I can’t help it… I love a good palindrome. I also really love kayaking! Have you been curious about kayaking and what the big deal is? Are you wondering if it’s difficult, or if it may be something that you would enjoy? We come with answers! As luck would have it, it turns out that kayaking is a perfect compliment to the RV lifestyle. Since many of your RV travels will land you directly at the water’s edge, be it the beach, lake, or river, having a kayak makes perfect sense. One of the most appealing aspects of this recreational sport is that after the initial cost of the actual boat, paddle and life vest, enjoying it out on the water won’t cost you a dime. Unlike skiing or golfing where you then have to pay to play, when kayaking, you just get to the water, put your boat in, and paddle away to happiness. There are many different types of kayaks to chose from, and the one that’s right for you will vary depending on what you are wanting to do with them. There are sit on top boats, tandem boats, white-water boats, touring boats, fishing boats, and inflatable kayaks too. You can do anything from mellow, flat water paddling, to wild and rushing rapids, depending on your interest and skill level. If you do not have the ability to carry them on the roof of your towing vehicle or in a toy hauler, you can have a special kayak rack mounted to your RV very inexpensively. There are a lot of misconceptions about kayaking that hold folks back from trying it out. The first one is what kept me from trying sooner. Like many people, I was afraid of them because I believed that you would be strapped into it tightly, and if it flipped over you would have to be able to roll it back over quickly, or be stuck under water. This is not the case. The truth is, if you are in a kayak that is fitted properly for your body, you will have plenty of room to just slide out of the cockpit should you flip, especially in a recreational or touring kayak, which is the style that I own. These boats are wide, have a large cockpit and are quite stable. Sometimes you will see people that look like they are zipped up in the skirt over the kayak cockpit and it looks as though they would be stuck, but even in those kayak skirts (used to keep rough water/rain out), you can simply pull the loop at the front and exit quickly. Kayaking doesn’t require great upper body strength and can be done by most anyone, from young children to the elderly. You use your core muscles moreso than you do your arms and shoulders, and learning to properly paddle is quite easy. If you are interested, you can likely find an insructor and/or a kayak rental shop in your area so you can take a short lesson and try it out. I found lessons offered at our local swimming pool, so that is something you may look into in your area. You may just find that you fall madly in love! I sure did! There is something so freeing and serene about viewing the world from the middle of a gorgeous lake. If you want to read about all of the features of the different types of kayaks and find out which style may be best for you, check out this informative website. Do you have a favorite kayaking spot? Want to share it with the rest of us? You can post it here, or comment on our Facebook wall.
