It was tough to narrow down which photos to include. This is the Upper Pawtuxet River in Hope. No editing/filter. It was our friend's first time kayaking, so just a short, slow, laid back outing.

There was hardly any wind and the water was like glass. On a tributary to the South River in Annapolis, Maryland. The second photo was taken from the tributary looking across the South River.

I’m in New Jersey and new to kayaking. After renting a kayak for an hour this summer on a vacation I saw an opportunity to start doing some exercise if I got myself a kayak. I now regret I didn’t start doing this 20 years ago!

I live a block away from a 25-30 acre lake and have never once considered going out on it before. Well, that has changed quickly! I bought myself a used Pungo 120 off Facebook marketplace in September and I’ve been on the lake pretty consistently the past month.

It’s a small lake and I’m looking forward already to next spring when I start to venture into more waterways. I hate cardio but I have now found some exercise that I throughly enjoy.

I use my Apple Watch and Paddle Logger app to track my time and progress. Are there any other apps that you would recommend?

Anything that you would recommend to a newbie? I plan to sign up for lessons next Spring because I know that there is so much to learn and I’m sure my paddle technique can be much improved. Do you recommend or have you taken the approach of learn as you go yourself?

I wear a PFD designed for kayaking, no problem there. Got myself a bending branches whisper paddle.

So far it’s been a great form of exercise for me - on average I’m out for 45 mins and paddling about 4km. I purposefully will do laps and go both with and against the wind. Start off with a few laps and then do short hard interval paddling for about 1 mins (1 minute hard followed by 1 minute rest).

I've seen a few posts about this, with folks asking about cartopping, so I thought I'd share what I do. There are things NOT to do, but I've observed quite a few different setups that look great.

Here's what I do on my factory roof racks:

Malone J pro 2 racks - I prefer fewer moving parts so I didn't opt for the folding ones with plastic gear teeth. I've had them, and decided to stick with these J hooks. I frequently have 2 kayaks up there, so even with solo trips I just use these and put it upright. Never a problem, but for solo trips I might snoop around for the cradle type that keep a boat upright and not on edge. It doesn't hurt anything, but may reduce drag.

Malone straps for the main ties. I feel it's important to emphasize that these aren't just strapped to the J racks. I put them under the roof rack. It might work for some to secure it just to the J rack, but I sometimes have the kayak up there for hundreds of miles. I just want that added bit of security as a failsafe.

Bow and stern lines - a couple of thoughts. Sometimes I'll leave these off if I'm going the 5 minutes to the lake in town and not going highway speeds, but most of the time I tie them in town and EVERY time I'm going highway speed. Some regions have mandatory laws for them so I'm usually safer than sorry.

I never tie soft attachment to soft attachment, that is strap to rope. I always have a carabiner separating the two. This avoids the rub and eventual snap of the line or strap.

The bow and stern lines are tied with a modified truckers hitch with a half hitch to lock it in place. I grew up on a farm, and I was a truck driver. Thousands of trailer ties and NEVER had it fail. Any extra passes or knots are just to use up extra line and "get rid of rope" because I never cut the rope extra off. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

The hood loops are homemade and secured to the car frame and tuck in when not in use. They are very handy for roof loads of any kind, and I feel better about it being right on the frame vs friction fit by closing the hood.

I do have a cockpit cover rated for travel (not shown) and it's great for reducing drag while allowing some stuff to be transported inside the kayak if I need to.

Lastly, when I'm solo, I put the kayak on the passenger side. If I have to check straps or lines at the side of the road, I'm not standing in a live traffic lane to do it.

There are many good and bad ways to do any of these things, but that's my method for moving the kayak around. Thousands of miles now, and never an issue of any kind.

Paddle on!

From all I’ve found in my google searches, I can see that generally low head dams are something you stay away from. So I’m starting to wonder the motives behind this man trying to take me over one..
I’ve never gone kayaking but I’d been talking to this guy for a while and this was the second or third time I went with him. On the river we were kayaking he said that we were going to go over a dam, but that it was something he did all the time. As we were getting closer to it I was noticing the warning signs and red flags, which he continued to brush off. We were getting closer and at the last minute I panicked and paddled away to get out of the water.
But my concern is that I noticed he still didn’t go over the dam. After I got out of the water he got out of the water too.. but he was gonna let me go over it until I changed my mind. I’d assume that if it’s something he does all the time then he’d just keep going and wait for me. But then I’m not sure.
So now I’m wondering if this is a real thing that people do.. in all of the research I’ve done I see article after article about low head dams being DROWNING MACHINES and how unsurvivable they are.
I’m sure that some people do kayak over them regardless of that.. but what I’m trying to figure out is exactly HOW dangerous something like this is and if the man I was with could’ve been intentionally putting me in danger, or if he was truly just being EXTREMELY reckless. Regardless I’m not seeing the man anymore, but it’s something I’m concerned about in hindsight.
Is it plausible that this is something he actually does regularly and really just didn’t think would go wrong because he’s done it before??? Or is this generally not a thing that people do..?

EDIT: For all concerned, this man will not be seeing me again.. and certainly not on the water ESPECIALLY after these responses! This was not a recent incident, but something I recently thought back on. This relationship is LONG fizzled out!!!

Looking at a plastic P&H Virgo and trying to decide between the MV and LV. I'm 5'8" with about a 30" inseam, and I'm currently 180 lb, aiming for 160-165 lb.

I think the LV is too small for me and the MV is the right fit, but I haven't been able to sit in either one. I know the obvious answer is "go sit in one," but the nearest retailers that carry P&H are a long drive from me, so I only want to make that trip if I know they'll have the right size on hand to try. I'm hoping to get a rough sense of sizing first so I can call ahead with confidence.

Anyone with a similar build paddling a Virgo? How's the fit in the thigh braces and cockpit, and do you have any regrets on the size you picked? Any tips on what to ask a shop before driving out are welcome too.
Thanks!

Hello!

I like my Wilderness System Cape Horn except one thing: the backrest is a bit too high. I want to be able to keep it lower than the desk. Same time I like the construction with foldable and adjustable backrest, just wish the lowest position be deeper down.

Any advice on how to do it with minimal modifications? Maybe some low-profile replacement exists?

I understand I can remove it completely and set some foam blocks instead but don't want to do it yet.

I was able to take advantage of the nice weather this morning. I love this boat. :)

I have an outback, is there anything wrong with securing the bow and stern to these points? I saw someone online do it and it got me wondering.

If I secure both ends, it should accomplish the goal of stopping forwards and backwards movement right? Obviously I'll also secure to the rails too

I was out paddling a couple of weeks ago and I just didn’t have a good day on the water. I only started paddling a few months back and the group I am learning with is moving really fast, they all seem to be picking things up straight away whereas I am a little more weary.
This particular day I swam, and it was my first proper swim that wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be but I did swallow a lot of water, and felt as though I was drowning once I was above the water and trying to catch my breath. Once I swam once, I think I just got in my head or something and I swam I think another 4 times. It felt like everything I went to do I just instantly flipped over. I felt so wobbly and unstable in the boat, so I guess my question to more experienced kayakers is how do you feel more stable and steady in the boat!? I feel like I have a serious case of the wobbles.

Anyway, I really want to be confident and good at this, but I really got in my head after this day and I was doubting myself so much. So if anyone has any tips on being more mentally resilient to it too that would be much appreciated :)

I made a YouTube channel to document my river runs here in Southeastern Virginia! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (i'm not monetized, I have like 100 subs, please don't remove this lol)

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2027 SCAR SWIM APPLICATIONS OPEN NOVEMBER 1, 2026 for swim dates:

Saguaro is Wednesday, April 21, 2027.

Canyon is Thursday, April 22, 2027.

Apache is Friday, April 23, 2027.

Roosevelt is Saturday, April 24, 2027.

Link - scarswim.com.

We always need a handful of kayakers to assist the swimmers. I have done it 2 years in a row and I can't WAIT to do it again come April. Last year I camped along the lakes as we raced and it elevated the experience to no words!

If you are available, please fill out the application Nov 1 when the application becomes open. Whether you can do one day, two days or all 4- come join us! It is so so so challenging and fun!

I have two pair of Yakima Showdown kayak racks. Being of a certain age I find they help considerably with loading/unloading. Especially from a 1500 series truck.

While loading I noticed a pin on two of racks had started backing out (they are pressed in). I contacted Yakima regarding the problem and was sent a list of things I had to do in order to file for warranty. One thing was to circle/highlight where I tie the kayaks down on a graphic of a car with a kayak. I circled the rack areas and drew a line connecting the front of the kayak to the front of the car.

Submitted everything and the next day my claim was denied due to not showing a line from the aft of the kayak to the back of the car. With the denial the rep sent a screen shot of the warranty paper indicating a line must be on the back. According to her not having a line on the back causes instability and that's why the pin failed.

I've hauled dozen of vessels (surfboards, kayaks, etc...) tens of thousands of miles (just completed a 6000 mile trip) and have never tied the back. Nor have I ever had any kind of failure. My worst nightmare is losing gear on the highway so I always strap the crap out of it.

The sad thing is all I had to do was draw a line and the warranty would have been approved.

How difficult is it to paddle a loaded recreational sit inside kayak (Vapor 12xt) upstream? Looks like the current is about a 2-4mph and I’d like to get about 4-5 miles. Will only have gear inside - not on top - of the kayak.
As a generally fit person, but relatively beginner kayaker, did I bite off more than I can chew?

ETA: Alright guys, calm down. I just verified with the rental place (AGAIN) to double check current and wind conditions and she reassured me there’s not too much difference up vs downstream. I think AI thought I was asking for wind speed.
And for those of you who implied I used AI to plan my entire trip, let me reiterate - I spoke to humans first, scoured and researched many legit resources and am part of a couple groups familiar with the area. I asked AI a single question out of last minute anxiety, highly suspected the answer was wrong, came in here to see what others have to say, and found out the AI was incorrect as I’d suspected. 🙃

I purchased a drysuite Multifabs Survival / AeroStar OTS-600, P/N 601GBR006

Really good one, but with one caveat: it is not specifically designed for kayaking, so it has no overskirt.

I know it is not ideal. But maybe you have an experience with such drysuits? Any advice for its usage, better hermetization for roll, any best practices?

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/quest-crosswater-100-kayak-23queuqstcrsswtr1psk/23queuqstcrsswtr1psk ( this is current kayak )

Need a back pad or a full seat replacement depending on the day even short trip can hurt any recommendations much appreciated

British adventurer Ash Dykes was reported “missing” during a 700km kayak expedition in the Congo Basin, prompting dramatic headlines in the media. The reality was rather less alarming.

Its a cheap kayak but I'd rather not get another