Kayaking is a fun and safe recreational activity enjoyed by people at all levels of fitness and mobility. Kayaking can be done on almost any body of liquid water, but I’m going to focus on flatwater and stillwater paddling since that is the entry point and maximum level of attainment for most people. Kayaking is a good low-impact exercise and enables fishing, nature photography, and camping. Nothing beats the relaxation of a day on the water.
The most frequent question I get from people who have never kayaked is: “Do I have to learn how to flip the boat back up?” No. Ideally you won’t turn over, but if you do you swim free. Which inevitably leads to domanda numero due: “Do I have to be strapped in?” Again, the answer is “no.” Recreational kayaks are designed for easy exit – they have large cockpit openings and ample, unobstructed under-deck space. Plus, there is a new class of sit-on-top, self-draining kayak where no part of you is enclosed at all. To complete the trifecta of answers to questions I am frequently asked by non-boaters – no, they are not as tippy as you probably think; kayaks are designed to keep your center of gravity low which stabilizes things nicely.
“The kayak was first used by the indigenous Aleut, Inuit, Yupik and possibly Ainu hunters in subarctic regions of the world.” And those dudes were totally badass hunting seals and contending with orcas in frigid waters in boats made of hide and bones. Modern kayaks are almost exclusively made of rotomolded polyethylene plastic, with a small number of specialty boats made of fiberglass or wood.
Kayakers sit with their legs stretched out ahead of them and use a two-bladed paddle; as opposed to canoeists who kneel, or sit with legs tucked under, and use a one-bladed paddle.
The author in a sit-on-top boat designed for whitewater use, hence the straps and helmet.
Ideally your first kayak experience should be in the company of two or more experienced paddlers. Kayak enthusiasts often have extra boats and gear and will outfit you for your first trip. Etiquette tip – spring for beers afterwards for your guides and outfitters. Offer to serve as a shuttle monkey or lunch bunny if you want a second invite.
There are kayak rental concessions at/near various lakes and rivers, some of which offer guided trips. These people are very conscious of their liability and will not put their customers in harm’s way. If your first kayaking experience is with other inexperienced paddlers, start with a one or two hour rental on a quiet lake in a party of three or more people all of whom should know how to swim even though you will use the PFD (life vest) you are issued.
So, you do a trip and you have fun and decide to buy your own kayak. The type of kayak you should purchase depends on the type of kayaking you’ll be doing. If you’re going to be paddling on ponds and smaller lakes (collectively, stillwater) then you can get by with a cheap department store boat for around two hundred dollars. Inexpensive recreational kayaks can also be safely used on rivers with no rapids (flatwater), or on Class I-II whitewater – caution or instruction recommended for the latter.
At the absolute minimum you will also need: a PFD (aka life vest, and yes you really, really need one), paddle (you notice I put this behind PFD on the list, right?), whistle or air horn, and a broad-brimmed hat. Appropriate footwear is sandals with ankle straps (no flip-flops), water shoes such as Nike Aquasock, or wetsuit booties. Always have with you water, sunscreen and a snack. Usual outdoor safety and first aid equipment, but Glibs know this already.
Please don’t buy a cheap polyvinyl inflatable kayak, aka pool toy. These things are truly POS, puncture easily and are not durable. There is a better class of inflatable made of rubberized fabric, but those cost as much as a rigid boat; they do have the advantage of portability and compact storage.
If you want to do bigger water, want to take long trips, or haul lots of gear then you’re going to need a bigger, more durable boat than they sell at department stores.
A Tarpon model 130T (thirteen-foot, tandem) sit-on-top recreational boat. Two drain pipes in the rear cargo compartment, four in the front of the cockpit. The ridges are molded-in footbraces to accommodate various leg lengths.
If you want to do long downriver trips, or haul lots of gear then I recommend a sit-on-top, self-draining recreational kayak such as Wilderness Systems’ Tarpon line of boats. These boats are sturdy, stable and durable. Recently Wilderness replaced the rubber cargo hatches with hard plastic hinged hatches – much more durable and reliable. The drain pipes go all the way through from the top deck to the bottom deck without letting water into the space between decks. Perhaps counterintuitively, the drain pipes add a huge amount of structural integrity to the hull. These boats can do up to Class III whitewater, and can even surf a bit, but they are not nimble.
Obligatory Stirring Kayak Anecdote: During rescue operations in chilly whitewater I had two men in a one-person, sit-on-top boat, exceeding the rated cargo capacity by over one hundred pounds. Although the boat sat low in the water and the cockpit was partially flooded, the kayak remained floatworthy and maneuverable; when the extra man got out of the boat the water drained out within ten seconds and full floatworthiness was regained.
The only disadvantage to self-draining kayaks is that they are slower than traditional kayaks – the drain holes add drag. And while you sit higher in the water in a sit-on-top than in a conventional kayak, the designers compensate for that by making these boats extra-wide for added stability. The drain pipes also provide an easy way to secure the kayak against casual theft using a chain or cable lock.
Another Anecdote: One of the recreational boaters I’m trying to get to level-up has long been wary of trying my sit-on-top. Once she finally tried it she was impressed by the stability generally solid character of the craft to the point of jealousy.
If you want to do Class III+ whitewater and be able to surf (including ocean waves) and do tricks then you will need a whitewater kayak – these are made of thicker plastic than cheap recreational boats and have internal supports to keep them from being crushed like a soda can in rough water. You will need to learn to roll – contact your local paddling club, Parks and Rec (SLD), or YMCA about rolling classes which are often conducted in pools. Expect to spend $1,200-$1,600 for all new whitewater kayak, PFD, paddle, skirt and helmet. Whitewater boats are short, and by design easily tip and spin.
If you are going to do long treks on open water (ocean, sea, bay, sound, great lakes, etc) you will probably want a sea kayak. These boats are long and narrow, relatively stable, but don’t turn well. Many deepwater paddlers learn to roll in case they are swamped by waves or wakes. Some sea kayaks are equipped with sailing rigs, retractable keels for speed and tracking, and outriggers for stability.
There are also a few pedal-powered kayaks on the market where the pedal rotation powers underwater flaps which help propel the boat; paddles are used for turning and maneuvering, and for additional propulsion. Pedal drive boats are not recommended for water with lots of vegetation, underwater obstructions, etc. Some of those pedal units are removable.
Fiberglass boats are great if you are a competitive whitewater kayaker, competitive flatwater racer, squirt boater, or want to make your own boat. They are certainly light, but break in situations where a polyethylene boat would bend or dent.
Wooden boats are so very pretty, but they are heavy and expensive. You don’t see many of them in river kayaking as the owners tend to avoid anything that might scrape them up, like rocks.
Buying a used boat is often a good way to break into the sport on the cheap without sacrificing equipment quality. Scrapes and scratches consistent with normal use are fine. Beware of dents, folds, creases, cracks, brittle plastic, dry rotted rubber, etc. Generic replacement nylon carry handles are readily available, but rotted handles are indicative of poor kayak storage. Best time to find a used boat is December through March as people get new boats for Christmas or for Spring.
A single short boat will fit inside a hatchback vehicle with the front seat folded forward. For longer or multiple boats you will need a roof rack, or a pickup truck. A Subaru Outback wagon can easily haul four kayakers with boats and gear for a day trip.
Tonio has been a canoeist since 1985, and a kayaker since 1990. Tonio’s maximum level of attainment was solid Class IV whitewater paddling skills, but he has dialed things back to Class III now that he is older. Tonio loves practicing kayak safety and rescue techniques. Tonio is not a real Italian.
I spent a lot of time in a canoe as a kid, but I’ve never kayaked.
Canoes are great, too. It all depends on how much people and cargo you want to carry, etc. Kayaks are generally lighter and shorter, although the blue sit-on-top pictured is rather heavier than the yellow whitewater boat in the videos.
Remember the female winemaker who used to work for me who was a kayaker? Great shoulders.
My trainee is shaped like a literal “Vee”. Her shoulders put mine to shame. Great ass, though.
Good write up. My sister and niece both kayak, as do my brother-in-law and his family. One of the brother-in-law’s sisters lives in a house that has river access that leads to Lake Erie, and there’s several rivers and lakes all over that have access. One of takes by me does offer rentals, I may need to try it out sometime.
Cool, thank you.
I’ve canoed, not kayaked, primarily because I thought you had to own a Subaru to kayak.
Ouch. It is allowed, but you get extra details.
And you’re not a lesbian trapped in a man’s body like some of the other glibertariat?
Is there a reason why canoeing seems to be out of fashion?
Near the center of Ohio, there’s a bunch of river canoeing. I’ve been trying to convince the girlfriend to try it out.
Sleep tandem, paddle solo. Which also answers Not Adahn’s question above.
Kayaking has really taken off since the introduction of the sit-on-top boat as they are stable and self-draining.
paddle solo
Makes technical sense
I’ve found canoeing to be incredibly sexy, though: set her up front, show her where her hand goes on the throat of the paddle, and tell her to just have fun, paddle how and when she likes. I do all the thinking and steering and most of the work, and, after the cruise she’s had pure fun, no confrontation, fun in nature. It’s like dancing on a first date.
So. Many. Euphemisms.
bows deeply
See, I’ve done hundreds (thousands?) of miles of solo canoeing when I was younger. I actually found it easier to control and it was better having to store only my pack inside. (I mean paddling the canoe solo, there were multiple canoers travelling together in these instances).
The wife and I went to Catalina island once and rented a two seat ocean kayak. We went about four times as far as the rules allowed, almost to the far end of the island. My wife would just dip her paddle in the water and let the movement drag it back, offering no propulsion what so ever. I pushed us the whole way and was sweating and exhausted as we pulled back up to return the boat. When we got out the worker asked how it went and she said she was surprised by how easy it was to paddle. He looked at me and laughed out loud. It was a lot of fun none the less. Catalina is around ten miles long and we probably traveled about 7, one way. Made it to just shy of the other harbor.
You should have stopped paddling for a bit to see if she figured it out.
Yeah, I did that a few times. She seemed obvlivious.
Reminds me of the kids and those tow behind bikes. Both of them figured out pretty quickly how easy it is to fake pedaling and let me do all the work!
That makes sense if there’s been an improved design that makes kayaks superior to canoes as a personal paddlecraft.
Though the canoe stroke seems like you could still get more power out of it than a double-ended one.
Kayaks are much easier to use by yourself.
I sold my canoe and got a kayak because my kids would no longer go out canoeing with me. (My canoe was too big to really use solo).
Maybe another reason is how advanced kayaks have become in the last 5 or so years. I see guys fishing in a “fishing kayak” that have motors, electronics and all sorts of doo-dads that may be more advanced than my old Alumacraft with a 10hp outboard.
And expensive! You can buy a simple boat and motor for less than one of the fancy fishing kayaks.
Wait until September and start hitting Craig’s List and there will be a bunch of “used twice” kayaks.
That is when the hipsters realize that they need to find a place to store it for the winter (after they take it off the roof of their Subaru where it has been all summer)
Pontoon boats are appealing. Small but you can mount a motor. Belly-boating in the wilderness is something else though. There’s something about being that close to the surface when a fish hits and sometimes a loon or an otter will swim right up to investigate. Fucking beaver damn near gave me a heart attack slapping his tail right beside me one evening.
Last week I had about 5 leeches left and the weather cleared up in the late evening. Instead of putting my boat in somewhere, I thought I’d go to a local spot where I knew I could wade in (up to just above my waist) and catch a few sunnies and crappies.
So I waded out and tied a fish basket and my cooler of bait and beer to some rushes out in about 2′ of water. I spend the next half hour or so catching a bunch of fish. Probably 1 keeper for every 10 fish I caught.
I had a crappie and about 5 ok sunnies in the basket when I lost a leech. I started wading back to rushes when I noticed the fish basket was jumping a bit in the water. When I got close enough I saw a big snapping turtle under the water trying to get at the fish. He’d peck at the wire fish basket and couldn’t figure out what exactly what it was. His shell was bigger than a dinner plate, so he was pretty hefty.
I bet I nearly converted some other people who were on a nearby fishing dock because it looked like I was walking on water. When the shock wore off, I managed to untie my gear and drag it back to shore with me. Once I started pulling it, the snapper never grabbed it again. Of course he probably had a hard time seeing it because the water was such a foul muddy brown.
We’ve had some monsters in the neighborhood.
Lol. Snapping turtles. Prehistoric freaks.
Here in the desert, its mostly due to a lack of surface water.
I’ve never kayaked myself, but I’d be interested. It’s pretty big around here because we’ve got a bunch of little creeks that cut up off the main rivers, which in turn feed into the Chesapeake. It’s a five minute walk to the water from my house, and then maybe fifteen minutes by paddle and you can be at the mouth of the Severn heading into the bay. I’d love to have a little kayak to use for fishing.
Speaking of which, a local woman drowned a few days ago kayaking in Spa Creek. It’s noteworthy because she was a local at the pub down the street, and because she was youngish, fit, a swimmer, and a Secret Service agent who worked on the presidential security detail for a number of years. She was with her boyfriend in the late morning, and there were other boaters around. Apparently, she tipped over, fell out, and didn’t come back up. The boyfriend dove down to find her and couldn’t. The boaters nearby called 911. They found her body the next morning a little ways downstream on the shore.
That drowning is… interesting. Linky? If you roll over (upside-down) you should be able to exit the boat. That’s the go-to maneuver for recreational kayakers, and the backup maneuver for whitewater kayakers when you can’t roll. I’ve wet exited easily a hundred times for training, demo, and on those rare occasions where I couldn’t roll up. Wonder if she was wearing her PFD.
Maybe a “special” pfd? She complained about how much it weighed but her boyfriend cajoled her into wearing it anyhow?
Kids were kayaking to school in our last flood. Local farm store sold a bunch of them.
Thanks, Tonio! Terrific article on a fun sport!
I’ve done a ton of canoeing and quite a bit of kayaking. I definitely prefer the kayaking. A friend had a sea kayak at his lake place and it was pure joy to take that thing out on a calm morning. Stupidly fast!
I like the stability, too. I have stood on a kayak and fly cast with absolutely no problems.
Your article is making me rethink my firm ‘no boat’ policy!
Come back to us Tundra. SEA SMITH says the water is fine.
STEVE SMITH just wants to cuttle
I suppose there is a market for everything.
Trump administration solves another problem
The White House likened the deal to a Marshall Plan for Palestinians and said it was an “opportunity of the century.” The $50 billion would be raised with $15 billion in grants, $25 billion in low-interest loans and $11 billion in private capital. The U.S. will consider making a large investment to the funding, along with other countries, but everything is contingent on the agreement of a good governance mechanism. The hope is that the money can’t be siphoned off by corrupt politicians or be misappropriated and given to the families of terrorists – a tactic used openly by the Palestinians.
Good job, Jared !
*facepalm*
50B down the hole.
Don’t worry, it will work this time.
If wishes were horses then every prepubescent girl would own a unicorn.
I’ve never been kayaking. Though I’m not opposed to it. We’ve done some whitewater rafting and a little canoeing and kayaking does look interesting to try. Probably not to the level of buying into it as a full blown hobby.
Easy to rent or go on an outfitted trip.
Thanks Tonio for the walk through! I’ve been mildly intrigued by kayaking but not enough to pursue it seriously. Boy Scout camp offered rowing, canoeing, and small boat sailing when I was in. I don’t remember kayaking. Small boat sailing was for older boys and by that time I was another stupidly self destructive teenager.
Best firearm for kayaking and how do you store it?
AR-7s float, and are designed to be packed into the stock.
That is, if you don’t need anything bigger than a .22
Glock on thigh
Pelican case.
This.
Best cases for camera equipment in a canoe or kayak, too.
A friend of mine that often takes his canoe out says to put everything you don’t want wet into undamaged Ziploc bags with some air in each. It saved him when he fell out (I don’t remember why). He had his car keys with him, but they were in a baggie in his pocket with a little air it. He was able to find the keys.
It probably wouldn’t help with a gun.
I have a fairly good selection of watertight dry cases and dry bags. I’m wary of baggies, even freezer grade ones as a primary mechanism for keeping stuff dry and afloat. My PFD (life vest) as a zippered pocket which I use for keys, DL and a twenty.
https://www.mossberg.com/product/500-tactical-jic-52340/
Nice.
Agreed. Nice article too, Tonio.
Uffda. Everyone knows if you are backwoods canoeing or kayaking that real men use a bow to fend off the natives.
That guy does not know how to hold a bow.
Dramatic, though. One of the top ten movies of the seventies, too.
Good one Tonio.
Kayaking always appealed but how do you pee? Serious question as I have a float tube that is super fun but having to vigorously paddle to shore every couple of hours so that you don’t soil your neoprenes is a royal pain in the ass. In the boat or the canoe I just bring an old tobacco can and kneel down to do the biz.
I’m a river kayaker so you’re never that far from shore. Some of the guys, particularly downriver racers pee in their boats/wetsuits. I’m also in Virginia so “swim break” is an option Apr-Sep.
I use a Little John when I am out in my kayak.
“The way of the road, Bubs!’
That’s just asking for some sure wood.
It looks fun, but I’m turned off by the lack of a motor of some sort.
Do you even lift, bro? 😉
yes. the motor is heavy
I am but a pickle, and — alas — I lack arms and legs.
*snert*
Excuses excuses…
brine or vinegar? i never asked
I am so blushing right now.
Thanks Tonio!
If you’re going to be paddling on ponds and smaller lakes (collectively, stillwater) then you can get by with a cheap department store boat for around two hundred dollars.
A summer camp my parents shuffled me off to had a small pond. They had canoes and kayaks.
One of the kayaks was a bit unstable. I don’t remember why.
I found this out the hard way when I took the kayak out on the pond. I noticed that it seemed to rock with every move I made, so I decided to head back to shore. I turned, and rolled. I think I swam back to shore towing it with one of my hands.
I got another kayak which was much more stable and had a nice hour out on the pond.
I also did a lot of canoeing at that camp, which I liked a little better than kayaking, but both were fun.
Quickest way to divorce your wife or break up with your girlfriend?
Get in a canoe together.
“Why does your wife’s corpse have all those paddle-marks on her forehead, Mr. Urthona?”
The key is to put her in front and be a competent enough paddler to control the boat no matter what she does.
Hah! Wifey perfected the “J” stroke as a girl so I always had to sit at the front and provide the motive power. Then we bought an electric motor and “I” got to sit at the back. Super fun on small lakes, trolling flies.
LOL
A few friends went down the St. Croix a few years ago in some rental canoes with their wives. Neither of them were very outdoorsy. One managed to make it. The other didn’t do so well. After he tipped the canoe, she marooned him on the shore and finished the paddle without him. You could say that she was fairly upset.
I swear to God I’ve never been to Minnesota…
The best part was that it was the other couple that interceded with the guy from the rental place who was driving the truck to pick up the canoes to stop and get the hubby.
Wife was still steamed up enough that she was going to go all the way back to her car and then maybe pick him up.
The story is even better if you know the hubby. A sales guy who is a total beta and really did deserve every bit of her scorn.
“Whare you goin’ City Boy?”
As a kid I used to work at one of those outdoor camps where couples can get canoes together. They come in really happy and within 10 minutes in the water are at each other’s throats.
Super entertaining.
There’s something about piloting a canoe w/ another person. True test of a relationship.
This is true. I’ve considered murdering idiots that swamped the canoe I was in
A group I used to go into the BWCA with had a pair of brothers into it.
We had just paddled all day into a lake called Lac La Croix for the start of a 5 day trip. The two brothers had just started fishing when they managed to flip their canoe and a ton of their fishing tackle and extra rods went to the bottom of the lake.
I loaned them a pair of cheap swim goggles and they were able to get a bunch of the stuff back, but the bitching at each other about who flipped the canoe was legendary.
Left brain, Right brain, Left brain, Right brain, Left brain, Right brain, Left braKABOOOM!
My only kayak experience was at a church camp in highschool. It was October. I paddled out. Flipped. Walked back to shore (it wasn’t deep where I flipped). And I haven’t been in a kayak since.
Related: If anyone finds an eel skin wallet at the bottom of Kentucky lake with $60 in it, I want it back.
One of the nice things about a sit on top kayak is that they are much easier to climb into/right than a traditional one. My kids all were able to easily slither back up on the kayak after they tipped or fell off (and it wasn’t easy to tip them by accident).
Gotta bounce, kids. Will check back and answer questions later.
Great article, Tonio! You are a man of hidden talents.
going out on the town leaving us behind?
I once saw a video of someone wearing a kayak as a hat. Or was it a canoe?
That would be the One Million Cuck March that we’ve been hearing so much about lately. Apparently the media has been down-playing the numbers.
wha?
Ha! That person was doing a solo carry of his kayak. Probably because he didn’t have anyone to help him do a tandem carry. You can do that with canoes, too, or at least I could when younger.
i think the word used was portage. seems a silly word
Well yeah, because it’s French and not only that, Quebecois French.
Oui, le portage. Although “portage” is generally used when there is a long carry around an obstacle, or between adjacent bodies of water. It’s a bit pretentious to use it to describe a carry of a hundred feet from the parking lot to the canoe landing.
neah the youtube i saw which was a canoe i checked was by a youtuber called joe robinete and it was a few kilometers between two lakes
And just so you Euro-weenies will never figure it out, portages are measured in rods. A rod is 16.5 ft (5.0292 m if you insist on using your silly measuring system).
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesoda is world renowned for this type of camping/fishing. It is a trip everyone should make sometime in their life.
It is absolutely primitive. No signs or anything. You travel by canoe through lakes and rivers and depending on where you want to go, you portage your canoe from one lake to another.
I would so cheat and sneak a motor in with me…
Your tricycle motors?
Orphan powered, but just the ugly ones so they can be tossed overboard with impunity.
Fishing while trolling/drinking, is the best kind of fishing.
^^^ This. A thousand times this! Although wading up and down a trout stream, finding the pools and avoiding the bears does have its charms. I’ve already told Wifey and the girls where my ashes are to be scattered. My favorite trout stream that so far as I know, almost nobody but myself has ever bothered to fish. It’s my piece of heaven.
Another of the many reasons I miss the PNW, trout fishing in mountain streams. It’s amazing how large of a Rainbow can be in a really small stream!
And even bigger when they go to the ocean.
Different fishy. That’s a Steelhead.
The fish of 10,000 casts. I’ve never had the pleasure of reeling one in.
Brule River is the place you need to go.
Same species.
Steelheads are rainbows, just a different purpose in life
I have never caught a river rainbow, but I have caught steelheads in Lake Michigan. They are a lot of fun.
Oh yeah. They find a hole and own it. Teeny creeks with a deep spot and there she is! I’ve pulled five-pounders out of a creek not fifteen feet wide. The most fun that i had was a day off in mid-summer and wading as far upstream as I could. The fish got progressively smaller as the canyon walls got higher. By the time I had to turn back they were towering 300 feet over my head. Something I’ll never get to experience again thanks to my bad knees. I had to clamber over log jams and ford rapids. I wouldn’t doubt that I was one of maybe a handful of people that had ever been there.
Appropriate footwear is sandals with ankle straps
It’s a good thing that my wife doesn’t read glibs. She would ban me from this site if she read this.
Seriously though, kayaking is one of those “interesting but don’t really even know where to start” activities for me. This is a really good primer to get over that hump.
So long as you don’t wear socks.
Birkenstocks with white ankle socks.
Oh come on, it’s not like I own a Subaru!
I do.
Seriously though, kayaking is one of those “interesting but don’t really even know where to start” activities for me.
Pretty much, yeah. Kayaking on the river is very popular locally but I’ve never done it for those reasons, as well as the expense.
OT: Tommy Robinson found guilty of contempt (again) for talking about a “grooming” trial that the Brits wanted hushed up. He’ll probably do more time than the rapists.
Great Britain can sink into the Atlantic as far as I’m concerned. They’re a lost cause.
Great article Tonio. I won a kayak in a company raffle several years ago. I take it down to my pond occasionally and have a good time. It’s a real pain getting it down there and back though. I think I’m going to drill a hole above the waterline and keep it chained down there.
Maybe 18 years ago, I went kayaking and camping around some islands in southern Alaska. That was a blast. I remember seeing humpback whales breach a few hundred yards away and, seal lions or some sort of seal come right up to the kayak to check it out.
I don’t think I’d want to run into a sea lion in the water. Those things are huge.
I’ll admit to being startled quite a bit when I turned around and saw one following in my wake for the first time. Only the head was visible above the water as it swam, which made a bizarre contrast.
No shark? This guy is crazy. No way I’m getting back in that kayak.
Thanks for all the love, guys. Feel free to reach out to me in the future with any canoe or kayak-related questions.
Pedal drive boats are not recommended for water with lots of vegetation – define lots
or to rephrase this is a pic of the lake next to my mom’s house. how lots is that?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-G_WhJiMuNE_QJGj52ccMzUBZpHPBrqK
That looks like it needs a lawn mower.
Wait, there’s a lake in there? LOL. Assuming the part in the center (between flag and house) is a lake, then way too much vegetation for flappy drive. Probably a PITA to paddle a regular kayak or canoe in that, you’d be constantly pushing against the vegetation. Pretty, though.
yes something happened like 5 years ago and june through september you can’t see the water
for a reminder a november pic in my summer food post
https://glibertarians.com/2018/11/life-of-pie-romanian-summer-food/
Nice. Now that looks like a fun place to paddle.
theoretically it is more a river than lake it is running water just slow. it is a whole bunch of lakes along a river round bucharest, which was a swamp before most of it was drained
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colentina_River
Romanians are crafty creatures. Disguising a lake as a lawn…
I wonder how many mowers are at the bottom of that thing.
I just see luxury condos for mosquitoes.
Me no likey marshes.
Good article Tonio. My friend’s dad fancied kayaking though his preference was a canoe designed for one to kneel. Not sure what the model was called.
I ran into him one summer in Maine and he invited me out to check out an island about a mile off the coast. He had a two man canoe he’d been dying to use and I was up for it. I tired out quickly but apparently he had been to the island before and wanted the challenge of having an additional 200 pounds of ballast.
Ballast is key.
Recreational canoes have seats where one sits and can easily assume a kneeling posture when it is necessary to lower the center of gravity. Many whitewater (and perhaps other more serious) canoes have saddles which supports the knees in a kneeling posture. I know people who can roll canoes outfitted with saddles and float bags. It’s on my bucket list to learn.
To make things even more complex there are people who use kayaks hulls outfitted with a saddle and a one-bladed paddle – even though it’s a kayak hull because they are kneeling and one-bladed they are technically canoeists. Watch for these people in the Olympics in the C1 (one-person canoe) whitewater slalom races. Annnnd..there is also such a thing as a decked canoe – again the paddle and the posture define whether they are canoeists or kayakers.
C1 rings a bell, but he multiple boats. His preference was kneeling but upright, single blade paddle.
Nice article.
I love kayaking, and live on a lake in SE VA. We have 12′ kayaks, which are way bigger than required, but they are very stable and easy to control.
We don’t go out a lot in the summer, but many Saturday mornings in the spring and fall are spent out on the lake with my wife.
“A Canadian is someone who knows how to fuck in a canoe” – Pierre Burton (paraphrased)
This is very interesting, Tonio. It seems like kayaks are for sale everywhere these days and I’ve thought a few times about jumping on the bandwagon. It’s nice to have some expert experience to lean on.
Right now I’m getting ready for our 4th on the 5th family beer and fireworks extravaganza. I’m going to come back and finish reading this later.
Nice one Tonio, I always wanted to try, may this Summer, lots to play on in Co.
On topic: I haven’t been kayaking since I got the merit badge for it many many moons ago. It’s enjoyable enough, but I don’t particularly enjoy being on the water anymore. If I was going to get back into any type of boating I’d pick up a small one or two person sailboat, those were even more fun.
Off topic: An animated guide to glibness for the rest of you nerds.
Great article, Tonio!
I grew up in a canoeing and camping family. One summer, just my Dad and I took our 16 foot Grumman with sail and leeboards up to the Thousand Islands. We were tarp camping at a state park and just having a nice time tacking up and down the St Lawrence, going back to camp and cooking and hanging out every day.
Until the day a sudden thunderstorm rolled in while we were out in the canoe. The storm ripped the sail and yanked off the leeboards. OK, we are drenched and cold, but we still have our paddles. Which quickly became useless in the storm and current.
Did I mention we also nearly got swamped by the wake of an ocean going freighter because we could no longer steer? Also, those ships are monstrous huge when one is looking up at them close by from a canoe at river level.
Good times.
In happier memories, the family of one of my childhood friends had a 4000 square foot, 3 story Victorian “cottage” on one of the Finger Lakes and we’d spend entire weeks on the water in kayaks. Rolling them intentionally is fun!
I’ve gotten caught in since good storms up in the BWCA. It can be pretty damn scary.
It was twenty years ago that the big storm hit the BWCA. I had a couple buddies who had been there the weekend prior.
MPR doesn’t miss a trick though.
So if climate change has been getting so bad lately, wouldn’t we have already had another horrible storm like this by now? Instead of waiting 20 years and still not having one?
Fuck NPR.
We were up at the cabin during that storm (Vermilion). Never seen anything like it. White pine snapped off clean 50 feet up.
We lost a bunch of trees, but nothing hit the buildings or vehicles. I don’t want to do that again.
That sounds terrifying.
That sounds terrifying.
She’s married to me, so in comparison..
Fair point
Do they make kayaks for sand?
Those are called dune buggies.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-volkswagen-dune-buggy-2/
See also, my older brother who always had various iterations of VW “baja” bugs and other POS parked about.
He actually picked up a Baja Ghia once, that had been all chopped up.
I once saw a Corvair mounted on a pickup frame, looked pretty stupid,
Sup Tres!
Sign me up!
https://nikolamotor.com/powersports
Neato!
BTW, in the background of my Avatar is my preferred water craft, a 16 foot Prindle Cat, real fun times! Beware Sea Lions!
Nice. I did quite a bit of small boat sailing as a lad. Miss it.