Kayaking Basics
Kayaking basics begin with choosing the kayak design that will work in the water you’ll be paddling. Whether it’s the ocean, a meandering river, a raging river, or lake, there’s nothing better than gliding along in a kayak powered by your own strength. This outdoor sport has become enormously popular for that reason. There’s also the added benefit of getting a great upper body workout that can be just as intense as you want it to be.
One misconception that might be out there is that kayaks are easily tipped over. That is simply not the case. The only time you have to be concerned with tipping and knowing how to right yourself is in a whitewater river situation but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Four Basic Categories of Kayaks
The Touring Kayaks are made to handle an extensive trip into the kind of remote water land wilderness you might find in say the northern reaches of Maine. These kayaks are really stable vessels that have plenty of storage room in hatches either ahead or behind the space you sit, along with above board stowing capacity usually consisting of mesh or bungee cord webbing. The long design enables them to track well in the water, holding straight and true, but they won’t turn quickly like a shorter boat. They are also called Sea Kayaks because they can handle the swells and a longer trip out to an island or touring a long stretch of coast line. A lot of models also have a rudder, operated by your feet usually for optimum tracking in a straight line and to counter the effects of strong winds. Models made of Kevlar are the top of the line.
Your Recreational Kayaks are a wider variety for maximum stability, versatility, and are able to handle a wide variety of bodies of water such as mild rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, and bays. The shorter design provides easier turning but makes that straight line paddle not quite as easy as the Touring/Sea Kayak. Less storage space is usually the case with these. Anybody can handle one of these and they’re great to use in kayaking for beginners.
A specialty boat which is very long and narrow, that has a keel designed to move quickly through water is called a Downriver Kayak. These are predominantly made for racing so they don’t turn well and are tippier. Therefore, this boat isn’t a good choice for the beginner or someone wishing to turn in and explore many coves.
The most extreme kayakers are found in Whitewater Kayaks. These handle the rivers with rapids of varying degrees of difficulty, known as classes (1 being easy, 5 being extremely difficult). These little rockets offer maximum maneuverability enabling the paddler to zig and zag on a tight swiftly moving river in any way they choose.
These have a really short design and rounded under-carriages. The hulls are designed to drain the never ending waves coming over the bow quickly. A skirt is worn over the paddler to completely seal them in so that if they do tip over they can barrel roll back up without swamping the boat. While it’s not always necessary to wear a skirt for the first three categories of kayaks, it’s always imperative to wear one on a whitewater river.
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