I have spent a great many hours puttering around the pristine lakes of northern Ontario. I am fortunate to have done so on every kind of kayak imaginable. As autumn takes hold and the temperature of the air and water drops, personal comfort becomes top-of-mind. You want to stay warm and you want to stay dry. If you are touring about in a sit-on-top kayak, the quest to stay dry (and warm) is important but challenging.
While it is darn near impossible to remain perfectly dry on a kayaking trip, there are steps you can take to remain drier.
To stay dry (or at least drier) in a sit-on-top kayak, there are four elements to consider: 1. Dress in clothing that repels water, 2. Focus on a shallow, splash-less paddle stroke, 3. Optimize your kayak seat and floor for dryness, and 4. Don’t paddle on rainy and/or windy days.
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Table of Contents
Dress in water-repellent clothes to stay dry
As you paddle your sit-on-top kayak, water typically comes at you from two directions: 1. From on high, 2. From down low. In each case, there are defensive measures that you can take to help you remain dry
Defending against falling water. The longer you remain out on the water, the more opportunity there is for water to splash into your kayak. The water might fall on you from paddling over-splash, dripping paddle blades or simply an ill-timed rogue rainstorm. Regardless of where it comes from, it always feels the same. If you don’t like the way it feels, then hopefully these tips will help.
Select the right water-repellant headwear. A water-repellant hat with a 360 degree brim will keep your face and noggin nice and dry. If the rain attacks, prepare to combat that stream of water that always finds its way off your brim and down your back.
Also, select a hat with a chinstrap or attach one later. I have learned from sad experience that strong winds can make a hat dance and skip on top of water for a long way before if finally sinks. It’s actually pretty cool to watch until it hits you that you just said goodbye to your best hat.
You might consider this one by Columbia. (Amazon link.)
Select the right water-repellant upper – either a drysuit or a Gore Tex shell. There are two main ways to keep your upper-body ‘reasonably’ dry on a sit-on-top kayak. The most aggressive is a drysuit.
A drysuit is kind of like a wetsuit for diving except that it fits more loosely than a wetsuit and allows you to wear insulating layers underneath. Manufacturers make them out of foam neoprene, crushed neoprene, heavy-duty nylon or vulcanized rubber. They are built to keep you really dry.
A drysuit is the most aggressive way to keep water off your body while paddling your sit-on-top kayak. But, do you need this much firepower? If your intent is to spend a leisurely day paddling your kayak around the lake, a drysuit will certainly keep you dry, but it might be overkill. Also, drysuits are not known to breathe well so, by the end of the day you might find yourself soaking wet, anyway.
Drysuits are pricy. If you have interest, Amazon carries Kokatat drysuits (which are among the best.) .
An alternative to a drysuit that does a great job of keeping your torso dry is a Gore Tex shell. Gore Tex was invented in 1969 and was designed to repel liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through. So, Gore Tex repels paddle splashes and rainfall but still helps keep you dry by allowing the vapor from the heat your body generates to pass through the membrane to the outside. You will overheat less when paddling hard and will stay warmer when you stop to rest.
Also, Gore Tex is completely windproof. The fabric is extremely durable and will last a long, long time. The downside is that this extreme durability results in a garment with a harsh, rugged feel, rather than a soft, supple one. I have found that the act of paddling results in the fabric rubbing together which can get quite noisy. This is in no way a deal-breaker for me, but something to bear in mind.
If you decide to go down the Gore Tex road, purchase a shell that will allow you to execute your paddle strokes comfortably. Most shells – particularly the pricier ones – are designed for active pursuits that allow for all manner of positioning one’s torso.
If you are seeking a less-aggressive means of staying dry, a Gore Tex shell is a terrific choice.
I have been wearing Arct’eryx shells for over a decade. They are simple, minimal, super-effective and fit perfectly. And they cost a lot. Mine current one is five years old. Here is the current version, on Amazon.
Defending against rising water. When kayakers solicit help staying dry on their sit-on-top kayak, the problem they are often trying to solve is one of rising water that soaks their posterior, resulting in an entire day of wet-bottom paddling.
Select the right water-repellant bottoms. Similar to our discussion about protecting torsos from water, consider whether or not your problem requires an aggressive solution. If so, then revisit the drysuit idea. It will not only keep your torso dry but the rest of your body as well. However, by the end of the day perspiration will have soaked through your insulating layers.
Consider Gore Tex pants or, if you are summer paddling, Gore Tex or hydroskin neoprene shorts.
In my teenage years I constructed my own waterproof shorts by cutting the legs off my yellow, rubberized rain pants. The idea worked alright, although they didn’t breathe very well and my posterior ended up soaking wet, anyway. Oh, and I got grounded for ruining my rain pants.
If you don’t want to build your own waterproof shorts out of leftover rainwear from the 1990s, then consider Gore Tex pants or other waterproof shorts.
Setting out on your adventure armed with lightweight, waterproof, breathable outerwear, will reduce your level of wet-ness while increasing your paddling comfort.
A clean, splash-less paddle stroke will help keep you dry
Let’s face it, you often get wet in your sit-on-top kayak because you splash yourself. It’s your own fault! Here are a couple of tips to help you stay dry.
Paddle at a lower angle. On days when it is important to you to stay dry, try paddling cleanly but less aggressively. To accomplish this, don’t drive your paddle blade vertically into the water. Rather, insert it at a shallower angle so that the blade on the opposite end of the paddle doesn’t travel over the kayak and drip into the cockpit. You will travel slower, but drier.
Become more aware of your paddle blades. Water splashes into your kayak principally from your paddle blades. If your desire is to optimize dryness, then execute your paddle stroke with care and precision. This means avoiding the initial splash when your blade enters the water. It also means positioning the opposite blade in the air such that it doesn’t throw water onto your body during the stroke.
Use paddle drip rings. Paddle drip rings attach to the shaft of your paddle, outside of where you position your hands. They are used to keep excess water from running down the shaft and onto your presumably dry clothing.
If you have interest, you can purchase a couple of paddle drip rings for around $10 on Amazon.
Optimize your kayak seat and floor for dryness
Lots of kayaks are designed to keep your bottom dry.
Fishing kayaks have high seats. Many fishing kayaks insert a seat for the kayaker/angler that places their posterior more than six inches above the bottom of the boat. The upside is dryness and increased storage. The downside is reduced side-to-side stability.
Some inflatable kayaks are constructed to keep bottoms dry. A handful of inflatable sit-on-top kayaks sew an inflated seat that sits a couple of inches higher than where the water sloshes around inside the boat.
So, it is possible to purchase a sit-on-top kayak that allows your bottom to remain dry. However, the higher you sit, the less stable your kayak.
If your sit-on-top kayak was constructed to maximize stability and not dryness, then you will find yourself sitting very low in the boat. This will expose your bottom to the sloshing water that lives there.
Enter your sit-on-top kayak as gingerly as you are able. Many kayakers complain that the initial force of entering their kayak drives water up the scupper holes and into the boat and that this soaks their butts immediately.
Scupper holes are a safety feature designed for sit-on-top kayaks to drain water from top-to-bottom, out of the boat. Usually they are great. Sometimes they are a nuisance. Paddling through choppy water can prove to be a wet challenge because water finds its way up the scupper hole and into the cockpit before eventually draining.
To avoid getting a backside-soaker at the beginning of your trip, enter your kayak as gingerly as you can. Do your best to avoid dropping yourself into your seat.
Install scupper plugs before entering your kayak. To improve your likelihood of remaining dry on entry, insert scupper plugs into the holes before getting in your boat. Once in, remove the scupper plugs. Reaching them might be a bit of a challenge that will require some ingenuity. Alternatively, you can keep the scupper plugs installed, enjoying the benefits of a drier boat, but sacrificing the safety that comes from self-bailing scupper holes.
Finding the best-fitting scupper plug is an exercise in trial-and-error. Fortunately, they’re not too expensive at REI. Find them here.
Install self-draining scupper plugs. Self-draining scupper plugs keep the outside water out while still allowing any water inside the kayak to drain. I have yet to use these so I can’t vouch for their effectiveness. On paper, this sounds like a great idea – particularly if keeping dry is your focus.
Give your seat a custom modification. If you are working with a hard-side sit-on-top kayak, then there is scope for modifying your seat to raise your paddling position off the bottom of the boat. The principle is to lay down a layer of foam (that you can purchase at any boating store) and then position and attach a seat pad on top of the foam. Naturally, the mechanics will depend on the construction of your particular kayak. This is a tried and true tactic.
Install an entirely new seat on your sit-on-top kayak. Booster seats can be purchased that lift your posterior out of the puddle that sits at the bottom of your kayak. Be sure that the seat you are considering is compatible with the architecture of your sit-on-top kayak. Also remember that what you gain in comfort, you lose in stability.
Bring a kayak sponge and bilge pump. A kayak sponge (that can be purchased at any boating store) is the simplest tool to soak up those pesky puddles of standing water that threaten to make wet your comfortable dryness.
Even though your sit-on-top kayak has scupper holes, bring along a bilge pump anyway – just in case. You never know when you’ll need to expel water from your kayak at a faster rate than the scupper holes can accommodate.
Stay dry by not paddling on rainy and/or windy days
If you are are keen on remaining dry, then you likely keep one eye on the weather network at all times. If this is you (sometimes it’s me), then I expect the should-I/shouldn’t-I decision to paddle is an easy one.
The rain will soak your body from the top down as well as keep the inside of your boat nice and wet. Obviously.
The wind will create choppy conditions that will drive water up through your kayak’s scupper holes and into your cockpit – also soaking your body, but from the bottom up. Clearly.
So, if it’s not fun for you, then don’t do it. No need to apologize.
Parting thoughts
Staying dry in a sit-on-top kayak is a challenge. It is mostly doable, but it is a challenge requiring planning, judgement and, let’s face it, money.
If you focus on wearing gear that keeps you dry, paddling carefully, outfitting your boat appropriately and avoiding ‘wet’ weather conditions, then you are more likely to have an enjoyable, comfortable and dry experience on your sit-on-top kayak.
If you are really keen on a dry kayaking experience, I wrote an article about that is literally about drying your kayak here.