I need some opinions

[alanw]

I'm sure it's personal preference, but I feel the bigger the better in open water. I've paddled a 12' kayak and it always felt too short for me. I didn't like that the bow was only 3' in front of my feet, and felt like the short length contributed to it tracking horribly and having a slow speed. I went to a 14' boat and it felt much better, it rode over steep swells better and tracked better too. I wanted more speed though so I went to a streamlined 16' boat, and that felt perfect for length on the water, it tracked like a dream and handled swells like a boss. 6' of bow in front of my feet made it feel like I could punch through anything. If I was younger or a better paddler I'd say this is the perfect boat. But being streamlined it compromised stability, which wasn't bad but at 50 my balance isn't what it used to be and worrying about flipping every time I reached back for bait took some of the fun out of it for me. I opted for the 14' PA and feel that's it's a good length and of course stable too. Tracking isn't too bad and I can peddle it fast enough to be happy. Weight definitely could be an issue though. My advice is to go as big as you can, considering storage, transportation, weight, and cost.