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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Sea Kayaks for Kids
Posted By: John D. In Response To: Sea Kayaks for Kids (John Montgomery)
Date: Wednesday, 19 January 2005, at 12:24 a.m.
John,
You've gotten some good recommendations here. However, the problem I have experienced is that while most of these kayaks do work better for kids than bigger kayaks, that they still are too big for kids to learn any type of paddling skills. We have an Eddyline Skimmer, and also have had some time with a Squeedunk Greebe. These have been great boats for the kids, but both are too big for kids younger than 12 or 14. The skimmer has a beam of 26" -- it is very stable, but the kid has to swing that paddle so wide that it tough for them to develop any real stroke skills. Also, this is not a boat for learning to roll.
The Grebe is still too big of a boat for my 12 year old (but he is kind of scrawny).
I know you've said that making something in not an option avialble for you, however, I do think a better answer for a kids boat is to make one. I have two kid Skin-on-Frames. A SOF is the perfect way to get a boat that'll fit a kid. Andrew's SOF is ~13'long with a beam of 16", and he can roll it. Instead of sitting in a 26" wide boat that is hard to intentionally tip over, he is in a 16" wide boat that requires balance and encourages good bracing skills. And, a kid's SOF can be had for under $100 and ~30-40hours of work. Another problem wiht a commercial boat is you will end up spending quite a bit more than that for a boat that they will outgrow in a year or two.-John D.
: I have a seven year-old nephew who is dying to go out kayaking with me this
: coming summer. In years past, I’ve put him in the front of an old double
: and taken him on short (less than a mile) day trips to places where he
: could get out and play on the beach. Although he tried, he couldn’t really
: paddle since the gunnels of the boat were higher than his armpits! (Even
: though he was sitting on a boat cushion or two.): Last summer, I put him in my WW boat and let him paddle along the beach in a
: couple feet of water while I walked along beside him. He liked this much
: better and it was fun to see how quickly he learned to control a
: planing-hulled boat. I also gave him a taste of what’s like to be on a
: river by tossing him for enders, tail stands, seal launches, etc. He liked
: this best of all!: This coming summer, I plan to take him on a short overnighter or two, again
: in the double sea kayak. I imagine we’ll also spend a number of days
: playing around in WW boats near the shore. In the long term, however, I’d
: really like to get him a real touring sea kayak that fits him, something
: he could use between the ages of ages of 8 and 12. What are my options?: I’ve seen photos of custom-built sea kayaks for kids, but I don’t have the
: space or tools to tackle a project like that. Are there any kid-sized
: plastic sea kayaks on the market that are not absolute tubs (i.e., rec
: boats)? Is a kayak designed for a petite woman the best I can do? Or has
: anyone seen a custom-built kid’s kayak for sale in PNW recently?: Also, what about paddles? I see that Werner makes one for kids. Are there
: other options? (Again, making a GP would be problematic.): (And just so you know, he already has a wet suit and a PFD that fits him.)
: Thanks, John
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