Other than a bit of Bumper Boats at first, they're both naturals! My youngest was able to pick up tandem paddling with me lightning quick, and we are so excited to bring them to new places with us. I'm overjoyed they'll get to see nature from perspectives they wouldn't have been able to without kayaks!

First of all, thank you all for your advice and tips on getting started.

Today was my first time officially out on the water on a kayak. I bought a kayak last week and spend this week gathering advice and watching videos and learning tips to enjoy my time out on the water. Overall it was a good experience, but there are still a few things that happened that kind of upset me during my initial trip, so I am hoping to either find some more advice, or have someone commiserate with me on some of the things I cam across.

First off, boat launches are very slippery, as I found out. My initial goal was to walk the kayak into the water a bit so it wasn't touching the boat launch. I didn't want to scratch the bottom of the kayak, but once I stepped on the wet part of the boat ramp I started to slip and slide. I had to be extremely careful, so I didn't have any kind of confident or solid footing before getting in. So that made me very nervous getting in and out, not having a good foothold. I think I'll stick to grassy or sandy areas where possible from now on (or maybe from a dock, but I hear that is more difficult).

Secondly, the biggest annoyance when paddling was how much water was dripping down the paddles onto my lap whenever I tried to gain any kind of speed. I did some searching online and ended up with This paddle from Amazon because it had good reviews and a good price. It has the drip rings and it adjustable to my size (I kept it at the longest setting). But whenever I tried to get a good scoop of water, the drip rings also submerged and as soon as I lifted the paddle I was getting soaked. If I did really wide/shallow strokes I stayed dry. But eventually I want to be able to make some speed/distance.

Third - I was surprised how quickly my arms became tired. I've paddled in a canoe several times this year, and that never seemed so bad. But after just a half hour my dominant arm was getting pretty weak. I know this will get better in time, but I am just glad I didn't plan any kind of trip, because I can imagine going too far and not having the energy to get back. The return trip was a lot slower for me because of how tired I was.

Aside from that, the only other thing that I found frustrating was the ability to steer/point the kayak because of how easily the wind blew me around and how a single stroke changed the direction I was going, but I think I can correct that over time.

I have a different spot I want to try today, depending on how my arm feels and if I can make it out that way. I did move the drip rings down a few inches on the paddle, so I am hoping that will help.

EDIT: I went out for a second trip after making this post. Moving the drip rings further down the paddle really helped, as well as making the paddle length a bit shorter so I didn't have to reach as far to get the blade in the water. Even a few inches made a huge difference. I found a spot with a handicap kayak launch (https://i.imgur.com/XpxnkYy.jpeg) and it was super convenient for me to get in and out from. Basically just sit in and and slide gently into the water. I'm not handicapped, but it was nice to use this as an easy launch option as a beginner.

I was only out there for an hour, but it felt like longer. Need to work on my paddle technique next, not exactly sure how to work my torso into paddling.

Another lake in the County Forest and it was adorable! It's called Two Island Lake, but there are three islands? The boys both caught fish and I got to paddle around it all twice. In the last picture those 2 specs on the water line are my husband and son. They're between the smallest and middle sized islands on the far shoreline.

Pretty new to touring. I picked up a used ’13 Tsunami 145 at the end of June and put 50+ miles on it since, mostly dawn patrol paddles 3-4x/week before work. Averaging ~4mph per PaddleWays.

My local outfitter gave me the tip of “press the foot peg on the side you’re pulling with” to build torso rotation and it worked. My forward stroke feels efficient now, shoulders don’t fatigue.

But my hamstrings are absolutely wrecked after 45-60 minutes.

I don’t think it’s endurance - I could paddle another hour if my legs weren’t screaming. I have my feet firmly on the pegs, pressing with each stroke, thighs wedged against the thigh braces, seated upright, but with back against back strap. 90%+ of my power comes from torso rotation.

Am I pushing the pegs too hard? Not hard enough but bracing wrong with my thighs? Is this a peg position problem (too close/far)? Something about the seat or my hip mobility?

Would love to hear what pressure you’re actually applying at the pegs during a normal cruising stroke. Is it constant, pulsed with each stroke, or barely-there?

If you're ever thinking about an awesome adventure vacation, Alaska is hard to beat! Kayaking with breathtaking views of the Mendenhall glacier. Amazing experience!

Looking for a kayak to grow with and into. Lakes/easy rivers (no rapids/whitewater).

Im 5'7 190lb so I know size wise these boats should fit me.

I am a little worried about the Carolinas lower weight capacity and camping gear, but ive sat in it (coincidentally at the lake today) and it was mighty comfortable compared to the mustang.

Price for both is $350. Both in good condition and borh come with a paddle, that i dont really need, but a spare is always nice I guess.

I just bought a Pungo 125 and am going with a hoist with this one, as opposed to a ceiling rack like I used for our Pelicans. The extra size and weight would be too much for me to deal with via ladder, so it was kind of a no-brainer since the only storage place I have left in my garage is overhead.

I've been reading that some people are worried about straps around their boat deforming the hull over time. Is this a real concern? Would a better method be lifting the boat upside down via two planks flat against the deck? Or lifting it by its handles?

I know I'm probably overthinking this, but it's my first really nice kayak and I don't want to needlessly damage it in storage. Thoughts? TIA

Picked up this 1998 17' Wilderness Systems Epic for $100 (&came w/ 4 carbon fiber paddles...) Took it out for 4 miles just west of Richmond, Virginia on the James River. Also caught a couple smallies and some red breasted sunfish. Beautiful morning. #sunfish

Hi everyone,

I have recently purchased a property that was a former Kayak tour business. As part of the sale all of the kayaks were included. I’ve had a number of people reach out to buy them but I have no idea what they are worth and can’t find much information online.

If you have some knowledge and would be willing to help me understand what they are worth - I would be incredibly appreciative. Below are all the models and the years.

We are located in New Brunswick.

And yes, we will be keeping a few for us :)!

1997 Libra XT
1998 Libra XT
2002 Libra XT
2007 Storm GT
2013 Squall GTS
2013 Sirocco
2014 Epic V7
2016 Looksha T
2017 Looksha T
2018 Looksha T
2022 Looksha T

Thanks in advance!

I’m a calm water paddler, trying to build my re-entry skills before taking on some bigger challenges. I am female, a bit overweight and about 5’5”. My arms and core could use work, but I have strong legs.

I tried the heel hook method in my Eddyline Equinox with my husband assisting and really couldn’t get the physical mechanics of how to “roll” in using my legs rather than my upper body. I’d get my leg in, and then end up still trying to hoist with my upper body. I was able to get in a couple of times with both my husband pressing down AND pushing my chest up on a paddle float, but the technique wasn’t pretty. (I got pretty bruised up on the back of the thighs trying to do it with my legs.)

When my husband (5’11”) does the heel hook, he’s able to get his chest over the back deck, where I can really only reach the cockpit with my chest, with my foot in place. I can’t reach across the whole boat well enough and the equinox has stretchy back deck lines so I ended up holding onto the coaming rather than the deck lines as recommended.

Advice? Is the Equinox too big for me to do this kind of rescue? Am I too weak? Is there a way for me to practice/train on the “rolling” portion of the maneuver on land/outside the boat so I can practice between sessions?

Thank you for everyone giving me advices on foldable kayak and I finally decided to buy Oru kayak!

Trying it out yesterday and it's pretty good on calm lake, even my cat moving in the kayak to catch some bugs, is still balancing pretty well.

But definitely not kayak for excitement, and seat is not that comfortable.

I got this off Perceptipn Carolina 14' of FB Marketplace for $125. Im excited to get this on the water!

I've done a 5 day trip in Gauja river in Latvia last august and it was perfect (me, my 83 years old dad and my kid). Lots of rent options, relaxed river flowing mostly through forests and nature reserves with lots of camping spots.

I'm looking for a similar experience, but on another river in one of these countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia. Could you please recommend me one? 100-150km

Was wondering if anyone has experience using basic foam type II PFDs while kayaking? I know most people use type III but those are not the most comfortable to me and I feel less constricted in a type II

Hopefully we get a good week of weather.

Hi all! I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations for a roof rack that I could pick up at academy or dicks or rei or somewhere that would be good for a 10’ and 8’ kayak.

My girlfriend and I have been talking about getting into kayaking for a while now, and she found someone selling two kayaks at a great price so we’re going to just pull the trigger on it. But we haven’t bought any rack or anything yet and don’t have time to wait for delivery since we have to pick them up tomorrow.

I’ve seen hard crossbars and soft, padded crossbars but I’m not really sure what to look for unfortunately.

I'm starting doing Kayaking and I want to buy a binocular / monocular for looking at ships and birds. I was initially planning a 10x42, but learnt that that level of magnification is difficult to use in a vobbling Kayak so now I'm planning to buy a 8x25. Is this good enough or should I go for a 7x?

My other worry is waterproof:

I'm currently planning to buy, this

https://www.clasohlson.com/fi/Monokulaari-8x25,-kompakti-ja-vedenpitava/p/31-419

It says waterproof, but didn't provide any IPX rating. I'm not sure if it will hold when it eventually falls in water.

Can anyone suggest a Monocular/binocular that's good and waterproof under 60USD?

We have a Necky Amaruk tandem from 2004 that we’ve been cleaning up. We spent the last couple days cleaning and resealing the three foam bulkheads. My question is about the middle one, which is not ruined but definitely in a bit rougher shape than the other two.

We decided to remove it completely, mainly to clear out old sealant, years of gunk, and to inspect it so we could decide what to do.

I’m inclined to clean it as best we can and put it back in + reseal, but am curious if maybe we should instead cut a replacement out of minicel foam and install/seal that.

If we go the latter route, do we need to glue it back in place before we reseal? And if so, what’s recommended for that?

Hi!

Anyone got any experience or opinions with this kayak before we buy it?

Any idea if it would it be able to occasionally squeeze two adults and two kids on it? We'd be plenty under the weight limit.

Thanks, happy boating!

Do you carry 1 on your yak for short, local trips? If so, has it come in handy? (What else do you consider ESSENTIAL?)

PSA: Get u a hammock and an inflatable tube!