Canoes, Kayaks, and Paddles

It's that time of year to start thinking about paddling. Kayaking has been one of the fastest growing sports in the country for the last decade and lots of people are picking up paddling as a way to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

Maybe you've been renting from a local paddling destination, or kayaked on vacation, or borrowed a friend's boat and are ready to get one of your own, you'll need to know what type of canoe or kayak fits your needs.

Canoes
Tracking (paddling straight) or maneuverability? Kevlar, Fiberglass, or Plastic? Down river or open water? These are the questions you want to ask yourself when chosing a canoe or kayak. Learn about the differences in canoes in this episode.



Kayaks
The waterways in Iowa and the surrounding areas are a combination of small rivers like the Iowa, Cedar, and Maquoketa, as well as numerous small lakes. When deciding on a kayak, think about if you'll mostly be on rivers, or open water, or both. While a shorter kayak might maneuver well for river use, often you'll lose a lot of speed and tracking ability you'd see with a longer boat.

Another thing to consider is the layup, or material the boat is made from. In a kayak like the Kestrel 120, the weight drops from 48lb to 32lb going from a rotomolded plastic boat to a kevlar/fiberglass hybrid. You might pay more initially, but the stress you save on your body portaging and lifting it on and off your car adds up. In many cases the 8-15lb can be the difference in getting a boat on your car or not.



Paddles
So you bought a kayak. How are you going to paddle it? Consider this: the paddle is going to be the driving force of the boat. You, combined with the paddle, are the engine that makes your kayak go.

Paddles tend to increase in price as the weight drops. At the lower end paddles will generally have a metal (aluminum) shaft and a plastic or nylon blad, whereas higher-end paddles will have fiberglass or carbon-fiber shafts and blades. A lighter paddle over hundreds of strokes can make a huge difference and often can extend the amount of time you spend comfortably on the water.

Spring Turkey Hunting

Join Mark to see the latest decoys and calls to bag a bird this Spring.

Part 1


Part 2

Now on Facebook

We're on Facebook! Another great way to get updates on promotions, sales, events and other things going on in the store.

We'll be uploading photos of your adventures and big catches so you can share them with your friends and ours.

Click the link and become one of our fans.