With almost a million subscribers here, how many of you are kayakers?

28 comments

1. Pretty sure it’s as easy as buying a kayak and finding a body of water.

2. Definitely easy, you can rent one if you live near the ocean. I did that once with my mom and little brother but I was wearing jean shorts and the saltwater caused my thighs to chafe so bad and it was a miserable experience

3. Many rivers and lakes rent kayaks. This is a great way to see if you enjoy it before buying your own.

4. Super easy. I suggest renting one first to see if you like it. You probably will.

   Sea kayaks are super cool, but a good one is expensive. I really want to cross the straits in one.

   A decent sit-atop is a great way to get into it. You can do an awful lot of adventuring with one. They’re perfect for day trips. Foolproof. Unsinkable. Add some drybags and you can use it to do some overnights.

   Weather matters, but assuming you’ll be remaining inland on rivers and lakes, just stick to the 120 rule. The water temp and the ambient temp should add to 120 degrees fahrenheit. I.e 50 degree water temp plus 70 degree air temp = 120 and you’re good to go. A few other variables come in to play, but generally that’s a good rule of thumb.

5. Kayaking is really fun! I’m definitely on the recreational side (don’t have my own, and wouldn’t personally invest in one), but it’s super easy to get into, and can range from a nice low key hobby to a really serious adventure sport. You can try out a touring/sea kayak or sit on top for a more chill lake or river trip and just paddle around aimlessly, go for a long distance and get a workout in, or take classes to work toward paddle rolls and getting comfortable in whitewater. I’d recommend trying out the simplest available rental option, seeing what you like/dislike, and going from there.

   At the end of the day, though, it’s honestly gonna depend on what sorts of water options you’ve got nearby—are there rivers with intense rapids, or lots of lakes, or an ocean?

6. I have been kayaking and enjoyed it, but i do not own one.

7. Easy! Flat-water kayaking on lakes or barely-moving rivers is something you can get good at in a day. The danger is minimal.

   Open ocean and white water take more knowledge and skill to be safe, but you can learn.

8. I love kayaking! Got one for normal water stuff and one rigged up for fishing

9. We Kayak —

   Kayaking is really easy — but ocean is a bit next level.

   Before you get on the ocean and probably large lakes that allow motor boats you should definately know some boating rules and regulations.

10. I am. Not as often as I’d like but I love kayaking.

11. Take a class. If you’ve got a river or a lake you’ve got a company that rents out watercraft and teaches classes.

    It’s an expensive to start. Kayak, pfd, and oar. Roof rack too.

12. I own two. I also live very near a designated National Scenic River as well as hundreds of lakes. If you’re paddling inland lakes or calm rivers, it’s very safe and easy to learn. Getting the hang of whitewater or ocean currents and tides is very different, but you build skills and experience in every hobby.

13. I have a canoe.

14. Used to kayak a lot back in Sweden, once or twice every week. Now I live in New York city, and that number has dropped to zero.

15. Yeah! It’s fun and there’s an r/kayaking subreddit.

    Highly recommend you rent a few times before buying. A new beginner level kayak is about $600 to buy so I’d Def try first.

    (They can range from $600 to $6000)

16. I have kayaked a couple of times and really enjoy it, but I wouldn’t call myself “a kayaker.” It’s easy to find a nearby cheap rental place to get out on the water for a while.

17. My dad and I used to have a canoe and kayaks for fishing. Never did anything extreme. Just casual fishing. I would recommend renting until you’re sure it’s something you definitely want to get serious about. Maybe start doing river floats where you just causally go down the river. Typically affordable, easy, fun.

18. I’ve been packrafting for about ten years and I think it’s a lot of fun. You can take a packraft anywhere a kayak will go, although they’re not as good on flat water or difficult rapids. I like their versatility though. Easy to travel with and if you’re going solo, shuttles are way easier than with a kayak.

19. I did a fair bit of white water canoeing when I was younger, but never kayaking. Canoeing took less up front training, but using the usual open top canoes, we never did anything stronger than class 2 white water. It’s more common to have 2 person canoes than kayaks, making it a bit more of a team sport.

20. I think everyone by the water owns one. How much they use it is another question haha

21. My husband and I love kayaking! We bought ours just as covid hit and we have been having fun ever since! We take them everywhere. We have some fun big inflatables and we tow them around lakes with the kids and life jackets on. Thera one place we go that has a little island where we can swim and fish.

    In our towns and the towns next to us they just put in free kayaks for people to use, with life jackets. It’s very poplar. We live on one of the biggest natural mashes in North America so theres a lot of beautiful stuff to see.

    If you wanna try it some places offer free options.

22. I love kayaking, especially ocean kayaking.

    You can just Google “kayak rental” and you’ll find a river or lake with a boat house. They’re everywhere. You don’t need anything except money to rent it

23. It’s been a while but I used to kayak and canoe. I grew up with both. It’s not hard to get into if you live near water and have space at home for it. Also, if you’re going down a river, it helps to have someone to pick you up wherever you get out.

24. Yeah, buy a used kayak and find a body of water. You will also want to find roof racks for your car or if you have a truck get cold tie downs and padding to keep the bull from getting roughed up.

    I would very very much start out on still water. Then try out calm ocean if there is one near you.

    Getting into river kayaking isn’t too hard on relatively calm water.

    Getting into whitewater kayaking should very much be done after taking a class or doing it with people willing to go slow and teach you. It can be dangerous and you want the right kayak and right gear and know how to handle the boat.

    Major ocean kayaking also needs proper equipment and is a bit harder to get into with more specialized educations on how to deal with dangers posed by coastal oceans.

    u/AnalogNightsFM, what kind of kayaking are you interested in and where? Big lakes? Ocean? Rivers? Whitewater?

25. The real question is whether people would classify a kayak as a boat. Is it?

26. I rented a kayak once and really enjoyed it. I’d like to do it again.

27. Im in college and taking a kayaking class next semester lol

28. I highly advise taking a class and joining a group. Check your local REI.

    It’s easy to get into, but you can waste money on bad equipment. And you can run into danger and die if not prepared. I’ve had to deal with 6 foot chop on a big lake and would have capsized without training.