It should be surprising that most canoe owners don’t know how to canoe. Unfortunately this is a fact that is evidenced by watching people fumble around in their canoes while out on the water. All too often these people only employ one type of canoe stroke and switch the side they are paddling on way too frequently. This guide will explain the skill progression needed to learn how to canoe. Difficulty: Average Time Required: A few months, maybe less, maybe more. Here’s How: Tips: What You Need
Browsing: kayak
There are times while sitting stationary in a kayak where you will need to spin the kayak around in a tight circle. Spinning the kayak in place is the fastest way to turn a kayak around and the only way to do it in tight places. This how-to will direct the paddler on how to spin their kayak in place. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10-15 minutes of practice each time Here’s How: Tips: What You Need
While kayaking there are times when the paddler might need to adjust the direction they are facing by a drastic angle. The kayaking reverse sweep stroke is the perfect manuever to do just that. This how-to explains the proper technique to use when doing the reverse sweep stroke in a kayak. Difficulty: Average Time Required: A few minutes of practice each time. Here’s How: Tips:
I know how hard it is to find the ultimate kayak rack for your Kia Optima. You simply can’t install a run-of-the-mill kayak rack on the roof of your car. You need something special, something that will add to the grandeur of your car, right? Also, you need have a kayak rack that’s as sturdy as a rock because you don’t want to spend money on it again. But don’t worry – we’ve compiled some of the cream of the crop racks for your Kia Optima. Best 5 Kayak Racks for Kia Optima 1. Rhino-Rack Kayak & Canoe Carrier Rhino-Rack…
There are times when paddling underway in a kayak when you will want to make a correction to your heading. There are other times when you are stationary in a kayak and you will want to turn the kayak to one side or another. The Forward Sweep Stroke is the perfect stroke to accomplish either of these maneuvers. Following are the steps on how to execute a forward sweep stroke on the right side of your kayak. This same technique can obviously be performed on the left by making the necessary adjustments to the instructions. Difficulty: Average Time Required: 5-10 minutes of…
Being able to efficiently get your kayak from point a to point b is more than just utilitarian, it is elegant. Boat control is everything in kayaking and the more strokes one knows how to perform, the more effective the kayaker will be in getting where they want to go and enjoy the process of doing so. At their core, kayaking strokes have the same basic parts and should always be performed while maintaining the paddler’s box. The list of six kayaking strokes found below are the first ones that kayakers should learn and are the prerequisites to learning the more advanced kayaking…
Whitewater kayaking involves a number of different pieces of equipment that, in effect, serve as extensions of the body. This creates a layered human-machine interface situation. An ergonomic approach to whitewater kayaking requires addressing each layer. Human-Machine Interfaces The first human-machine interface is between your lower body and the inside of the kayak. The kayak acts as an extension to the body so the second interface is between the kayak/body combination and the river. The third interface is between your hands and the paddle. Much like the kayak, the paddle acts as an extension of the arms, so the fourth interface is between the…
After the forward stroke, no kayak move is more frequently used than the low brace. Whatever your kayaking passion—sea paddling, whitewater, surf—you’ll call on your low brace at the first sign of instability. So you’d better get it right. The most important thing to remember about a low brace is that your paddle blade merely stops your downward momentum when you lose your balance. You regain your balance by rotating the boat back underneath you with your hips. 1. The low brace is powerful, effective, and safe only when your body is properly aligned. From your normal paddling position, place…
First check the beach for rips. Rips are currents running out through the surf from the beach. Water pushed to the beach as “soup” on the faces of broken waves forms these rips as it escapes from shore. From a high viewpoint you can identify rips as breaks in the lines of regular surf, usually defined by erratic pyramidal waves and by visible current. If you walk along the water’s edge, you’ll see water flowing along the beach into each rip from either side, so you can pinpoint the rips by observing the direction of the shore flow. If you…
While attempting to strap a kayak to a roof rack can present its own problems, figuring out what to do with a kayak paddle poses its own set of obstacles. Most people try to fit the kayak paddle in their vehicle, scratching the roof, doors, seats, and dashboard in the process. For some reason very few people consider strapping the paddle onto the roof rack along with their kayak. This method keeps the paddle out of the car and lessens the likelihood of damage to interior of your vehicle. Click the heading of each step for further details and a photo illustrating…