What role does the length of a kayak play?
A. The longer the boat the faster the hull speed. So if your friends are paddling kayaks that are 17′ long and you are in a 12′ kayak, you’ll be paddling much harder just to keep up. If you intend to paddle on smaller bodies of water, say ponds or small lakes where distance is not a factor, length is not so important. But if you live (or plan to paddle) on a bay, then you should consider more of a touring boat which will track straighter and move through the water with greater stability as well as speed.
