Will small rivers damage nicer kayaks? 2025

Ohioguy25 reply :

I have a 12 ft Old Town Dirigo 120. It is brand new and I really like how it looks. I've just started using it and one of the places I go is the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio to fish for smallmouth, but the guy at the canoe rental place said that the river destroys nicer kayaks and that they have to buy very tough ones to rent out. river is mostly about 3-5 ft deep throughout but has a few areas where it gets very shallow and my kayak drags on the rocky bottom. Should I avoid rivers like this and stick to lakes or is my boat built to handle that? I don't want to age my boat any faster than I have to. Thanks!

Turkey sandwich reply :

I would be somewhat mindful of trying to paddle through extended sections of jagged rock or gravel in 2" of water and would basically use a common sense rule. It's a molded plastic kayak, so it's going to be reasonably durable. If you were paddling fiberglass, I'd tell you to avoid shallow, rocky rivers all together.

fishnkamp reply :

Notice he said " he had to use tough ones to rent" People that rent a canoe or kayak do not know what to avoid necessarily. Think about it like a car rental. Drivers will abuse a rented car worse than they will their own car.

If it we my kayak I would choose sections of river that were a bit deeper or portage around the really shallow section. When I canoed the Susquehanna river I would get out of the canoe and walk the canoe across any shallow rifle. That kayak will float across the shallow rocky rifle and you can carefully wade across the ankle high water.

flyfisher reply :

^^^ what he said.

Scott F reply :

My suggestion is to leave your kayak in the garage and never take it out anywhere so there is never a chance you might scratch it. Seriously, you bought it to fish from, go and fish the river. Yes you are going to scratch it on rocks, gravel, boat ramps, driveways and through the mud no matter where you fish. Do the best you can to keep it clean and scratch free. Kayaks are great on rivers and smallies are a blast to catch. Don't avoid rivers just because you want to keep your boat from looking like you actually use it.

Choporoz reply :

I wish I knew about your specific yak. I will say that I pilot my Wildy with zero regard for hull impacts. I am positive my yak fishing life is MUCH better that way. If I had to worry about the bottom, I'd miss a lot of great fishing. @fishnkamp is correct about wading through the really skinny spots. The idea of climbing out into a moving river the first time is a bit disconcerting, but it turns out to be a piece of cake....although it looks like yours is a SINK, which I have no experience with, so it could be a bit different....IDK. My feeling is, though that if you have avoided the really thin plastic budget kayaks, then go ahead and push your limits....worry about the current and tipping and such....and let the hull take care of itself. Check it after each ride and if you get bad gouges, learn to avoid floating the same kinds of hard, shallow spots.

.....or, what @Scott F...said...he said it better while I was still pecking away

Doelman reply :

What they said, simply get out and walk it in areas that are really shallow, ankle deep water isn't going to sweep you off your feet. Your yak is going to get dinged and scratched up, it isn't a Ferrari. You aren't going to have much fun yaking anywhere if you're always stressing yourself out about scratching it up. With that said, you can buy stick on keel guards that will help protect it a bit.

J Francho reply :

The "nicer" kayaks were meant to stand up better than budget brands. You're Old Town should be just fine.

Catt reply :

Ya need to take up knitting!

PECo reply :

Small rivers don't damage nicer kayaks. People damage nicer kayaks.

RPreeb reply :

On 6/30/2017 at 4:01 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

I have a 12 ft Old Town Dirigo 120. It is brand new and I really like how it looks. I've just started using it and one of the places I go is the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio to fish for smallmouth, but the guy at the canoe rental place said that the river destroys nicer kayaks and that they have to buy very tough ones to rent out. river is mostly about 3-5 ft deep throughout but has a few areas where it gets very shallow and my kayak drags on the rocky bottom. Should I avoid rivers like this and stick to lakes or is my boat built to handle that? I don't want to age my boat any faster than I have to. Thanks!

Typical river rocks won't functionally damage a modern polyethylene or high end laminate plastic boat without a lot of abuse. I paddled whitewater for several years, and I can assure you that I hit a ton of rocks, sometimes a lot harder than I planned, both with the boat and with my helmet. Neither ever failed me despite a lot of battle scars.

Ohioguy25 reply :

Cool, thanks everyone! Btw, when I was loading my boat yesterday I saw a couple guys w poles, I asked what they were fishing for they said smallies. I asked what they used for bait and they said jigheads helgramites and rooster tails with a small piece of live worm on them. They said it helped a lot. Is that true? I was always told stick to soft plastics and that live bait attracted catfish carp and other trash fish. They said they had a lot of success with it. The said it helps that they can smell them in murky water.

Scott F reply :

On 7/1/2017 at 2:00 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

I was always told stick to soft plastics and that live bait attracted catfish carp and other trash fish. They said they had a lot of success with it. The said it helps that they can smell them in murky water.

What have you got against catching catfish or even carp? They put up a heck of a fight, a lot more than bass do.

the reel ess reply :

You'll get scratches. You'll have fun though.

moguy1973 reply :

I've dragged my kayak across rocky shoals and sand bars many many times and it sure it has scratches but it shows that it's been used well. They do make polyethylene repair kits if you do get too big of a scratch or gouge. Your kayak hull does have a foam inner core so I don't know how that affects the durability of the hull but it shouldn't.

fishnkamp reply :

When I fished for smallies on the Susquehanna River I loved catching smallies, but I also enjoyed the fight of a big bluegill, rock bass, or crappie. If you happen to find a school of rock bass or big bluegill you will usually find plenty of smallies close by. Those "trash " fish are there because the food supply is nearby. Tipping a lure with a piece of night crawler, or a wax worm can be helpful. Also floating a minnow can be a very successful when fishing gets tough. I realize there is limited room on a yak so carrying a minnow bucket is dificult but a really cool device has come up called a Bait UP. Check this up.

moguy1973 reply :

Oh yeah, and the rental guy said that rivers tear up kayaks and that they have to buy really tough kayaks is because he doesn't want you to use your kayak on the river and he'd prefer you to rent one from him.

Further North reply :

On 6/30/2017 at 4:01 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

I have a 12 ft Old Town Dirigo 120. It is brand new and I really like how it looks. I've just started using it and one of the places I go is the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio to fish for smallmouth, but the guy at the canoe rental place said that the river destroys nicer kayaks and that they have to buy very tough ones to rent out. river is mostly about 3-5 ft deep throughout but has a few areas where it gets very shallow and my kayak drags on the rocky bottom. Should I avoid rivers like this and stick to lakes or is my boat built to handle that? I don't want to age my boat any faster than I have to. Thanks!

Short answer: Yeah, the outside of your kayak might get a little beat up. It'll all be cosmetic unless you're careless or have no idea what you're doing and do reckless, unsafe things with it.

But who cares? That's what it's for. You didn't buy it to provide a showroom quality collector item to some kid 25 years from now, you bought it to fish out out of.

Fishing Rhino reply :

Wear and tear. Depreciation. It happens to everything we buy. As others have said, if you worry about scuffs, scratches, dings, and other cosmetic damage, you won't have much fun fishing.

Look at it this way. Take the cost of any vessel. For the sake of discussion, let's make it one thousand dollars. Then, divide by the life expectancy. Let's say five years. That's 200 dollars per year. You use it forty times per year. That makes its cost five dollars per fishing trip.

Don't worry about the dings and dents. If it gets to the point where you cannot live with it, sell it and buy another new one. There's a buyer for every boat and a boat for every buyer.

Or, you can just rent a boat and not worry about the dings and dents.

WestBranch reply :

I have an old town predator and have hit submerged rocks with ramming speed velocity and haven't done any damage to it besides the occasional new "battle scar".

One of my favorite places to hang out is to wedge my kayak onto a rock pile in fast water just before a calm pool and fish it. Always have the best luck there.

crazyjoeclemens reply :

I was driving through Louisville on I65 yesterday morning, and saw some guy loading his kayak back on the trailer after it had fallen off and went skidding down the interstate. It was scratched up pretty bad, but it looked like it would still float. I think yours will be OK, if you're just bumping into a few rocks on the river.

XpressJeff reply :

Are you kidding?

I'm not intending to be rude, but, there have got to be some fresh fish markets in your area!

WRB reply :

Kayaks are made for rivers with rapids and big rocks, gravel and sand shouldn't be a problem. I see kayaker's dragging the equipment across sand all the time at the beach and launch in the surf, the are very durable.

Tom

BrianSnat reply :

An OT Dirgo is not a "nicer kayak". It is cheap, rotomolded plastic. You will get scratches and dings, but it will hold up well to river rocks. After a few years the bottom will look like crap, but that doesn't change the paddling characteristics. If you are worried about scratching it, you are in the wrong sport. Scratches and dings WILL happen on rivers and even on lakes.

Storing it improperly will have more of an affect on its performance than any scratches. Pay more attention to proper storage than where you paddle. See this for some advice on storage, paying particular attention to part two. https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/kayak-storage.html

Actuallly "nicer" kayaks are often made from fiberglass, kevlar and other fusion materials and rocks may have more serious consequences. Your cheap, rotomolded kayak will bounce off rocks like rain on a duck's back.

Alex from GA reply :

Agree with all the rest here. All I fish, with my kayak, are small rivers and creeks. I usually park @ bridges and drag the kayak down to the river and when I'm done I drag it back up to the truck. The lower the river the better the fishing and running over rocks is an all day thing. It's a tool to get me/you to the fish.

kjfishman reply :

On 6/30/2017 at 4:01 PM, Ohioguy25 said:

I have a 12 ft Old Town Dirigo 120. It is brand new and I really like how it looks. I've just started using it and one of the places I go is the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio to fish for smallmouth, but the guy at the canoe rental place said that the river destroys nicer kayaks and that they have to buy very tough ones to rent out. river is mostly about 3-5 ft deep throughout but has a few areas where it gets very shallow and my kayak drags on the rocky bottom. Should I avoid rivers like this and stick to lakes or is my boat built to handle that? I don't want to age my boat any faster than I have to. Thanks!

Your kayak is made from very durable Polylink 3. I had a Loon 138 made from that stuff for 19 years and sold it o a guy who could probably get another 19 years out of it. Just use a little common sense and it will last.

On 7/6/2017 at 10:19 AM, BrianSnat said:

An OT Dirgo is not a "nicer kayak". It is cheap, rotomolded plastic. You will get scratches and dings, but it will hold up well to river rocks. After a few years the bottom will look like crap, but that doesn't change the paddling characteristics. If you are worried about scratching it, you are in the wrong sport. Scratches and dings WILL happen on rivers and even on lakes.

Storing it improperly will have more of an affect on its performance than any scratches. Pay more attention to proper storage than where you paddle. See this for some advice on storage, paying particular attention to part two. https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/kayak-storage.html

Actuallly "nicer" kayaks are often made from fiberglass, kevlar and other fusion materials and rocks may have more serious consequences. Your cheap, rotomolded kayak will bounce off rocks like rain on a duck's back.

The Dirogo is not roto molded it is made from Polylink 3, and is very durable.

Ogandrews reply :

I fish out of a field and stream kayak I bought for 150$. I have dragged it down gravel roads with 60lbs of gear in it, wedged myself in jagged rocks in heavy current to use as an anchor, gone over super shallow rocky riffles countless times, and pushed myself over more trees than I can count. I’ve been using this yak for 3 years now and it isn’t showing any signs of being too best up to use. If my super cheap old kayak has stood up to my abuse than your brand new one isn’t going to have any issues

YoTone reply :

try looking for keel/rash guards. they will give a little bit more protection. if youre super paranoid which can be understandable i believe there are ones made of kevlar. i think the company that sells that is called gator guard.

Ratherbfishing reply :

Renters will see a submerged metal fence post and not hesitate to go over it. If you baby your boat too much, you'll miss out on the joys of having one. Just use prudence and you'll be fine.

J Francho reply :

I don't recommend a keel guard on a kayak. It'll just add unnecessary weight, and possibly affect performance. Plastic patch kits are cheap, and easy to apply, if you actually compromise the hull.

Tizi reply :

On 2/28/2020 at 9:44 PM, J Francho said:

I don't recommend a keel guard on a kayak. It'll just add unnecessary weight, and possibly affect performance. Plastic patch kits are cheap, and easy to apply, if you actually compromise the hull.

Duct tape works too. Put duct tape on the keel and replace every year if scratches are an issue. I don't worry about it. Scratches are part of the gig.

J Francho reply :

All three of my boats have a sacrificial keel guard at the stern, for dragging. The only one close to wearing out is on the Coosa. Just loading the boats into my pickup causes scratches. Not worried enough about it to add duct tape to the hulls. Might look pretty cool, tho

CountryboyinDC reply :

The stern keel is where I've had a kayak wear. My WS Ride finally wore to the point that I couldn't patch it with pieces from a 5 gallon bucket to where it sink over the course of a 4 hour float. When I cut it apart to put in the recycling bin, I got to see how much wear there was and the places that wore over the length of the hull. It was surprisingly far worse in the stern. I wish I had taken pictures. I got a ton of use out of that kayak on a bunch of rivers and dragging it over railroads and other assorted improvised launch sites. If they all last that long, you'll get your money's worth before you wear one out.

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Will small rivers damage nicer kayaks? 2025

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