River running and recreational kayaks?

I want to get a kayak but am not sure what to get. I will use it mostly on calm river water, but I want to start river running. I was wondering if river running kayaks would work well on calm waters as well as white waters?|||There are now some hybrid kayaks that can handle both but it involves some compromise -- they are not as nimble in whitewater as a short fat playboat and not as fast and straight tracking on rivers and lakes as a longer, thinner touring kayak. I usually recommend people buy both a14' to 16' touring kayak AND a short playboat (both can be found used for about half the new price) so you have one of each for the various types of paddling you want to do. If you plan to paddle whitewater of Class III and up you definitely need a specific whitewater boat, but the hybrids I will list below will be sufficient for Class I and II.



If you really want to stick with a single boat, look for something between 10' and 12' with a drop down skeg (you need this to get the wider boats to track in flatwater) and a touring sized closed cockpit (less than 39" long and 22" wide) so you can fit a sprayskirt over it. You also want thigh hooks and sealed bulkheads fore and aft (to keep the hull from being swamped).



Can't recommend exact models since I don't know your height and weight (kayaks need to be sized to your body, like skis or bicycles, to work correctly -- bigger people need bigger boats) but here are a few models that are sort of hybrids you might want to look at:



Dagger Axis 10 and 12

http://www.dagger.com/product_subcategor鈥?/a>



Dagger Approach 10 and 12 http://www.dagger.com/product_subcategor鈥?/a>



Jackson Allwater 10

http://www.pitchengine.com/jacksonkayak/鈥?/a>



Liquid Logic Remix http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com/remix_x鈥?/a>



Pyranha Fusion http://www.pyranha.com/kayaks.php?kayak=鈥?/a>



Carolina 12 http://www.perceptionkayaks.com/product/鈥?/a>

(the Caroline is more on the "touring" end of the spectrum.



A lot of the outfitters have Spring "demo days" where you can test paddle a variety of models on the water. Check in your area to see if there is one or more you can attend. You really need to try on kayaks before you buy -- fit is everything, especially in fast water rapids where you need to have a snug fit to control the boat.