At
Kayak Adventure we choose our equipment with safety as a primary
consideration. The information below can help you select
a kayak, paddle and other essential gear that will give you
a safety advantage. Sea kayaking is a high-risk sport. Buying
with low price as your first criteria is not smart. See our
Get into Kayaking
Buy List for specific recommendations. This page was updated
September 18, 2007.
For overall
safety for beginning kayakers, we prefer a sit-on-top
or SOT kayak with closed hull rather than a sea kayak
with spray skirt ("deck boat", "skirt
boat", "sit-in", "traditional sea kayak").
One is designed to be stable. The other is designed to roll.
One is designed to eliminate water as fast as it comes in,
the other has to be pumped out if you capsize.
Our
instructor says: I have taken out dozens of couples,
families, children and individuals from ages 7 to 70 on both
sit-on-tops and sea kayaks. I prefer sit-on-tops for
occasional, recreational paddlers, for families with young
children, for cold water paddling for kayakers who have not
had specific cold water kayak instruction, and for anyone
who is uncomfortable in closed-in spaces.
Sit-inside
kayaks are best for people who are fit, paddle regularly,
and are willing to invest the time (up-front) to learn wet-exit
procedure, strokes, maneuvers and capsize recovery techniques.
They are high performance watercraft that can be finely controlled
by a skilled paddler. I paddle my Impex Mystic every chance
I get!
We do not
use or recommend recreational kayaks, such as the
Wilderness Systems Pamlico & Pungo, Perception America
& Swifty, Old Town Loon, or Heritage Featherlite. Since
they do not have bulkheads both fore and aft, if you capsize
they will fill with water, then float below the surface, so
you cannot pump them out. We feel they are unrescuable and
inherently unsafe. NOTE: A bulkhead is a watertight
wall that separates the cockpit area from the storage area
of a kayak. Every quality kayak has at least two bulkheads,
one right behind the seat, and one in front of your foot-rests.
The
most important safety features for sit-in kayaks are:
bulkheads fore & aft, appropriate volume for your weight,
proper fit so you can control it well (brace & edge),
a day hatch for storing gear you will use enroute (never open
fore & aft hatches when underway), low aft deck for easy
re-entry, seaworthy design - able to hold its course in heavy
seas & crosswinds. Also be sure any kayak you buy will
float above water when the cockpit swamps, so that you will
be able to pump it out.
When buying
a kayak, choice of color is important. Light, bright colors
can be seen from far away. If you've ever wound up
where you don't want to be and need to be retrieved, you want
to be seen. The color with the best visibility is yellow
or yellow lime. Orange & lime green are good. Blue, dark
green & red disappear in evening or night illumination.
White looks like a whitecap - it blends into stormy seas.
We put reflective tape strips on the bow & stern, port
& starboard sides for increased visibility to power boaters,
especially for evening and night paddling.
Deck lines
along the sides of the kayak give you something to hold onto
if you capsize. On a windy day, if you don't grab hold
of your boat right away, it can blow away much faster than
you can swim. A sandy or matte finish to the deck will also
help you hold and get back into your kayak.
For more information
on kayak design safety features, see the section below, under
"other safety considerations."
All our paddles
are outfitted with leashes, which should be attached to the
deck lines and used 100% of the time. There are three
exceptions: never use leashes in surf, whitewater, or
for young children, who are more likely than adults to become
entangled in a leash if the boat capsizes. If you go
over, never let go of the paddle - then you'll be sure to
have your kayak!
We put Solas reflective tape on
the shafts of our paddles to make us more visible to power boats. (They can see it even
during the day). If you have a choice of blade color, use white or yellow for
visibility. Waving your paddle slowly from side to side is a good daytime visual
distress signal, so you want it to be easily seen.
The weight of your paddle can be an important safety
factor. Most people tire in half an hour using aluminum
shafted paddles, compromising their ability to respond to
changing wind and water conditions. We provide premium
carbon fibre paddles made by AquaBound and Bending Branches.
The carbon paddles weigh from 27-32 ounces compared to fibreglas/nylon
ones at 38 ounces and aluminum at 41 ounces. We also have
several super-light paddles you can try during a lesson -
a Bending Branches Sprite, a Boreal Aloonaq, a Werner foam
core, and a cedar Greenland paddle.
This is a Bending
Branches Breeze Twilight, a small-bladed carbon fibre paddle,
220 cm long, which works well with my sit-on-top kayak. Notice
the bright colors everywhere: kayak, hat, life vest, paddle
blades and jacket!
Paddles
should be appropriately sized to the individual and their
kayak. Many outfitters carry one paddle size for all.
We provide five basic lengths:
1) 230 cm for
paddlers 6' or taller, in wider kayaks;
2) 225 cm for paddlers 6' or taller in narrower kayaks;
3 ) 220 cm for paddlers 5'2" to 5'11" in wider kayaks,
or for tall paddlers in narrow kayaks;
4) 215 cm for paddlers 5'8" to 5'10" in narrow kayaks;
3) 210 cm for use in narrower kayaks by paddlers under 5'8."
Before you
buy a paddle, try it on the water in your own kayak with an
instructor. This is the best way to find the size that allows
you to properly execute all the basic strokes and maneuvers.
The size of
your paddle's blade also affects user performance. We
prefer smaller blades, which don't catch in the wind and let
you to paddle longer without tiring. Athletic paddlers can
choose a larger, spoon-shaped blade, designed for power and
acceleration. Big blades are also used for surf and white
water. Realize that a bigger blade lifts more water with each
stroke. It only makes you go faster if you can keep doing
it!
Wooden, Greenland-style paddles are
another option we like. They are perfect for eskimo rolling, kayaking in wind,
paddling quietly to approach wildlife, going all day...ask to try one. They are short
enough to be stowed on deck and used as a spare.
We require
all paddlers to wear a properly sized life vest, zipped and
buckled. We use and recommend yellow or orange life
vests because they are best seen on the open sea. Kayaks
are so low in the water that they are almost invisible to
power boats. You, the passenger, are the highest point
- wear a bright colored hat too. Connecticut law requires
Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) be worn from October 1 through
May 31.
Kayak Adventure
does sunrise, sunset and twilight trips, so we use life vests,
with reflective striping front and back for optimum visibility.
Reflective material also increases daytime visibility.
Each vest
is provisioned with a Coast Guard required signal whistle,
and for night-time paddling, a waterproof white navigation
light. Group leaders wear strobe lights, which are only
used in a true emergency to signal a need for rescue. If you
buy your own vest, make sure it has two hooks up high on the
chest, so your whistle will hang within reach of your mouth,
and your light will hang above water if you wind up floating.
Never attach objects to your vest with lanyards (cords). They
can get caught and trap you under the boat. Use stainless
cotter rings instead - available at marine supply shops. They
will come unlooped if they are caught.
We keep seeing
paddlers who buy vests with thick foam that makes it difficult
for them to re-enter their kayak. If you are over forty, overweight
and/or not exercising regularly, a life vest designed with
thinner foam over the chest may make getting back in possible.
We recommend paddling gloves. They give
you a secure hold on a wet, slippery surface (the paddle shaft); improve control of your
stroke technique; help avoid blisters and callouses; and give you better traction during
re-entry.
Sit-in kayakers, please
use footwear without straps. Straps have trapped paddlers
under a capsized boat. We recommend flexible neoprene booties
with side zippers for easy removal. Booties keep your feet
warm, protect them from scrapes and cuts, and provide secure
footing on rocky or slippery beaches. Old sneakers or aqua-socks
are also good choices. Please do not wear flip-flops or sandals.
We carry rental gloves & booties in
all sizes, so you can try before you buy.
We recommend
you take our American Canoe Association Quick
Start Kayak or Introduction
to Kayak lesson before going on any kayak trips. Our
course gives instruction and practice so you learn how to
exit and re-enter your boat without touching the sea bottom.
Knowing that you and every family member can do this is your
most important safety insurance. Most sea kayak deaths
are caused when a kayaker goes over and can't re-enter their
boat, especially if the kayaker is not wearing a life vest.
Children should weigh at least fifty pounds and be 4'
tall to paddle effectively. Smaller children [under
50 pounds] can ride as passengers with parents only.
We recommend the use of sit-on-tops when carrying children
as passengers. A tandem is a great way to introduce
a young paddler to kayaking.
Because
many people still seem to think that sit-on-tops are second
class kayaks, here are some of their important safety features,
compared to sit-inside kayaks:
The major
advantage of the sit-on-top is how easy it is to get in and
out, both from shore and water. They are fun to deliberately
tip over, go for a swim and climb back aboard. If you're on
a long trip in summer, it's an easy way to pee - can't be
done in a skirt boat. In winter, they can be re-entered
in five seconds v. 100 seconds in a sit-in boat (quadruple
those numbers for an unpracticed paddler).
Our Heritage
Kayak sit-on-tops have a single scupper [drain hole] in each
cockpit, closed with a rubber stopper, which keeps the cockpit
dry most of the time. If water enters, the stopper tether
is easily pulled and the water empties rapidly.
When a sit-in kayak capsizes, the cockpit fills with water.
Since the water moves around, the righted boat is very tippy.
To empty the cockpit can take 10-20 minutes of continuous
pumping. With a partner, a t-rescue will empty it in
just a few minutes.
A
sit-on-top is designed to stay upright. The hull is
shaped so that it is hard to tip the boat over. A traditional
sea kayak is designed to roll, so that if you go over you
can easily roll yourself back up. The problem is that
over 90% of the people paddling sea kayaks can not roll them.
If they capsize, they are relying on a wet exit and re-entry
into a boat that is inherently unstable.
- Flotation and avoiding hypothermia
In a sit-on-top, the cockpit
is closed off from the interior compartments of the boat,
so there is plenty of bow and stern flotation (as long as
the storage hatches are securely closed). The cockpits have
scuppers/drain holes and cannot fill with water. As long as
you stay on top of the boat, you can delay the onset of hypothermia,
especially if you are properly dressed. Kayak Adventure
uses sit-on-top kayaks right through the winter. See the section
What
to Wear & Bring for cold water outfitting
recommendations.
In a sit-in kayak that
becomes filled with water, your body will lose heat 25 times
faster than in air. Make sure you always dress for immersion,
and carry a pump and paddle float to get you out of the water
to help you avoid hypothermia.
- Some sit-on-tops are designed for touring
Kayak Adventure uses Heritage sit-on-top kayaks designed
for the open sea. They are long (for speed), track straight,
and have bows designed to shed waves. We have paddled them
in weather conditions up to gale force winds and in waves
up to three feet. The kayaks pictured below are sit-on-tops.
- Safer for cold-water paddling
Most people are surprised that we prefer sit-on-tops
for cold water paddling. If you capsize in a sea kayak you
become completely immersed - you are upside down under the
water. In a sit-on-top your head often does not get
wet, as you fall to the side and the buoyancy of your life
vest keeps your head above water. This can be a critical
difference. When your head goes underwater in cold temperatures
your natural "gasp reflex" can bring water into
your lungs, making you choke. If you are at the end of an
exhalation when you go underwater, you may not have enough
air in your lungs to bring yourself back up.
It's
easy to keep warm while paddling in a sit-on-top, just as
you keep warm when skiing - with water-proof, breathable (Goretex,
Enbretex) jacket and pants. I layer these over a wetsuit and
add a fleece neck warmer to keep toasty on most winter days.
Thick neoprene gloves, waterproof booties & hood complete
my cold-water outfit.
Use of a neoprene hood, and careful closure of neck, wrist,
waist and ankle openings are vital for cold water safety.
- Plastic, fiberglass, carbonlite,
kevlar, wood - which is best for you?
Rotomolded plastic kayaks are thermoformed using linear
polyethylene, which is virtually indestructible. Super-linear
polyethylene has the highest density to best resist heat deformation
and UV degradation.
From a safety standpoint, these kayaks are the toughest.
You don't have to worry about getting a hole from hitting
a rock - the boat will bounce off! You can drag a plastic
boat over algae-covered rocks and spend your time having fun,
not worrying about every scratch. Plastic boats are heavy
(about 57-69 pounds for a sea kayak), which makes them harder
to load onto a car, but less likely to blow around on the
water. They cost about $800 for a quality SOT, and $1,400-$1,800
for a quality sit-inside.
Fiberglass looks beautiful, is lighter and easier to
carry (weight about 43-55 pounds) and has the best overall
performance and handling on the water. The surface is easily
scratched, but easily repaired. They can crack upon impact
with a hard or sharp surface. You need to carry repair materials
on board. Fiberglass kayaks cost about $2,400-$2,900.
Thermo-formed composites, such as Carbonlite, Airalite,
Trylon or TCS, are made of plastic sheets capped with acrylic.
They have lighter weight than rotomolded plastics, about 42-50
pounds. A carbonlite kayak will cost about $1,800 to $2,600.
I find their performance on the water "stiff," and
much prefer fiberglass. Like rotomolded kayaks, these are
very tough, and therefore safer than other materials. Because
they are relatively light, they will blow away easily if you
capsize and forget to hold on.
Kevlar is a space-age material that is lightest of all.
It cracks more readily than fiberglass if subjected to a sharp
object, and is harder to repair. A kevlar kayak costs over
$3000, but will weigh only about 35-45 pounds. Heavier models
are not worth the additional price over fiberglass. They can
"blow away" in windy conditions.
A wooden kayak can be built for about $1200 in materials,
and 45-100 hours of your time. They are light, often 35-45
pounds for a single. Reinforced with fiberglas and epoxy,
they are tough and easy to repair. Best of all, they are a
beautiful, traditional craft.
Kayak Adventure works one on one
with new paddlers to customize kayak and gear choices to your
abilities & preferences and to give you the instruction
you need to paddle safely. Contact us for a lesson or free
consultation.
Copyright 2007, Kayak Adventure LLC. All rights reserved.
KAYAK ADVENTURE LLC of Norwalk, CT
(203) 852-7294
E-mail