kayaking 101
There's no easier way to explore Planet Water. The original kayak was the sea kayak, a long lean boat (fast, efficient) with a small cockpit (doesn't ship water). It was used by arctic tribes as a hunting and fishing boat, and was well adapted to rough cold water (it stayed dry).
Modern versions are:
...the Whitewater Kayak; ( short, more like a size 13 shoe) which is designed to ride a current. It is agile, will get you through class five rapids (if you've done your homework) but horrendous to paddle on water that isn't bouncing off rocks. Wear a helmet!
...the Recreational Kayak; (alias: the Bucket That Floats, The Rubber Ducky, The Bathtub). Short (about 9 feet) and wide with a generous cockpit (it makes claustrophobes feel safe but ships water easily), it has lots of primary stability (it is very stable on very flat water), but paddles precisely like a bathtub.
... the Touring Kayak; 12 to 15 feet long, with a reasonable cockpit that doesn't ship water, lean enough to be efficient, wide enough to feel comfy, often with bulkheads which divide the boat into watertight compartments (with hatches to stow stuff for a day trip), small enough to throw on a car roof. Will float in four or five inches of water, take you down the creek, across the lake, or into the waves offshore.
...the Sea Kayak; the original model designed by northern tribes. Comes in plastic, fiberglass, carbonlite, wood, and other stuff. Light, lean fast, efficient. Small cockpit (doesn't ship water). Long (15 feet or more). Does not navigate well around rocks on a creek, but will also float in four or five inches of water, take you across the lake, into the saltmarsh, or into the waves on a weeklong expedition.
...the Sit-On (or Ocean Kayak); like the illegitimate love child of a raft, a surfboard and a kayak. Looks like all three of those got caught on some sort of space-time warp and melded together. Can be broad and clunky (also very stable...and sloooowwww), or sharp and lean (fast!). You sit ON it, and water drains through the scupper holes (no bailing device needed). Awesome for surf, great for anything else, as long as the weather's warm or you have a wetsuit or drysuit (it's a wet boat). Great for kids, dogs, and scuba diving from. This is the one most rental places rent to beginners. Easy to get back in, no spray skirt needed.
Modern versions are:
...the Whitewater Kayak; ( short, more like a size 13 shoe) which is designed to ride a current. It is agile, will get you through class five rapids (if you've done your homework) but horrendous to paddle on water that isn't bouncing off rocks. Wear a helmet!
...the Recreational Kayak; (alias: the Bucket That Floats, The Rubber Ducky, The Bathtub). Short (about 9 feet) and wide with a generous cockpit (it makes claustrophobes feel safe but ships water easily), it has lots of primary stability (it is very stable on very flat water), but paddles precisely like a bathtub.
... the Touring Kayak; 12 to 15 feet long, with a reasonable cockpit that doesn't ship water, lean enough to be efficient, wide enough to feel comfy, often with bulkheads which divide the boat into watertight compartments (with hatches to stow stuff for a day trip), small enough to throw on a car roof. Will float in four or five inches of water, take you down the creek, across the lake, or into the waves offshore.
...the Sea Kayak; the original model designed by northern tribes. Comes in plastic, fiberglass, carbonlite, wood, and other stuff. Light, lean fast, efficient. Small cockpit (doesn't ship water). Long (15 feet or more). Does not navigate well around rocks on a creek, but will also float in four or five inches of water, take you across the lake, into the saltmarsh, or into the waves on a weeklong expedition.
...the Sit-On (or Ocean Kayak); like the illegitimate love child of a raft, a surfboard and a kayak. Looks like all three of those got caught on some sort of space-time warp and melded together. Can be broad and clunky (also very stable...and sloooowwww), or sharp and lean (fast!). You sit ON it, and water drains through the scupper holes (no bailing device needed). Awesome for surf, great for anything else, as long as the weather's warm or you have a wetsuit or drysuit (it's a wet boat). Great for kids, dogs, and scuba diving from. This is the one most rental places rent to beginners. Easy to get back in, no spray skirt needed.
Don't buy from a sporting goods store! buy from people who paddle!
Go to a real outfitter. (My favorite happens to be Uller's in Red Lion). Talk to people who paddle, who have experience. They'll tell you what you really need to buy, not what they'd like to make money selling you. And they will fit you to the size and type of boat you need for the kind of paddling you are doing. The sporting goods store guys are just reading out of their catalogs.
go to a paddling demo
Most outfitters run demo days, where you can for free (or a small fee) try out a couple of 'yaks, talk about paddling, look at gear, and figure out if you want to buy the stuff.
rent, borrow, wheedle a friend into taking you
Many parks rent kayaks in the summer, usually sit-ons. Also some outfitters rent. Good way to try out the sport. Or maybe you know somebody with a spare boat. Offer to help with the gas...
used stuff...cheap!
While your chances of finding a $100 kayak at a yard sale are limited (helps if you get there before the butt crack of dawn, while they're still setting up), you can find used (trade-ins) or last year's demo model (been used at a couple of demos by the store) Stupid Cheap. Kayaks rarely wear out (even the plastic ones). A basic fishing PFD will work till you can get the fancy paddling vest. A sawed off laundry detergent bottle is a bailing device. The cheesy sporting goods store paddle will do as a spare. Fleeces, wool and windbreakers will keep you warm, even if you fall out of the boat (until you can get a wetsuit, and dive shops often have used, or leftover school wetsuits). But invest in a decent paddle; it will make several miles per hour difference when you're on a long paddle! (I've got good ones for $60 - $125; talk to your outfitter!)
you need...
even if you are just renting or going with a friend, here's some of the gear you need... (the boat owner should have all of the boat gear, you just need food, water, and water friendly attire)
this stuff if you are paddling somebody else's boat, or renting...
water friendly shoes
hiking sandals, Keens and similar designs with closed toes, water mocassins, old sneakers, Crocs will do
but not flip flops (the words flip and flop are a clue)
wetsuit boots are terrific in cooler weather (and are often available in the used gear bin at the local dive shop)
water
in bottles, to drink: hydrate early, hydrate often. Lose the soda, use the Gatorade, 100% juices, tea.
snacks, lunch
no donuts; this leads to the phenomenon referred to as Sugar Bonk...
first, you'll feel like a squirrel on caffeine, then you'll crash, generally in the middle of the Bay...
camera, binoculars, and a dry case to stow them in;
the point of all this is to see stuff, and you will see more stuff than you do on land
hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
those sporty surfer shirts, UnderArmour, and similar spandex superhero suits are 100 proof sunscreen and they don't wash off
I use a spandex diveskin because I got tired of trying to reapply sunscreen every 10 minutes to wet skin
all will keep you cool if you keep them wet
this stuff if you are buying your own boat (you also need the other stuff, in red)...
(these are "don't leave home without it" items)
a kayak: look for used ones, look for one that fits you, talk to your outfitter
a paddle; light, and measured to your body and the width of the boat you are using
they have narrow blades (easy to push, but less power), or wide (more power, and you can still put less of it in the water for an easy stroke) , bent shafts or straight. I (and my gurus) love the classic straight shafted paddle: you can change your grip on it during your paddle. the "ergonomic" bendy ones stick your hands in the same place.
a PFD (personal floatation device, never leave home without it!)
a bailing device (bilge pump or sawed off bottle or bucket) and
sponge (to get the last few inches of water)
dress for the weather, and for immersion (when you fall out of the boat)
if the water temp and the air temp add up to less than 100 F wear a wetsuit or drysuit
... or layers that will keep you warm when you fall in (fleece, wool, wind layer)
have extra layers in a drybag
hypothermia is not your friend; have a plan for getting back in the boat, and a cell phone to call River Rescue or the Coast Guard when you can't. Paddlers have gotten dead because they wore T-shrits in April and fell in...
spare paddle, so you won't be up the creek without one
paddle leash; to keep paddle from floating off when you drop it (a bungee and some velcro works fine)
drybags (to stow stuff you don't want to get wet; like the first aid kit, windbreaker, fleece, and blanket)
ziplock bags work well too (use several in layers)
compass (some environments, like small lakes and rivers, are easy to navigate...
unless it fogs up, it's cloudy, it's dark, it's raining, it's storming, or the whole treeline looks alike...
other environments, like salt marshes, are a maze of water and grass when you get inside. A simple river crossing turned into a near disaster when I raced a thunderstorm back across the river. If I had got caught in it, (zero visibility!) the compass would have helped me find shore.
The compass is your friend. GPS optional, but useful.
whistle; to call your buddies, to shriek at the idiot on the Jet-ski
air horn; to shriek at the idiot on the Jet-ski, and the really BIG boat bearing down on you
spray skirt; if you are planning on going out in waves or rough water, most sea and touring kayaks can handle some waves without a skirt
many kayakers feel naked without one... I tend to use mine only if it's rough, but I always take it with me (conditions can change)
net or mesh bags
good for containing those water bottles behind the seat, for containing stuff in the holds, for collecting clams and mussels or seashells
find them at dollar stores (beach bags) or dive shops (goodie bags for diving)
dry boxes
found a cheap functional one at WalMart, expensive ($25 or so) ones at outfitters and dive shops (Pelican, Otter boxes), grocery store have plastic containers with an "o ring" gasket to seal gooey contents inside; they work fine to seal out water.
dive slates (white plastic you can write on underwater) are fun: you can take notes even in rough waves
strainers and containers
use a fine net (like a butterfly net) or an old kitchen sieve to see what lurks beneath the waves, temporarily put things in a white pan/tray or frisbee, photograph it, and set it free... use video mode for your very own Jaques Cousteau Special.
snorkeling gear
...or in some waters, scuba gear. While much of the water you explore might have "visibility inside the mask", you never know when you can jump into a bed of SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation), a shallow back bay, or other water clear enough to see what's on the bottom. Keep the kayak on a leash (bow line, or perimeter line in your hand) or anchor it (I used five pound dive weights in most tidal or slow river current areas). Don't let the boat drift; it'll blow faster on the wind than you can swim!
this stuff if you are paddling somebody else's boat, or renting...
water friendly shoes
hiking sandals, Keens and similar designs with closed toes, water mocassins, old sneakers, Crocs will do
but not flip flops (the words flip and flop are a clue)
wetsuit boots are terrific in cooler weather (and are often available in the used gear bin at the local dive shop)
water
in bottles, to drink: hydrate early, hydrate often. Lose the soda, use the Gatorade, 100% juices, tea.
snacks, lunch
no donuts; this leads to the phenomenon referred to as Sugar Bonk...
first, you'll feel like a squirrel on caffeine, then you'll crash, generally in the middle of the Bay...
camera, binoculars, and a dry case to stow them in;
the point of all this is to see stuff, and you will see more stuff than you do on land
hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
those sporty surfer shirts, UnderArmour, and similar spandex superhero suits are 100 proof sunscreen and they don't wash off
I use a spandex diveskin because I got tired of trying to reapply sunscreen every 10 minutes to wet skin
all will keep you cool if you keep them wet
this stuff if you are buying your own boat (you also need the other stuff, in red)...
(these are "don't leave home without it" items)
a kayak: look for used ones, look for one that fits you, talk to your outfitter
a paddle; light, and measured to your body and the width of the boat you are using
they have narrow blades (easy to push, but less power), or wide (more power, and you can still put less of it in the water for an easy stroke) , bent shafts or straight. I (and my gurus) love the classic straight shafted paddle: you can change your grip on it during your paddle. the "ergonomic" bendy ones stick your hands in the same place.
a PFD (personal floatation device, never leave home without it!)
a bailing device (bilge pump or sawed off bottle or bucket) and
sponge (to get the last few inches of water)
dress for the weather, and for immersion (when you fall out of the boat)
if the water temp and the air temp add up to less than 100 F wear a wetsuit or drysuit
... or layers that will keep you warm when you fall in (fleece, wool, wind layer)
have extra layers in a drybag
hypothermia is not your friend; have a plan for getting back in the boat, and a cell phone to call River Rescue or the Coast Guard when you can't. Paddlers have gotten dead because they wore T-shrits in April and fell in...
spare paddle, so you won't be up the creek without one
paddle leash; to keep paddle from floating off when you drop it (a bungee and some velcro works fine)
drybags (to stow stuff you don't want to get wet; like the first aid kit, windbreaker, fleece, and blanket)
ziplock bags work well too (use several in layers)
compass (some environments, like small lakes and rivers, are easy to navigate...
unless it fogs up, it's cloudy, it's dark, it's raining, it's storming, or the whole treeline looks alike...
other environments, like salt marshes, are a maze of water and grass when you get inside. A simple river crossing turned into a near disaster when I raced a thunderstorm back across the river. If I had got caught in it, (zero visibility!) the compass would have helped me find shore.
The compass is your friend. GPS optional, but useful.
whistle; to call your buddies, to shriek at the idiot on the Jet-ski
air horn; to shriek at the idiot on the Jet-ski, and the really BIG boat bearing down on you
spray skirt; if you are planning on going out in waves or rough water, most sea and touring kayaks can handle some waves without a skirt
many kayakers feel naked without one... I tend to use mine only if it's rough, but I always take it with me (conditions can change)
net or mesh bags
good for containing those water bottles behind the seat, for containing stuff in the holds, for collecting clams and mussels or seashells
find them at dollar stores (beach bags) or dive shops (goodie bags for diving)
dry boxes
found a cheap functional one at WalMart, expensive ($25 or so) ones at outfitters and dive shops (Pelican, Otter boxes), grocery store have plastic containers with an "o ring" gasket to seal gooey contents inside; they work fine to seal out water.
dive slates (white plastic you can write on underwater) are fun: you can take notes even in rough waves
strainers and containers
use a fine net (like a butterfly net) or an old kitchen sieve to see what lurks beneath the waves, temporarily put things in a white pan/tray or frisbee, photograph it, and set it free... use video mode for your very own Jaques Cousteau Special.
snorkeling gear
...or in some waters, scuba gear. While much of the water you explore might have "visibility inside the mask", you never know when you can jump into a bed of SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation), a shallow back bay, or other water clear enough to see what's on the bottom. Keep the kayak on a leash (bow line, or perimeter line in your hand) or anchor it (I used five pound dive weights in most tidal or slow river current areas). Don't let the boat drift; it'll blow faster on the wind than you can swim!
cotton is rotten
On the water, that is. Use quick dry materials. If it's hot, you can stay wet, and cool. If it gets chilly, you can dry off and add layers. Cotton will stay soggy for hours and suck the heat right out of you. Wool keeps you warm even if wet. I like a wetsuit in colder weather, drysuits are good, and at least one expert I know likes layers of fleece and windproof stuff like Gore-tex.
you will fall out of the boat (don't panic)
I've heard the "I never fall out of the boat" story a few times. Usually this is the guy who ends up on the news barely saved from hypothermia when he went paddling in a T-shirt in April (water temp: about 40). Lots of folks have gotten dead because they thought they could swim much better than they actually could. The water doesn't have to be rough: a nice lady on her first paddle leaned over for a goose feather and SPLOOT! She was wearing her PFD and ended up in waist deep water anyway. Wear your PFD, and have a plan for getting back in the boat. I get on as if I was leaping on a horse bareback (throw yourself over the pointy ends, bow or stern, stay low, throw a leg over, sit, hitch self into cockpit). There are more elegant ways involving paddle floats and upside down boats which I cannot do. Having a buddy helps (they can steady your boat or at least tow you to shallower water). You can also rig a line or tie-down strap around the boat in a loop, use it like stirrup to heave yourself back aboard. Oh, that fin? Cartiliginous, yes, shark relative, yes. Dangerous, no. It's the port wing fin of a cownose ray.
