Paddling a tandem kayak can be a terrific way to have fun on the water. Tandems are typically longer, wider and more stable than solo kayaks, making them ideal for novice paddlers to learn proper technique from an instructor that is close by. If you and your paddling partner have a little experience, you can …
If you are an experienced kayaker, then it is likely that, at one time or another, you have fallen out of your boat. Likely not on purpose, but probably more than once. If this is the case, then you have clearly already figured out how to get back in a kayak after falling out. If …
I was in my late 20s when I took my first trip to Tofino. Before that, I had cut my teeth kayaking the lakes and rivers of northern Ontario. I had never before set a paddle blade into the Pacific Ocean, so I didn’t know how to paddle a kayak in waves. Well, I learned …
Your day started off so tranquilly but now the wind has picked up. Try as you might, your boat stern keeps skidding out from behind you. Again, you find yourself sitting in your brand new touring kayak, facing directly into the wind. Now is the time to learn how to use your kayak rudder. The …
I have spent my fair share of time falling out of a kayak. Usually it was on purpose. Occasionally it wasn’t. Always, the end result was a boatful of water that needed to be expelled. Without fail, the best way to get rid of that water was with a kayak bilge pump. A kayak bilge …
So, you’re thinking about another kayak adventure, are you? And this time you’re hoping to enjoy the great outdoors for several days. An expedition! How exciting. Planning for an expedition is a pretty big deal and much of the challenge is in determining how to pack an expedition-amount of gear in that tiny little kayak of yours. …
Spending the day paddling around your preferred body of water in an inflatable kayak is loads of fun. But before you can get to the fun, you have to actually get on the boat. And if you don’t execute your entry nearly perfectly, your day of paddling could start with a splash. The entire goal …
All good things must come to an end. When the fun is done, the work begins. If your fun happens in an inflatable kayak, then you ought to learn how to dry it before packing it into your vehicle and heading home. Fortunately, drying out an inflatable kayak is really quite simple. To effectively dry …
If you are planning to spend time on a sit-on-top kayak, it’s time to learn about scupper holes and scupper plugs. Scupper holes are literally holes drilled all the way through your sit-on-top kayak. While holes drilled through a boat might seem unsafe, they are actually quite the opposite. These holes are actually safety features, …
So you’re getting bored of your usual kayaking destination and are planning a new adventure – river kayaking. Great idea. The rush of powering through a Class III rapid is exhilarating. You have a river in mind and all you need now is to learn how to kayak a river. Most of my river kayaking …