Kayaking with your dog

Seadddict said:
From a friend of mine. http://www.mypaddledog.com/ Take care of your dog. Be sensitive to others & wildlife. Yes, there are places where dogs don't belong. There are others where they are perfectly acceptable. Use good judgment.
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Some good, useful information on that website for those who want to paddle with their dog.

I agree with your points and for me it really depends on a) the location and b) the dog. If the dog is well behaved around people, property, and other animals, I'm OK with it.
 
OK I want to refrase my question ( or maybe should i just repost this as a new question under a better heading).

We have a new waterfront property in Preedy Harbour on Thetis Island. I have several touring kayaks and have done a lot of wilderness kayaking and hope to continue to do so. I do not bring my dog on wilderness overnight trips. I am really happy with my current touring boat. I am planning to do more day trips and am getting a lot of visitors. Many visitors are inexperienced in kayaks, lots of kids, and just lots of guests. I also have a beloved 50 pound dog, that is great in boats and I want to paddle with from time to time. He is not really suitable in any of my touring boats.

I am wanting to upgrade my fleet by selling one of my touring boats and to replace it with a bigger, stable kayak that friends can use when visiting. ( bigger men cannot use any of my current boats).

I also want to add to the fleet, something like a canoe, or recreational kayak, Sit on top, Folbot ? ( any other ideas are welcome) that I can use for families with kids, for me and my dog to solo paddle, maybe to carry a crab trap, for day trips. This would be used for trips in mainly good weather. Examples would be to go to Tent Island from Preedy Harbour for a picnic, swim , with a group of folks in a variety of boats likely.

I was initially thinking about getting a canoe, but have no experience of using a canoe in the sea, and am less skilled in a canoe.

So first question is what experience with canoes do folks have in gulf island like waters? Would a canoe be able to keep up with people in touring boats? Second question is are SIt on tops ( another idea) unrealistic in our cold waters? How about a recreational kayak ?

Do you have any specific suggestions of boats I should look at?

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, and maybe leave the discussion about the pros and cons of dogs in the wilderness on a different forum? I bring a leash when i have the dog on shore. He has a life jacket. I pack out dog poo. and am not taking him on big wilderness adventures.

Thanks

Kate
 
I am thinking along those same lines, re the Clipper sea. ( not the sea1).

Wondering if can handle it OK solo. Likely should just see if I can try one.

Thanks for the great links
 
My first thought would be a good sized fishing or scuba diving SOT: big enough for handling extra large weights moving/rolling around, easy care, a ready floating platform to be remounted if dumped and even overturned, easy to use.
Say something like the wilderness system commander 14-0:


has space behind and even space in front
 
nootka said:
Further to Dan's post on the first page, I'd be tempted to ask Joe O'Blenis if the Clipper Sea 1 would be a good choice.
http://www.clippercanoes.com/sea-1/
http://www.joeopaddles.com/clippersea1.htm
http://www.clippercanoes.com/cross-cana ... xpedition/
http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtop ... 6f&start=0
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/communi ... f=1&t=6710
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Did I just hear my name? :)
Clipper Sea 1?
If I could only have ONE solo canoe or kayak...it would be the Clipper Sea 1 for sure.
And yes, I'd be very comfortable bringing one of my dogs with me in it on trips.
 
Kate,

I think you are heading in the right direction. My limited experience paddling the area where you plan to take your dog suggests a decked canoe kayak hybrid might be about the best crossover craft. Many recreational doubles of the open cockpit design may suit you also, but may not be as seaworthy as the Clipper Sea 1. One consideration is whether the dog is more stable and more manageable if he is in front of you rather than behind. A friend paddled all over, including some difficult crossings, with her small dog, size of miniature poodle, and she rode on the back deck of a large single, or inside the cockpit, nose poking out the skirt tunnel, for comparison. Yours is much larger, and would not be a good companion inside a small cockpit.

I think trying a couple would be wise.
 
I'd suggest a decent sit-on-top. Really easy to paddle for newbies in benign conditions like you describe. Paddler size becomes irrelevant. If you get one of the almost doubles or doubles, they can be paddled solo, or double, or sometimes even triple. They have the advantage of being fun floaty toys off the beach when you're not paddling anywhere, hours of entertainment for kids, and totally non-threatening for folks to practice falling/jumping off and clambering back on before heading out on a crossing. Also really great reality and/or confidence builders in onshore winds and waves as people again don't feel intimidated trying the boat in those conditions - easy enough to fall off, clamber on, try again, or haul to beach. Good way to experience the particular joy that is paddling in wind and waves to determine if this should be on the agenda. Nice and stable so the dog can be on it when you want, with room for both of you to move around a bit without you feeling like you'll end up swimming, desire to or not. Really, the only disadvantage is the paddler(s) are likely to be wet/damp after their paddle.

The right canoe can work as well, but as they are generally more affected by wind, require a little more skill to paddle, and if it does end up going over requires much more skill to get upright and back in and the whole goal is to have it be as simple as possible for people to get a taste of paddling fun, my choice would be sit-on-top.

Can't speak about the clippers. They seem like a really great boat, but possibly more than what you're looking for?
 
I kayak all year with two dogs in a necky manitou 2. The 72lb dog sits in the bigger cockpit with me and the 45lb dog lays down in the front cockpit on a cushion. I find making them comfortable is the key to keeping them still. Then when we hit up beaches they have these things called "leashes" that clip into a really long bowline on my kayak and it's their anchor keeping them from going off too far. Really stable kayak for taking your dogs out, I wouldn't go out in a canoe here in the gulf islands.
 
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