out the
Cobra Kayak's
Tourer model which
might have successfully combined the best of the Scupper Pro's two rear
end variations. I'll let you know just as soon as Cobra provides me with one to
try :^)
Aquaterra's Prism is a Scupper Pro clone. It has less carrying
capacity, is more stable when empty, and is quite a bit cheaper. When lightly
loaded (freedive gear), it's faster and more stable that the Scupper Pro boats.
When heavily loaded (SCUBA gear, weight belt, anchor), it rides lower in the
water and paddles like a barge. On the plus side, it's top deck is flat (unlike
the Scupper Pro) and that allows you to strap a dressed tank to the front or
rear deck on top of the hatch. It makes the boat tippier but that's only a
problem when conditions are bad enough that, for me, diving from a kayak is not
much fun anyway. Another advantage of the Prism is that it was designed to take
a rudder . Last I checked, the Aquaterra line of boats (which were really
Perception's products) has been discontinued. It's still possible to find these
boats in the used market.
 A
serious alternate, especially for freediving, is the
Necky Dolphin; a really clean looking boat
that, IMO, just misses the mark enough to seriously handicap it (caveat). It's slightly too short, has a rear hatch
between the rear equipment well and cockpit that might prove very
useful, but has a front hatch so small as to seem almost useless. I doubt you
could slip a set of fins inside.  Necky makes the Spike, an
almost identical looking boat that's a downsized version of Necky's Dolphin.
Why they'd downsize a too small boat escapes me. But it is pretty.
 Another
interesting boat I've seen but have yet to try is the
Seda Revenge in kevlar. At 16' 6", this
boat promises to be sweet to paddle yet it's lighter than comparable plastic
boats. I also understand they have a heck of a factory (southern California)
sale on these things once each year. Before buying, though, I'd carefully
verify that the rear hatch is big enough to handle a fully dressed tank. I'd
also want to be sure the boat's internal configuration allows for stowing two
or more tanks.
Were I in the market, I'd be looking for a boat that has all of
the following features:
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BIG Front and/or Rear Hatches |
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Big enough to accept a fully dressed tank easily.
The Scuppers come close to having hatches big enough to allow a tank to be
dumped inside but they're still just a little too small. I don't understand why
nobody has added extra hatch dimensions to make these things work easily for
scuba divers. When someone does, the equipment wells are instantly
obsolete. |
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Rudder |
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I believe a dive kayak needs a rudder. Ocean
kayakers (the serious guys, not the company) will tell you a good kayaker
doesn't need a rudder. And they're probably right. But I'm not a good kayaker.
I'm still working on being a good diver. Until the latter is achieved, I like a
rudder. The local sea conditions can make paddling without a rudder quite a
chore. |
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Long length = speed, speed = ease of
paddling |
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5 meters with a hull design that shortens the
water line in a lean to assist turning. |
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Wave ski bow |
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The wave skiis I'm familiar with are long and
narrow with the very front of the hull flaring at the bow. This bulbous bow
assists the boat in catching swells/waves. Swells travel through the water at
25 to 35 mph; when I catch one, it moves me just a wee bit faster than I can
paddle. |
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Clean Rigging |
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Rigging that minimizes the number of deck lines.
Get tossed in the surf and deck line become your mortal enemy; if you get
tangled up by one, the best outcome will be no fun and the worst gets very grim
very quickly. Also, nothing on the deck (loops, tiedowns, handles, ...) should
provide any place you can slip a finger into unless you consider your fingers
as luxury accessories. |
The "right" color for a dive kayak is simple: the gaudier the
better. Yellow, lime green, bright
orange, or any of those really ugly, bright marble finishes are
great. Blue, dark
green, black, camo, ... are a
really bad idea for a dive kayak for a couple of reasons.
For one, like bicyclists on a busy road, you want to be seen by
other boaters. That includes the other boater in a power launch who's been
drinking too many beers during a long day fishing in the hot sun and who's
highest motivation for the moment is to get back to the dock. A kayak that
blends nicely with its surrounding environment is a distinct liability where
boating is busy.
Another reason is that finding your kayak when you come up from a
long dive can be surprisingly hard. The combination of you being very low in
the water, the kayak being very low, and swells can make finding the kayak an
exercise in patience. Based on personal experience, it can sometimes take a few
minutes to locate the thing, by which time, your heartrate and adrenaline are
pumping. About that time, I can guarantee that you'll absolutely agree the most
beautiful colors in the world include Yum-Yum Yellow, Screaming Mimmie Orange,
and Loud Lime Green. |
