How to: Keep your kayak straight

A common problem with new kayakers is keeping your kayak straight. This can be particularly difficult in a whitewater kayak, folding kayak or inflatable kayak. All three of these kayaks tend to have flat bottoms and can be on the shorter side. Both of these qualities - flat bottom and short length - can cause a kayak to have difficulty tracking. So how do you keep your kayak straight?

A simple method I was taught when I first started kayaking was to combine the two basic strokes - the forward stroke and sweeps. To do this you might simply take two forward strokes, one on each side, and then follow up with some sweeps focusing on the side that you might be drifting into. As you get better at your forward stroke you will find that you need to use the sweeps less and less.So get out there and start practicing.

How to: Kayak Paddling Strokes

So you want to just go for it and start kayaking. Maybe you are borrowing someones kayak or you just picked one up. Before you get out there it will help to know at least two basic strokes - the forward stroke and the sweep stroke. A great way to learn these two strokes, and boat load of other things for that matter, is watch some videos of them. A great place find these types of videos is on youtube (of course) but perhaps even better are some video sites that focus on education videos such as ehow.com and expertvillage.com - both are loaded with great videos on just about every topic imaginable, such as changing you brake pads, not just kayaking.

Check out these two great videos on the forward stroke and forward sweep:

How to do a Forward Stroke while Kayaking -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

How to do the Forward Sweep Kayaking Stroke -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

How to get Started kayaking

So you want to get started kayaking, because lets face it - kayaking is awesome. Kayaking lets you get out on the water and experience nature. No loud motors. Paddling invigorates your body. Its cooler than canoeing - which is for old people and boy scouts. With kayaking there is a greater sense of adventure and excitement. Its hip and cool. You can do whitewater kayaking and extreme kayaking. This is exciting stuff. Not old men fishing or kids trying to get merit badges. So kayaking rocks. Now how do you get started?

The way I got started was by finding fellow kayakers in my area and meeting up with them. So how do you do that? How do you just meet kayakers in your area? I did this through an awesome website called meetup.com which lets you find people with similar interests in your area. You can then start meeting up with them and going kayaking with them. Pretty cool huh?

If you live in a more rural or isolated area without meetups then you are simply going to have to just go for it. A great way to do this is to find a simple cheap kayak to start practicing the strokes and getting the hang of things to see if its something you really want to do. Inflatable kayaks and folding kayaks are a great way to do this. Mobilekayak.com has a great cheap starter inflatable kayak for only around 125 bucks. Throw in a life jacket, a paddle and a pump and you can start out kayaking for a little less than 250 bucks. If you already have a life jacket, pump or kayak paddle its just that much cheaper and easier to get started. Comeback again and I will talk a bit about the basic kayak strokes.

Inflatable Kayak Article

Here is a great little article about some of the benefits of an inflatable kayak. Inflatable kayaks can be purchased all over the place such as mobilekayak.com - which is an online retailer that specializes in inflatable kayaks and folding kayaks. Check out the article below.

Inflatable Kayak: Have Fun Without a Major Expense
If you've been considering purchasing any type of a water craft , but don't want to shell out a large amount of money in order to play in the water, then maybe an inflatable kayak could be the perfect solution for you.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/399987/inflatable_kayak_have_fun_without_a.html

Hello World!

So whats this blog all about? Is it about kayaks and kayaking? Is it about me and my studliness? Can't it be both? Because it is. But I have to admit that because I am modest - no seriously folks despite the blog's name - this blog will focus more on kayaking and kayaks than on me.

So what about kayaks? I plan on discussing many a things about kayaks and kayaking. I will answer such spine tingling questions as: How do you get started kayaking? How do you meet other kayakers? What is good starter kayak? Where do I store my kayak? How do I transport my kayak? What if I want a kayak but live in a condo or apartment in the city with no space for one? What are great places to kayak? How do you learn to kayak. And so much more. Plus I plan on posting reviews on all sorts of kayaks.