Month: September 2018

Activities Involving Kayaks [toc] Touring Touring, or expedition kayaking, involves taking extended journeys in a kayak, often around coastlines or down the length of a river. Kayak touring is a fantastic way to experience beautiful scenery that is usually hidden from view. Fishing With the use of a specialised fishing kayak, combining fishing with kayaking … Read more

[toc] What are Kayak Bulkheads? Bulkheads are sealed barriers on the interior of the kayak that provide separated compartments within a kayak. They are typically found in sea kayaks and can be made from a variety of materials including foam, plastic, or a composite material. In contrast to an integrated kayak, a bulkhead kayak will … Read more

The Smoky Mountains sprawl out between the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The vast expanse is home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers in the south. Perhaps known best for its breathtaking views and extensive hiking trails, it is actually home to some of … Read more

The water knot is a good knot to use in webbing and can be used for a variety of things. Step 1: Create a small overhand as shown below. Step 2: Follow the initial path you created in step 1. Step 3: Pull the knot tight. Enjoyed How to Tie a Water Knot? Share it with your friends … Read more

The trucker’s hitch knot is a great knot to secure heavier loads and is a good knot for you kayaking knot repertoire. Step 1: Create a small loop within your rope. Step 2: Below the loop grab the rope and pull it through the initial loop.   Step 3: Take the end of the rope and bring it … Read more

The taut-line hitch knot is a great knot to tie around an object if you need to the hitch to move freely. The taut-line knot can be useful if you are kayak camping because it can be used for securing a tent to tent poles. Step 1: Loop the end of your rope around the object. … Read more

The square knot is one of the easiest knots to tie and a relatively quick knot to learn. It can temporarily tie to knots together but it is not recommended since the square knot is fairly insecure. Step 1: Take two ropes and lie them side by side facing each other. Step 2: Cross the ropes over … Read more

A sheepshank knot can shorten a rope while you are a kayaking. It is not a strong know but can come in handy if you need to take up slack within your rope. Step 1: Create a large Z within the middle of your rope. Step 2: At the end of each side of the Z create … Read more

The running bowline knot is useful for kayaking if you need to lasso an object while kayaking. The running bowline know creates and open loop that will tighten around an objects. Step 1: Create a large loop with the end of your line. Step 2: Create a smaller loop within the larger loop you just created. Step … Read more

The rolling hitch knot is a simple but secure knot that can be used to tie your kayak to a pole or rod. It is similar to the clove hitch but is a more secure kayaking knot. Step 1: Loop the end of your rope around the object. Step 2: Loop the end of your rope a second time making … Read more

The mooring hitch is a good alternative to the clove hitch and is another good knot to add to your kayaking knot repertoire. The knot can be used to temporarily tie your kayak to a row or post. Step 1: Loop the rope around the object. Step 2: Create a loop with the end of the rope in front or on … Read more

Learning how to empty water out of a kayak is a good skill to have if you plan on kayaking in rough waters. If you are planning on kayaking alone then it is a must to know how to empty the water in your kayak. [toc] Solo Draining Emptying a kayak full of water while … Read more

If you are kayaking in the ocean then it will be very helpful for you to figure out what effect the tides will have on your trip. Tides can vary depending on the area you are in and what time of year it is. Unless you pay attention to these changes and plan accordingly, you … Read more

The heaving line knot is a great knot if you need a heavy end to your rope for throwing. Obviously, this a great kayaking knot to know since there are many cases where you might need to throw a rope. For example, if you do know have a rescue bag this knot could come in handy in … Read more

The figure eight knot is known for its use in mountain or rock climbing but it can also be used in many kayaking scenarios. This knot is a great kayaking knot to know if you ever need a strong knot with a loop at the end of your rope. Step 1: Create the first figure eight at the … Read more

The double fisherman’s knot is a great knot to know if you need to tie two ropes together. Some kayakers even use this knot to create grab handles for their kayaks. Step 1: Take both ends of the rope and lie them side by side. Each end should be facing the opposite direction. Step 2: Wrap one … Read more

The constrictor knot can be a useful knot to secure multiple similar shaped objects together while kayaking. For example, if you are kayak camping or it can come in handy to secure wood together. It is a strong knot that will knot (pun intended) come loose if tied tightly. Step 1: Wrap the object or objects … Read more

The clove hitch knot is a simple hitch that can be used to tie a rope onto a post. While it is easy to tie and untie it is not the most secure knot. It can easily come undone if your kayak or the post moves. For kayaking, we recommend using this knot if you … Read more

The bowline knot is one of the most versatile and useful kayaking knots you can use. The knot itself is relatively simple to tie and does not get stuck when trying to untie it. It can be used to loop around objects to anchor your kayak. If you were to know only one kayaking knot, the bowline … Read more

A buntline hitch knot is another useful kayaking knot to know how to tie. This knot can be used to tow another kayak and can also attach your kayak to a number of different objects such as a post or a rod. In fact it’s also the knot that is used to tie a business tie! Step 1: Loop … Read more

The reverse sweep stroke is also highly important to learn in order to turn your kayak. After you have mastered the forward sweep stroke, the reverse sweep stroke is another powerful turning move that you should consider learning in order to make your kayaking more effective. This stroke is also best learned while sitting still … Read more

The forward sweep stroke will help you turn your kayak effectively. While many new kayak models come with built in rudders, that is not the only, or the most effective way to turn your kayak. In fact, if you want your kayak to be as maneuverable as possible, you should practice strokes that will allow … Read more

Forward paddling seems easy, but there is room for improvement. Forward paddling is probably the most under-appreciated and under-practiced kayaking move. However, as you might imagine, this is the most important move that you can learn. Depending on where you’re going to be kayaking, and how long of a kayak tour you intend to go … Read more

The sculling draw is another effective sideways kayaking move. After you have learned the draw stroke, you may want to also learn the sculling draw. The primary uses for this kayak stroke are so that you can move the kayak sideways for more than just one short stroke. In fact, the sculling draw is the … Read more

The draw stroke is an effective method of pulling your kayak to the side without turning. Once you’ve learned how to paddle forward and in reverse, you may want to learn the draw stroke. This stroke is also called “pulling” the kayak, and will help you to move from side to side in the kayak. … Read more

The low support stroke will help you maintain support while you’re kayaking. The first support or brace stroke that you should learn is the low support stroke. This is the easiest stroke for beginners to learn, so you should probably work on learning it first, before you start working on the high support stroke. There … Read more

Stopping your kayak suddenly requires practice as well. When you are kayaking, stopping is one of the more difficult things that you can learn. While it is not always obvious as to why you will need this move, you should keep in mind that situations at sea can change rather rapidly. This is also the … Read more

Reverse paddling is an important kayaking technique. While forward paddling is probably one of the most commonly used paddling strokes, reverse paddling is just as important. In fact, before you go kayaking, you should definitely practice both forward and reverse paddling to make sure that you have the necessary skills so that you do not … Read more

The screw roll is easier than the eskimo roll, but it still requires that you know the hip flick. If you’re looking for an easier sort of roll to learn, then you might want to look into learning the screw roll. This type of roll is generally recommended for beginner kayakers, and might be better … Read more

A good kayak roll to teach beginners is the put-across roll. One of the biggest fears that most people have of kayaking is the worry that their kayak could capsize, and they would be trapped inside of it. Another fear is that there is no way to right an over turned kayak by yourself – … Read more

If you’re planning on going kayak touring, one of the most important things you can do is learn the techniques associated with eskimo rolling. The reason for this is that if you’re touring in a sea kayak, and you are far from shore, it might not be feasible to get back into your kayak if … Read more

Trunk rotation is the most important part of being able to paddle a kayak. One thing that most people may not realize about kayaking is that most of the power for kayaking will not actually come from your arms. The reason for this is that when you think about it, even if you are only … Read more

The wet exit (getting out of the kayak in the water) is not very difficult, but it is still important to have some experience with it. If you’re going to go kayaking, you should realize that there is a very good chance that you will capsize your kayak once or twice. This does not necessarily … Read more

Overturning “the right way” can actually help you regain control over your kayak. If you’re worried about overturning your kayak, don’t worry. Just like most things, there is a right way to do it so that you won’t have to worry about getting injured. Another thing that you should keep in mind is that even … Read more

Weil’s disease can be contracted from contaminated water and may be fatal. Weil’s disease is a problem if you are going to be out in the wilderness and looking for water at all. This disease is spread through rat urine, so the main way in which you can contract the disease is by consuming contaminated … Read more