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Kayak come in all shapes and sizes, and it's important to choose the right one, because
not only will it let you get the most enjoyment out of our time on the water, but having the
right kayak can also impact your safety on the water.
That being said, narrowing down your options is actually pretty easy, and it starts with
identifying how and where you'll be using the kayak.
Will you be paddling on small, sheltered bodies of water, like ponds or small lakes, or will
you be taking the kayak to big bodies of water that are exposed to wind and waves?
What's the water temperature going to be like most of the time?
And when it comes to paddling, is it more important to have a kayak that's fast and
responsive, or are you more concerned about having a very stable kayak
that would be difficult to tip over?
With these questions in mind, your first and biggest decision is whether to go for a “sit-on-top”
or a “sit-inside” kayak, and there are pros and cons to both.
Sit-on-tops are the most user-friendly.
They’re very stable, easy to get in and out of, and there’s no feeling of confinement on them.
They’re also self-bailing, which means that water drains through small holes called scupper
holes, that go right through the kayak.
Another great thing about sit-on-tops is that you can slip on and off of them very easily,
which makes them great for kids to play with.
All these features make the sit-on-top kayak a great choice for cautious paddlers, for
warm environments, for rougher water conditions, and for paddling with kids who love to swim.
The downside to sit-on-top kayaks is that you are guaranteed to get wet while paddling,
while sit-inside kayaks allow you to stay dry.
Sit-inside kayaks are great for paddlers who will be in cooler water, who want to stay
dry while paddling, and who want a faster moving kayak.
The only downside to a sit-inside kayak is that if you flip for some reason, recovering
isn’t a simple process because your kayak will swamp.
Once you’ve decided on whether to go for a sit-on-top or sit-inside, you’ll need
to decide on a length for your kayak.
As a general rule, the longer and narrower a kayak is, the faster it will travel, and
the wider a kayak is, the more stable it will be, but the slower it will be.
Most sit-on-top kayaks are considered recreational kayaks, because they tend to be wide and ultra-stable,
while sit-inside kayaks tend to vary a lot more in shape and size.
In fact, sit inside kayaks can be broken into three distinct categories.
You've got recreational sit-inside kayaks, which are wider, shorter, and have large cockpits
that don't feel confining.
Rec kayaks are usually 9 to 12 feet long.
On the other end of the spectrum, you've got sea kayaks, which are designed to be fast
and to deal with any type of conditions.
Sea kayaks are long and narrow - usually 15 - 18 feet in length - and they have small
cockpits that are designed to be used with a skirt to keep water out.
A small cockpit also lets you use thigh hooks to grip the boat with your legs, which gives
you a lot more control over the kayak.
The trade off is that sea kayaks are a lot less stable than rec kayak, and the small
cockpits can feel confining to people, even though they’re very easy to get out of if you end up flipping.
As a general rule, if you want to paddle a sea kayak, it's a very good idea to take a
sea kayaking course, which among other things, teaches you what to do in case you capsize.
In between Rec kayaks and Sea kayaks, you have a class of kayaks commonly referred to as touring kayaks.
Touring kayaks are usually between 12 - 15 feet long, and they offer a great compromise
of performance, comfort and stability.
Once you've decided what type of kayak suits your needs, you've dramatically reduced the
options, and most of your decisions at this point impact your comfort in the kayak, and
relate to features of convenience for the type of paddling that you're going to do.
Well I hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, please subscribe to our PaddleTV
YouTube channel, because we have lots more great kayaking tips and tricks coming your way.