Is Kayaking The Sport For Me?  3 Myths About Kayaking

Kayaking has an interesting stigma attached to it.  People often think that people who kayak are adrenaline junkies in their early twenties looking for a death wish.  They imagine tipping over and being trapped inside the kayak or headed off waterfalls and cliffs.

In reality, most people who kayak are looking for beauty, serenity, peace, and relaxation.  Kayaking can be a vigorous workout or leisure on the lake.  The first time I set out on my kayak I expected to return to my medicine cabinet to ease the pain and tension in my throbbing arms and back.  That was not the case.  That was not even close to being the case.  You generally will only go as far as you are comfortable and after a few hours we were ready to go home.  Fortunately, there were no aches and pains.

I often bring somebody with me who has never been kayaking.  They share the same concern that they will wake up the next morning aching.  They usually make a point to say that they are surprised they aren’t sore.  Don't be intimidated by the exercise.  It can be vigorous or leisurely depending on your preference.

1)       You don’t need to be a certain age to kayak. 

We have taken all ages kayaking with us from infants to my father-in-law who is retired.  He refers to the kayaks as boats.  In some ways they can be a bit more like boats than kayaks.  Some kayaks are sit on top and some are sit inside kayaks.  Sit-On-Top kayaks are perfect for the casual enthusiast.  This brings me to reason number two.

2)      You don’t need to get wet.  Kayaking isn’t all whitewater and barrel rolls.  You can actually push into a lake or a placid river and get a few drops of water at most.  You don’t need a river guide or a specialist to enjoy public lands.  In fact, there are even motors for kayaks.  Some are built specifically for kayaks and some are do-it-yourself projects.  It can be a lot of fun trolling around on a river or lake or bringing a motor just for backup or emergencies.

3)      Almost everybody has water nearby.  When I first purchased my kayaks I was driving about 20 to 40 minutes away to my favorite reservoir or lake.  It was several months later when I realized I was only 5 minutes away from a public river.  Since then I have started looking at google earth to find more local bodies of water.  I was surprised at all the options.  Don’t think you need to drive to the ocean or a national park to enjoy a kayak.  Chances are you have local options just minutes away.

4)      Kayaks are relatively inexpensive.  Kayaks can be several hundred dollars, but relative to a boat, that can be quite affordable.  In fact, some kayaks can seat three people such as the Lifetime brand.  Meaning, you only need one kayak...not three.  The advantage of blow-molded kayaks is that they weather very nicely.  They don’t fade and when you scratch them (because they will always get scratched) it isn’t very noticeable since the color dye goes all the way through the plastic.

5)      Kayaks are very portable.  You don’t need to pull a kayak behind you in a boat trailer.  Sure, if you have 4 kayaks there are some pretty neat kayak trailers.  But for those of us who have one or two kayaks they can fit in the back of a truck or on top of the vehicle.  Generally, if you can drive to the spot in your car you can consider it fair game for kayaking.  You’ll want to make sure you protect your vehicle by fastening the kayak properly.  There are many brackets out there and do it yourself tips on Pinterest.

If you have made it this far through this blog article you must be interested.  Give us a call if you have any questions.  We are recent kayaking converts ourselves.  My wife and five kids love to kayak.  We strap the kayaks on to the top of our Honda Pilot and off we go on a whim.  Kayaking is still an underutilized sport.  That means you may not even run into any other kayakers while you are playing.  It is a great way to sharpen the ax and to spend quality time with your loved ones.  When we are out on the lake I have a captive audience with my children.  It forces us to coordinate, cooperate, and recognize that we are a team.  The underlying bonus?  It’s great exercise.  Happy kayaking!


P.S.  I own the Lifetime kayak model 90121 and 90116.  Here is half of my family on the Bear River.  The other half are on...well..my kayak I'm taking the picture from.