Just wondered whether anybody knows about kayaking in Victoria. We tried Kayaking on Elk Lake at the weekend and loved it so much we want to buy a pair of cheap sit-on ocean kayaks. However we live in a City Centre apartment with nowehere to put them Apart from getting a roof rack and leaving them on the car year round).

Any suggestions on kayak storage or general cheap storage options for putting a pair of kayaks around the area?

You could always buy some blow up ones

for me "sit-on" and "ocean" (unless you mean the brand) don't go together when speaking of kayaking ... but it's a marvelous way to discover nature, isn't it?

about storage: up here in the valley is a guy who rents "boat storage space"... not sure though if he has some covered places as well. did you try the yellow pages for similar service down in victoria? other thought: a garage or a larger ministorage box since one of the advantages of sit-ons in this regard is their relative shortness (i still wonder where i'd put my 18 or 19 footer if i changed from kayak-renter to kayak-owner)



edit: i understand you haven't bought them yet? how about renting when you need them? an advantage of that would be that you get the appropriate type of kayak for the according trips - as i said before, i personally wouldn't leave victoria inner harbour or any other sheltered water on a sit-on...

I use to store a canoe at Hidden Harbour many years ago. It's in West Bay, over in Esquimalt, across the harbour from the causeway/Empress/inner harbour. Easy to get to from downtown - just over the bridge, along Esquimalt Rd and left on Head. Or even better, a very nice half hour walk along the harbour walkway that begins in front of Ocean Point Resort.

I would also check notice boards and ask people at Ocean River Sports, etc. and check with other Marinas. Oak Bay Marina might be good to try... a lot of people kayak out that way.

Have fun!

Ta-daaaah: http://www.hiddenharbour.ca/

Thanks for the advice guys - we have left it a bit late in the summer to buy - so maybe renting for the rest of the year and buying next Spring would be better. We are only thinking about the open-top kayaks because we are both paranoid about the whole having your legs trapped in the boat thing with normal kayaks (boy scout memories of capsizing!!). We do fancy lake kayaking but also maybe the Gorge inlet bits as well.

Thanks for the Esquimalt link - i'll check out the options over that way in case we do buy.

i guess you don't like my answer... but taking that risk:

did you think about proper kayaking education? it is not a harmless sport - even if you just cruise on a lake once in a blue moon. and there are reasons that the waters around vancouver island are a pretty crowded ship graveyard. ever thought about tides, currents, sudden weather changes (you can choose the time and therefore the weather you are going out - but not when you're coming back...)? i personally would not go out without being as prepared as i can. knowing what i'm doing and why i'm doing it - and having practise in the potentially live saving stuff.

there are very good kayaking instructors around in bc. i'm sure you find some safety courses (where you learn wet exit and reentry and realise that your human reflexes put you out of the boat before you think about it...) in victoria. here the two local kayak shops do them and they are listed in the recreational planer as well. on paddle canada you find an overview about the courses.

Thanks Lof.

I only plan on doing lake kayaking so thought the sit-on type (which are pretty cheap to buy as opposed to continually paying to rent) would be good for that. I've kayaked in the proper one's in the past but as i've got older (and bigger) I have a bit of a legs trapped in the kayak phobia thing with the proper kayaks - hence wimping out with the sit-on type

Thanks for the info though...

You could always move to somewhere like Shawnigan! and have no trouble storing the kayak's see you on shawnigan lake

Hi jempee had to do a double take on the photo , got to be your daughter in front, she's the spit of you

Nope, that would be my eldest niece! looked at the pic myself and your right we do look alike in that pic.

My eldest daughter i am told is the spit of me. At the school i worked at where she was a pupil teachers often called us by each others names used to make my day but not sure she found it so complimentary

My kids old head mistress,thought i was their grandmar ( now thats scary)