How to Choose the Right Kayak | Everything you need to know

Choosing a kayak is the single biggest you'll need to make. Get it right, and you'll have a great time on the water. Choose the wrong kayak, and you can have an uncomfortable, frustrating, or even a dangerous experience. In this video, I take an in depth look at how to choose the right kayak for your specific needs.

Other Gear I use and suggest:

Paddles:

PFDs:

Dry Wear:

Base Layers:

Warm Weather:

Footwear:

Other Paddling Gear

[chickenliquor]

Great video! You missed the consideration my wife & daughter give for preferring sit on top over sit inside. “Do you have to put your feet where there may be spiders?” Thats a driving consideration for our family purchases

[escapewithed]

My favorite YT Paddle dude dropping a metric ton of knowledge. The only thing he didn't touch on is how buying your first boat is the best knowledge for what you want for your SECOND boat! Because of Ken I now have 3 different boats for 3 different activities (and I'm planning on 3 more!) and I've brought in so many friends with his advice! Great video! I sent it to all my friends on the fence!

[Billcameratech]

I thought that was all extremely useful stuff to think about buying a new boat. And hopefully we all get to that point. I personally found it extremely useful to buy several used boats on Marketplace and paddle around in them and figure out what I like in a boat. I was able to buy four very different boats for around $1, 100 and paddle the heck out of them and develop a much better idea of what I would like in a new boat.

[slighwentwalking]

Lots of good information 👍
I live in Florida so I've seen all kinds
of kayaks...here you need to consider
how quickly the weather changes.
A sit inside is how I roll...super hot and sunny
or raining the sit inside behaves well.
It pays to learn to carry a kayak properly.
Improper lifting can cause injury.
I have learned so much from viewing
Paddle TV videos...thank you.👍

[chrislavigne]

Like you most people have several kayaks for different paddling preferences. Different trip ranges and different enjoyment. Great video as always. Most of the time your kayak will reflect the part of area you live in.

[jakebrakebill]

Also, a little out of the genre, canoes, outrigger canoes and surf skis. I tried an outrigger canoe thinking I wasn't going to like it being a kayaker, but really loved it. "During the warm weather only"
Yep, you'd like to get it right on your first purchase, rent, borrow, talk to people on the shore and most of all, watch Ken's videos.

[kattotonic]

I started with a rec kayak 12ft. I scored a 15 foot ocean one for a good price. There was a real difference, transporting, weight and paddling wise. But I do love it. I will never go in the ocean with it, but I like how it moves through the water. I do have an Isle switch I have yet to try, can't wait to take it out this summer. Thanks again for a wonderful video! You have helped me so much with this wonderful hobby that I do not regret getting into!

[truthbtold]

You have earned a big like from me ! This was so informative with very little fluff. And no distracting background background music either. :):)

[swanbaby]

I love my rogue aqua glide inflatable. I am a lake person. I don't care to be challenged at all. I once kayaked the San Francisco Bay and that was definitely a misadventure☺️ onward intrepid paddlers

[georgewilliamssr]

Well Ken you already know my boat preferences. But for your viewers, I like white water boats. I can pretty much take them anywhere I’m interested in paddling. River, lake, ocean. And depending on what I’m doing, I can multi day camp with them. However, if you choose a White Water boat for much of these same reasons. Please get some fundamental training with these style of boats. They do have an important learning curve. That can make your experience a positive one. Or if you choose to self teach, ? It might take you longer with many frustrating moments. Happy paddling everyone.

[thekimmonia]

Excellent educational video - great suggestions at the end. Another consideration is families with young kids. Got a tandem and an open cockpit stable to paddle together. Youngest can go in or hop in/out of the tandem.

[mikewalker]

Excellent video that will help me choose our next kayaks. We’re enjoyed our Carolinas for 30 years but we no longer kayak camp and they are becoming difficult to load and unload off the racks for both my wife and myself. We need old people boats now and watching this video was extremely helpful.

[bradleyking]

Just now looking to get into Kayaking, this is a great intro video. Thank you much.

[carolemartin]

Great pointers!
I started with a sit upon kayak. It was OK, but I got wet all the time. I now have a sit in Delta 12.10 which I love! 41 lb. Tracks very well & I use it for birding on lakes & marshes.

[tgchism]

Thank you for packing so much information into this video!

[calabrais]

Great video! I'm going to check out the App

[saskatchewan]

I want to get into kayaking and this was really helpful, thank you. Subscribed.

[bryancline]

Just bought my first one. The AdvancedFrame DS-XLC from Advanced Elements. Was the most well rounded inflatable I could find in my budget. Will hopefully handle some easy class 3s, but will spend most of it's time in slow water and smallish lakes.

[carbonunit]

I have 5 kayaks. If a woman can buy new shoes to go with her purse I can have a kayak for all occasions. And I think I like my sit on top the most. I can use it as a paddle board as well.

[ashvanes]

I got one of the first thermal molded plastic yaks on the market, a Perception Airalite Sonoma 13.5. 2003 purchase. I don't go as often as I used to (kids) but I have used it kayak (weekend) camping, in bays, estuaries, harbors, lakes, and rivers. have a skirt, paddle jacket, carbon paddle (got a few years later) and still rocking this set up now 21 years later. It has handled everything just fine. Still looks great. I don't bash it but it has its share of scratches from rock scrapes. We did have to re-foam-and-glue the thigh braces as the original foam deteriorated. But an easy enough fix. ETA: last use, yesterday on a large lake near us :)