Liz CA Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Dh and I are interested in learning kayaking. We are both okay swimmers and not particularly afraid of water. I have a few questions though: How easily do kayaks tip over should you lean too far to one side? Do you really have to practically fling yourself over and out or is it easy to tip over? And if you tip over, how easy is it to get out of the kayak? This is where I imagine myself head underwater struggling to extract legs and feet out??? For beginners, what type of kayak would be good for slow moving rivers and lakes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 :lurk5: I'm interested in this too! We've been talking about trying kayaking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Dh and I are interested in learning kayaking.We are both okay swimmers and not particularly afraid of water. I have a few questions though: How easily do kayaks tip over should you lean too far to one side? Do you really have to practically fling yourself over and out or is it easy to tip over? And if you tip over, how easy is it to get out of the kayak? This is where I imagine myself head underwater struggling to extract legs and feet out??? For beginners, what type of kayak would be good for slow moving rivers and lakes? Honestly, I've never tipped mine over, and I kayak quite a bit during the summers. But, I'm not kayaking in swift-moving rivers - I'm in San Diego bay (hugging the sides mostly). I get boat wakes that wash over my bow occasionally, but that's about it. Slow rivers and lakes and perfect for the Costco kayak - it's a cheap and fairly indestructible kayak. I first started out on a Costco one at my aunt's lake house in Ohio. She still has them, 8 years later. The one I have now I bought at West Marine just because it was on sale, but it's almost exactly like the Costco ones. This summer will be fun - I'm taking my 9-month-old puppy, who is a small breed and doesn't think water is fun like my old Chocolate Lab did, out on the kayak. She'll hate it. (Insert evil grin emoticon). Just kidding...she won't love it, but she'd rather be with me on a kayak than away from me on the shore. Really. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 You may be surprised by your dog's reaction! Our female mastiff never liked water from the hose or in a small pool but she loved going out on the small fishing boat with us. She would fall asleep by the gentle motion and snore loudly. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I had my back then wiggly 3 yo on kayak (i was with her .. Obviously) It is not that easy to flip. There are quite a few YouTube vedios teaching how to get back on kayak if it flipped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I've been on lakes in my Dad's - it's a BLAST! The kayak I've used is a shorter model (from Costco I think), and I've never felt in danger of tipping. I don't use a skirt, so it would be easy to get out. If you are going to use a skirt I would practice getting out in a pool / with an experienced kayaker. It's fun. I have a canoe but I really want to buy a kayak when we are able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Check with the local Sierra Club chapter or any other wilderness hiking type of organizations. Here in Ohio, the SC offers several kayak instructional weekends. Also google kayak clubs and your city or state. Many of them have beginner trips where much instructing is done. Also check with area canoe/kayak liveries. Many of them have special rates available that include boat and gear rental plus some introductory lessons. Regarding tipping - yes, a kayak will tip, certainly more easily than a canoe. Several things can cause a kayak to tip, including uneven loading of heavy gear, natural whitewater in the river, super strong winds, waves if ocean kayaking, leaning too far to the sides, trying to stand up in the boat, other people ignorantly or playfully ramming you, etc. If you want to stay in the boat, you will have to be wearing something called a spray skirt that is like a giant waterproof shower cap for the cockpit of your kayak with a hole in it for your torso to fit through. That way the water can't enter the boat. Unfortunately it does make it rather warm inside the boat. Learning to roll a kayak is not horribly hard, but does take some practice and a pool is a great place to work out the kinks. Usually you would want to wear a helmet if you use a skirt and are in an area that has rocks near the surface so that your head will be protected while you are upside down. The "wet exit" basically means falling out if you tip. This is when you don't use a spray skirt so if the boat tips over water will enter that side and the boat will either continue to turn over or will become swamped (full of water) but remain upright. IME, it is easier to accidentally fall out than to intentionally stay in one that is tipping. Then you have to right the boat, bail the water out, and climb back aboard (without swamping your boat again, so often people will bail out a little, get back in and then bail the rest. HTH Kayaking is great fun. I love ours and with a nice breeze, feel like one of those waterbirds, skimming inches above the surface of the water. I love the exercise and have had the most meditative moments of my recent life while contemplating the incredible shoreline reflections on the surface of a quiet lake. I also love whitewater rafting, but for me, that is a different type of activity than my kayaking. For me, kayaking is truly peaceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Check out your local pools--most have learn to roll nights--often Tuesday or Thursdays for some reason. Even if you don't want to learn to roll, they can help you with learning to wet exit correctly. :iagree:I took a kayak class at a local university pool and we spent a lot of time practicing rolls. Not the same as a river, but it is practice, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 If you're just in a lake, you'd have to freak out, or really put some effort into tipping it. I wanna go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 It's really hard to roll them on a lake. My IL's have one that we have used and I love it. Easy to do, stable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 (edited) A warning about sea kayaks--for those that whitewater kayak--don't forget sunscreen on your legs. Ds is fried. He's never been in anything but a whitewater creek boat, with a spray skirt. He used a sea kayak two days ago for a Scout merit badge and didn't think about the fact that his legs have never seen the light of day... Same here! My 16yo son & I got our first-ever sunburn on the tops of our feet last week, kayaking on a sit-on-top kayak. We'll be prepared next time! A question for you more-experienced folks -- it was our first time kayaking and we LOVED it. We were at Lake Tahoe, using my cousin's modular LL Bean tandem/single kayak. We're tempted to buy this kayak, b/c it worked great on a lake (we have no ambition to kayak in rivers or the ocean!), can be tandem or solo, breaks apart and could fit in the bed of our truck (or, I assume, assembled on top of our Subaru), and we didn't worry about being "locked in" as in a sit-inside kayak. But ... should we think about a conventional (?) sit-inside kayak ... and one that isn't a "snap-together" model? Thanks for any advice! :001_smile: Edited June 23, 2012 by Laura in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Gulp. I just watched several videos on rolling a Kayak. I wonder if there is an age limit on this sport...:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Dh and I have a Coosa and a Daytripper by Jackson Kayaks. One is a sit on top fishing kayak and the other is kind of a cross between a kayak and a canoe. Both are very stable. I have flipped one when we first got it because I had our 50 lb dog riding on it and he jumped off. I was too new and inexperienced or I might have prevented it. We have had them for a year and used them a lot since then and I haven't tipped since. I usually take DD who is just 2 yo in the fishing type kayak and dh will take the dog in the kayak canoe cross kayak. We both prefer the fishing kayak, I think it is more comfortable to paddle. I have never done a sit inside kayak, but dh has a few times. He has ended up flipping them each time. He says he thinks he could now get in one and be more likely not to flip it. We haven't taken any classes, I rented a kayak before we bought one and the place that we bought from had a pool to try out the kayaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I am no help, but I have a funny story. My mother once sat for a good 15 minutes watching the kayaker practice tipping over (basically tipping the kayek into the water and coming out) in the bay. Finally she grabs a phone and screams: "I am calling 911, the man is attempting suicide." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 We have had kayaks for years. The only time I tipped over was when my friend and I were i. The tandem. Afterwards she told me she has never been kayaking where she DIDN't tip over.:lol: When you put your kayak in the water or take it out, you will get i. Right there by the shoreline. No leaning or anything. When we bought ours I told the place we would be maimy on slow moving or still water. I didn't want young kids on running water. There are different kayaks you buy for sea kayaking, lakes, etc. Kayaking is like therapy. I absolutely LOVE it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I am no help, but I have a funny story. My mother once sat for a good 15 minutes watching the kayaker practice tipping over (basically tipping the kayek into the water and coming out) in the bay. Finally she grabs a phone and screams: "I am calling 911, the man is attempting suicide." :lol: Your mom is awesome. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 I am no help, but I have a funny story. My mother once sat for a good 15 minutes watching the kayaker practice tipping over (basically tipping the kayek into the water and coming out) in the bay. Finally she grabs a phone and screams: "I am calling 911, the man is attempting suicide." :lol: :lol::lol::lol: People might think that if they watched me just get into one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Your mom is awesome. :) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 You may be surprised by your dog's reaction! Our female mastiff never liked water from the hose or in a small pool but she loved going out on the small fishing boat with us. She would fall asleep by the gentle motion and snore loudly. :D I can only hope that happens to my pup! I plan on taking her sailing, kayaking, and every other kind of boating this summer. She was very afraid of our swimming pool, and still is, but now she voluntarily steps on my shoulder while I'm in the pool - she'd rather be afraid and with me than on the patio. Perhaps there's hope! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 There are different types of kayaks for different locations. Hard shell kayaks for whitewater are zippy and easy to flip (and roll). Sit on top, sea kayaks and inflatables aren't so easy to flip and are used on calmer water. We have good quality inflatables that we take on lakes and mild (class II-III) rivers. They do flip but only in rough water... Not on lakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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