This episode of PaddleTV is brought to you
by the American Canoe Association Improving the paddlesports experience for over a century. Learn more and become a member today at americancanoe.org 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.
