Author Description

Kayaking looks so simple, until you are ready to get started. How do I shop for a recreational kayak? What do I look for in a boat? What gear is essential? What knowledge is needed? What skills are required? Am I expected to wear a floppy hat and a $50.00 fishing shirt? Salesmen in kayak shops will offer their opinions on these matters. But some are simply selling boats and will say anything soothing in order to ice the deal. Others will shower you with torrents of their expertise, until the technical trivia washes over you like a curling wave. Leave the shop and you find that all that information has seeped through the scuppers (holes that let water flow out the bottom of a sit-on-kayak). Too embarrassed to ask these questions at a retail shop, seminar or workshop, where you may feel that Patagonia-wearing pros tend to look down on ignorant landlubbers, the beginner turns instead to A Beginner's Guide to Recreational Kayaking. Stephen R. Crowell provides the expertise on the essentials, in a comfortable, informal manner.