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The Bow/Draw Rudder

The bow/draw rudder is one of the hardest, but most efficient, kayaking strokes. While the stern rudder will turn your boat by using your paddle as a rudder near the back of the kayak, you can also perform the bow/draw rudder instead. This is essentially the same move, however, it is performed in front of … Read more

13 Different Types Of Kayak Hulls

Different Types of Kayak Hulls

The many different types of kayak hulls out there will significantly impact the performance of a kayak. If you are new to the sport, knowing more about those impacts will help you prepare for them and, ultimately, choose a kayak that fits your paddling style. From recreational kayaks for calm lake days to touring kayaks … Read more

How To Kayak Alone? Top Safety Tips

Personally, I always prefer if I can find a partner for my kayaking adventures. The reality, however, is that I often wind up pulling from my knowledge of how to kayak alone if nobody else wants to accompany me. Solo kayakers need to be a little bit more prepared and mindful than others. If something … Read more

Tides Explained

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

Do You Need A License For A Kayak In Your State?

Not all kayakers are rule-followers, but it does take some stress out of the equation if you know the boating rules and regulations for your state and region. Of course, things change as you move from county to county as well. Fortunately, the penalties for violating local kayaking rules are usually nominal. That being said, … Read more

Average Kayak Speed: How Fast Can You Go?

Average Kayak Speed: How Fast Can You Go?

Personally, it was a pretty natural progression from learning how to pack my kayak for a multi-day camping trip and plan for how much distance I could cover in a day. Although I was familiar with my average walking speed on backpacking trips, I had no idea what my average kayaking speed might be. How … Read more

Sculling For Support

Sculling for support will keep you upright if your kayak is at rest. Even though you will probably learn several other strokes and kayaking moves that will help you to maintain your upright posture in your kayak, the more support strokes you know, the better. Another method that you can use to support your kayak … Read more

The Stern Rudder

The stern rudder is an easy to learn form of steering your kayak. The stern rudder is a quick way to turn your kayak. However, like all of the turning moves that require you to place your paddle in the water, it can have a dragging effect, and may slow you down considerably if you … Read more

Red Tides are Sweeping the Southern Coast, and Northern Lakes are ravaged by Algal Blooms. How Does this Affect Kayakers?

From southern Florida to the Great Lakes, from the long, thin Finger Lakes to the rugged Utah landscape, there’s something dangerous lurking in the water. It’s not piranhas, sharks, or alligators, but rather something far more insidious. Harmful algal blooms (HABs)—different in origin but similar in risk—are wrecking paddle sports, ruining summer vacations, and spoiling fishing season. For … Read more

The Bow Rudder

The bow rudder is related to the bow/draw rudder, but it is slightly easier to perform. If you have learned the bow/draw rudder, you may want to look into learning the bow rudder as well. This stroke is used for turning while you are moving in your kayak, just like the bow/draw. However, this stroke … Read more

5 Sun Protection Tips For Summer Kayaking

Summer is a fantastic time to be out on the waters kayaking, but all that sun exposure has some danger involved as well. Learn how to keep safe kayaking without sacrificing your skin! 1.Avoid The Heat of the Day (10am – 4pm) The sun is generally at its most powerful between 10am-4pm, and you’ll be … Read more

How to Portage a Kayak

Portaging a kayak is the act of moving it across dry land. While this might seem like an odd thing to do given how well kayaks work on water, sometimes you’ll be confronted by a situation where moving your kayak by land is the only option. If you find your path blocked by a dangerous … Read more

Stand Up Paddleboard vs Kayak

Paddleboards vs. kayaks … which is better? You’ll hear paddlers fighting adamantly for one side or the other in this ongoing debate. Paddleboarding activates your whole body, but kayaking works your arms and your core … is one really better than the other? Or are they just completely separate sports? Maybe you should do them … Read more

Kayak Safety Tips For Beginners

Kayaking is a fantastic sport. It’s a great way to make new friends, stay fit, and explore amazing new landscapes. As with with any sport involving water, however, there are some risks. Sudden changes in wind and visibility can make for hazardous kayaking conditions; not checking the weather in advance or wearing the proper attire … Read more

What is Kayaking?

If you’re looking for an activity that combines cardio and strength conditioning with the beautiful and peaceful serenity of the outdoors, kayaking just might be the activity for you. A sport that is rapidly gaining in popularity throughout the country, kayaking is a fun, healthy and relatively safe pursuit that affords hours of water-based enjoyment. … Read more

Health Benefits of Kayaking

Kayaking is the ultimate way to experience the water.  You’ll get your heart pumping, strengthen muscles throughout your entire body, and soak up vitamin D in the sunshine, all while cruising alongside beautiful scenery and wildlife.  Not only is kayaking good exercise for those looking for a moderate to vigorous workout, but it is a … Read more

Top 6 Myths About Inflatable Kayaks

inflatable kayak myths

First Things First. You can probably agree that storing and transporting inflatable kayaks is easy, however, there are many false beliefs about inflatable kayaks. A lot of these beliefs are introduced by the faulty performance of a cheap inflatable bought from a department store. If you do your research when looking to purchase an inflatable … Read more

How To Paddle A Kayak

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Up the creek (without a paddle).” A kayak, whether you’re floating on a river, on the ocean, or even on a lake, won’t get you very far without a paddle and you would be, “up the creek.” Trying to use a paddle without knowing even the most basic of skills … Read more

How to Kayak with Kids

kayaking with kids

Kayaking with kids can be fun for the whole family. You can teach your children new skills and confidence and provide them with experiences that will last a lifetime. Once you understand the how-tos and are properly prepared with the best kayak for your kids, you can look forward to a great outing! This guide … Read more

How to Transport a Kayak

The question of “how to properly transport a kayak” is an important and multi-layered one—a question that should be in your mind before purchasing your kayak—or even your vehicle.   Although most kayaks can travel atop almost any type of vehicle, the truth is that some kayak racks are more advantageous when used with certain … Read more

Is Kayaking Expensive?

Before you start kayaking, cost is one thing that you will probably be concerned with. The one question that you are probably asking yourself is, “Is kayaking expensive?” Although kayaking may seem like the type of activity that would cost a lot of money to start, it can be relatively affordable if you do your … Read more

How To Modify A Kayak For A Dog?

How To Modify A Kayak For A Dog?

From my experience, you are bound to get wet when you are learning how to kayak with your dog. If you know how to modify a kayak for a dog, however, you can significantly minimize your risk of going for an unexpected swim.

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The Forward Sweep Stroke

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

The Low Brace Turn

The low brace turn is one of the best ways to turn the kayak while in motion. One of the things you may find difficult when you’re first learning how to kayak is turning the kayak. There are basically two things that you can always try when you’re first learning how to kayak. First, some … Read more

The X-Rescue

The X-rescue is one of the easiest kayak rescue techniques. If you are going to go kayaking and you’re worried about capsizing the kayak, don’t be too worried. There are several different easy to learn techniques that you can learn in order to make sure that your boat is righted as soon as possible. You … Read more

The Sculling Draw

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 Screw Roll

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

Reverse Paddling

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 T-Rescue

The T-Rescue is a two-person method of righting a capsized kayak. One of the reasons that you should never go kayaking alone is that if you are with somebody else, then there are a lot of other techniques that you can use in case something goes wrong while you’re kayaking. For instance, you’ll have somebody … Read more

Activities Involving Kayaks

Activities Involving Kayaks 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 is … Read more

The Put-Across Roll

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

The Low Support Stroke

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

The HI-Rescue

The HI-rescue is a useful rescue technique if you have two kayaks to help.One of the things that you should do before you go kayak touring is to make sure that you know all of the necessary methods for helping yourself and other people who may be in the water. While it’s always useful to … Read more

Weil’s Disease

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

Trunk Rotation

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 Draw Stroke

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

Currents Explained

Another thing that you need to watch out for if you’re going kayaking are ocean currents. Depending on where you are, they can either be a slight or a relatively important factor. You should always try to make sure that your trips will allow you to paddle with the current instead of against it, or … Read more

The Wet Exit

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

The Reverse Sweep Stroke

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

Forward Paddling

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

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is easily treatable but can be very dangerous. If you are ever going to be out in the wilderness overnight, especially if you are going to be around the water, you should make sure that you have a good understanding of what hypothermia is. It has been said that hypothermia is always treatable – … Read more

Helping a Swimmer

Learning how to help swimmers is an important part of kayaking responsibly. While it’s not necessarily required in order for you to go kayaking to begin with, it is probably a good idea to have some experience helping out swimmers as a kayaker. This is due to the fact that when you’re out at sea, … Read more

Understanding Kayak Bulkheads

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 be … Read more

Design Principles of Kayaks

Design Principles of Kayaks Displacemet The displacement of a kayak can refer to one of two things: its overall water displacement or, in the case of whitewater kayaks, the shape of its hull. The Design Water Line (DWL) determines the total amount of weight the kayak was designed to carry. The combined weight of the … Read more

Stopping Your Kayak

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

How to Tie a Mooring Hitch

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

How to Tie a Bowline Knot

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

How to Tie a Tautline Hitch

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 High Support Stroke

The high support stroke is more difficult, but will also prevent capsizing. The high support stroke is similar to the low stroke in that it will help you to maintain your stability and prevent capsizing while you are on the water. However, it requires a different technique and is likely a bit harder than the … Read more

How to Tie a Running Bowline Knot

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

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