Maneuvering through exciting waterways on a kayak is a thrill. Whether you’re paddling through a winding river, a still lake, or a sea filled with waves, there’s so much natural beauty and wildlife to experience along with your route as you take in the fresh air. Other than being a fun leisurely activity, kayaking is also great exercise and has wonderful health benefits! Use this detailed guide that will teach you how to choose the right Kayak.
Generally, the longer and narrower the kayak, the faster and straighter it will go. A kayak is more stable and easier to turn if it’s wider and shorter, but it may sacrifice speed. If you are new to kayaking, then a wider kayak can be a good beginner’s choice as you grow accustomed to being on the water.
There are three main branches of kayaking:
Flat and calm paddling
Slow-moving water paddling
White water rapid kayaking
Ocean kayaking offers a complete range of paddling styles depending on the conditions on the day: mild and gentle days are perfect for beginners, whereas catching and riding waves provides a similar thrill to white water rapids paddling.
Lake kayaking is generally a calm experience on flat water. However, with certain wind conditions, the technical skill level required can increase.
River kayaking allows for a mix of styles again, depending on the river and the amount of water flowing. Some rivers are slow-moving, which is good for beginners to practice paddling moving water for the first time. Other rivers with a faster flow can offer a good challenge for more experienced paddlers with potential white water rapids to play with.
Different Types of Flat Water Kayaks
They’re are 5 types of flat water kayaks; sit-on-top, recreational, touring, inflatable and pedaling kayaks.
Sit- On-Top Kayaks
Sit-on-tops, or SOTs for short, are quickly gaining in popularity. This style, like the Lifetime Lotus and Monterey, allows the paddler to sit on top of the kayak deck. There is not an “inside” that can be inhabited by the paddler.
Sit-on-tops are the most user-friendly. They’re very stable, easy to get in and out of and there is no feeling of confinement on them. They’re also self-bailing, which means they have small holes (called “scupper holes”) that allow the water to drain right through them.
Used For: Recreational Paddling On Lakes, Slow-moving rivers, and protected coastal waters.
Recreational Kayak
A recreational kayak is a type of kayak that is designed for the casual paddler interested in recreational activities on a lake or flat water stream.
Used For: Flat water fun or meandering rivers
Touring Kayaks
A touring kayak can be an exciting way to navigate large bodies of water. If you’re close to an ocean, river or lake launch point, you could get extensive use out of a touring kayak.
Used For : A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean.
Inflatable Kayak
Used For : Inflatable kayaks are perfectly capable of taking on all styles of paddling across flat water and rough waters with a double-bladed paddle. They offer beginners a fantastic vessel to learn the basic techniques and gain confidence, while also performing to a great standard for more experienced kayakers.
Pedaling Kayaks
Pedaling kayaks offer a faster way to get around the water. Not only do you get more speed, but pedal kayaks are more efficient at getting you to your fishing spot. You can cover larger bodies of water easier than if you were to use paddles while also maintaining a higher speed.
Used For: Pedaling Kyacks are primarily used for Kyack fishing but can also be used for other kyacking adventures
Types of Whitewater Kyacks
Whitewater kayaking, like many sports, offers a range of specialized equipment to help practitioners get the most out of their experience. When you’re on the water, there’s nothing more important than your gear. Whitewater kayaks are not all designed the same, though, so it’s important to know which one is right for you.
As the name implies, this boat design was created to navigate narrower waterways. Ranging from 7.5 to 9 feet long, creek boats use a high-volume displacement hull.
Creek Boats
They feature a strong rocker — the curve of the bow from stem to stern — to help the paddler stay on top of the water and prevent the boat’s nose from diving.
The helpful handling characteristics make these boats great for paddling in technical settings. However, taking a creek boat into bigger, faster-moving water can be difficult because these same characteristics can allow it to be pushed around easily by strong currents.
River Runners
As compared to a creek boat or playboat, which might have a more dramatic hull design, a river runner’s shape will generally resemble a recreational kayak the most of any in this group.
This style of boat can vary in length from 7 to 9 feet, using a moderate displacement hull. In longer lengths, these are the ideal boats for big water, sacrificing some of the technical maneuverability for running rapids with easy paddling and handling.
Shorter variations of this style allow skilled paddlers to play and perform aerials. The river runner is arguably the most versatile kayak design.
Long Boats
They feature planning hulls rather than displacement hulls. This means the bottom of the boat is a flatter shape , rather than the rounded vee shape of a displacement hull.
The planned hull helps these boats skip across the top of the water at high speed, but it can require more effort to turn than a displacement hull because less volume of water pushes against the side of the boat.
Add to that the length of these boats, and you can see why they are typically reserved for strong paddlers who compete or want to maximize their speed down a stretch of river.
Longboats are not used for play because they don’t feature the technical maneuverability needed for aerials or tricks. However, their larger size does allow paddlers additional storage compared to other styles of whitewater kayaks.
Play boats
Play boats are typically shorter than 6.5 feet, giving them turn-on-a-dime maneuverability. They feature aggressively planned hulls that allow them to rotate and concentrated volume so the paddler can submerse the front or rear part of the boat without losing control.
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