r/Kayaking • • Mar 24 '21

Announcements Basic Questions (or Advice) About Boats or Racks? Click here first!

232 Upvotes

Got a basic question about which type of boat you should buy, or what type of rack your car might need? Before asking a question of the subreddit as a whole, please take a look at these two brief resources first. A lot of the commonly-asked questions on the subreddit can be answered by these two items:

These guides are a work in progress. If you still have additional questions, feel free to ask! When posing a question to the community, please be sure to be as specific as possible with your post title. That way you'll get the most helpful response from others browsing the sub.

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A note for the broader /r/kayaking community:

Spring is on the way, and /r/kayaking has crossed the 80,000 member-mark. A big thanks to everyone who has and continues to contribute to the community here. As the weather warms up, and more people join us, we are likely to see an increasing influx of "beginner" questions about basic boat and gear purchases. A lot of these questions are very similar if not identical, and can be answered by a shared guide for the subreddit. Similar guides or FAQs are available for other subreddits specializing in gear-specific hobbies.

The mod team is in the process of developing a shared knowledge base on the subreddit wiki. The immediate goal is to be able to refer new users to a basic guide that concisely answers the most common questions. The longer-term goal is reducing the volume of low-effort posts with questions that could be answered by Google, and increasing the volume of valuable, specific questions and discussion on the subreddit.

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Send us your suggestions!

If you have any suggestions about:

  • Good links with beginner information to share, such as how to pick out gear, or safety tips
  • Things you wish you knew when you started kayaking
  • Other tidbits of information that would be worth including in these intro guides

Please share them below so that we can consider including them in the guides.

Thanks!

The /r/kayaking mod team


r/Kayaking • • 10h ago

Pictures Early Morning Fall Paddle

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76 Upvotes

A beautiful morning trip around a winding lake. The colors were really popping and the leaves are just starting to fall. This was not typical for northern Wisconsin in October, but I'll take it! The hubs wore shorts! And I'm refusing to remove my racks yet - if its over 50F, I'm going out!


r/Kayaking • • 22h ago

Videos Beautiful Seattle Paddle

448 Upvotes

Feeling especially grateful for October paddles before it gets too cold! Despite what they say about Seattle, I believe there's only been 1 fully cloudy weekend day since June when I started training my pup to come for the ride.


r/Kayaking • • 13h ago

Pictures Enjoying the warm weather while it lasts.

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73 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 19h ago

Pictures Paddling in the fog

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114 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 9h ago

Pictures Crap. Good thing I had a boat to rescue my boat.

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11 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 23h ago

Pictures Last trip of the season

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95 Upvotes

Only kayaking a few months but now have two sit ons, have been out on 6 lakes and a river. Wish I'd gotten into this years ago


r/Kayaking • • 19h ago

Pictures Wake up on the lake

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37 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 23h ago

Pictures Night Heron - first launch

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51 Upvotes

A lovely autumn day at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan. Perfect weather for the first launch of my Night Heron. I didn’t go too far as I don’t have the float bags or spray skirt yet. She slips through the water beautifully. A dream come true.


r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Pictures New Boat Day - straight from the factory

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232 Upvotes

Northwest Kayaks (aka Sterling) - Seascape 2


r/Kayaking • • 15h ago

Question/Advice -- Boat Recommendations Opinions on the Old Town Sorrento 106sk?

3 Upvotes

I'm saving up for a kayak but I need to know which one to save up for. I mostly kayak in rivers and small to medium lakes, but I occasionally will kayak in something as big as Lake Michigan on a calm day.

So, I really like maneuverability. Last week in a rented kayak I spent like 10 minutes trying to get under a branch to remove a fishline that was tangled up. I was working against a current in a river in a 10 ft kayak. So, I don't think I want longer than 10 ft.

The Sorrento has the drop down skeg which I'm hoping would help with large lakes or costal kayaking, and honestly in deeper rivers too. The Sorrento also has a flat bottom which in rivers and small lakes with hidden logs under the water is nice bc then i can slide over them without as much risk of tipping.

I guess i'm asking am I missing anything? I'm about 5'6" and 150lbs. I don't want to fish. I most just like kayaking for exploring, relaxing, and seeing wildlife. Is there a better kayak than the Old Town Sorrento 106sk? Is there a different brand that's a better deal with basically the same features?

Oh and the rented kayak I was in was an old town but I couldn't tell you the model. I used to have a kayak that I had to sell. I was a cheap one from Dick's sporting goods. I only took it out on small lakes bc that's all I felt that one could handle safely. As far as my experience goes I've kayaked a lot. Mostly with borrowed kayaks tho. I consider myself an intermediate kayaker.


r/Kayaking • • 18h ago

Question/Advice -- Gear Recommendations Trying to find replacement for seat

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3 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Question/Advice -- General 13 footer in a high-rise

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213 Upvotes

This is my 160in touring kayak in my current duplex. I can fit it out the door and around the corner to go down my stairs but barely. Im probably going to be moving into a high rise at some point next year. My only concern is how the hell im going to get it up and down the stairs as it's probably too big to fit in any elevator. Has anyone been in this situation before?


r/Kayaking • • 22h ago

Subreddit feedback/Suggestions Kody, post-swim, waiting for someone to admit he's the good boy.

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9 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 15h ago

Question/Advice -- Boat Recommendations Could I put a crossbar here?

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2 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Pictures Early morning paddle at Lake Shelbyville in Illinois Illinois.

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68 Upvotes

It was a perfect morning.


r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Videos Windy Day in the Gulf

40 Upvotes

r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Pictures Last trip og the season

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49 Upvotes

Water was like a mirror. Cold and quiet. A good end of season paddle.


r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Pictures Up in Victoria CA

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39 Upvotes

Walking around on a pier and whoa kayak tours with necky boats!


r/Kayaking • • 2d ago

Videos Thank You from the southern hemisphere

165 Upvotes

To all you northern hemisphere paddlers putting your boats away for winter, thank you for letting me live vicariously through your posts during my off season. Allow me to return the favour - my first paddle of spring!


r/Kayaking • • 2d ago

Pictures Night Heron Build - Day 100!

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245 Upvotes

That’s a wrap! Ready to launch! There are a few things still left to do - more varnish, back rest installation, add the deck lines and bridles on the stems but that will all come after it’s launched. I’ve documented every day of the build on my IG if you’re interested in seeing more of the process - same username as here. Thanks to Nick at Guillemot Kayaks for designing such a beautiful boat and for the book and instructional videos that were so helpful during the build.


r/Kayaking • • 22h ago

Question/Advice -- General Perception pescador swivel seat mods?

0 Upvotes

Does anyone have any background on a mod to create a swivel seat on a perception kayak, or know of one after market that might fit?


r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Videos Exploring places to…kayak.

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7 Upvotes

Beautiful kayak on Stoney Lake in the Kawarthas, Ontario.


r/Kayaking • • 1d ago

Question/Advice -- Transportation/Roof Racks Kayak Rack Suggestions (I don’t kayak)

2 Upvotes

Hi folks,

I know there are a few posts on kayak rack suggestions but Im getting a little lost in the sauce. My boyfriend is a big white water kayaker and is often shuttling with other folks 2-3+ kayaks u with his 2017 RAV4. He has some questionable cross bars (he’s admitted they’re not the best to support the weight of the kayaks) so I am looking to get a few things for his birthday. I’m happy to shell out more but probably not above $500 sadly (unless that is just not impossible)

A few specs I’m looking for:
* Can hold more than 2 kayaks
* Will last five-ever (quality is the name of the game)
* is compatible with the 2017 RAV 4
* Can be a cross bar and another attachment BUT bonus points if this is something that can also carry skis/snowboards for the winter. He skis, so I would prioritize that over snowboards

Thank you in advance, any gift recommendations are welcome too!


r/Kayaking • • 2d ago

Videos To be a dog, napping on the lake

1.5k Upvotes

I've been training him to ride for a few months now. He has started shutting his eyes for the ride, which I have to imagine is a dog's version of being on a yacht.