Best Kayaks for River Paddling

[@majawn]

I read, and read, and read info on different kayaks and tried to match that with my needs and wants and it seemed hopeless. And here I listen to your vid for 6 min, and voila! it's all clear and simple. Thank you!.

[@PaddleTV]

Awesome! Glad I could help!

[@katsnkayaks]

Thanks! This was very useful. Since I am just getting started, I bought a Pelican Argo 100x. It feels very stable. Also, for now, I am going to stick with small current. I have surprised myself with what I have done so far. I am not a good swimmer, and I use to fear the water to the point of nightmares. Since I have been brave enough to get out there, with a life jacket on and a friend by my side, I have a love of the water and the nightmares are gone. Kayaking is awesome!

[@mechadebzilla]

That is great to hear how kayaking has helped you. Maybe you will be able to improve your swimming too. Enjoy!

[@TheRiehlThing42]

Couple years ago, went kayaking in Hawaii on a sit on top, and it was fun. This year decided try again, I've been watching your videos and Headwaters videos, and now I really want to get a kayak before next Spring and Summer. Went on Lake Crescent and Lake Washington in Washington State last month and had a blast. The sit inside at Lake Crescent I didn't like as much, but that lake was awesome. The sit on top at Lake Washington I rented felt so much better, but wasn't as cool of an area, still had fun though just being on the water. Looking at the CK1 or one of the Vibe kayaks. Definitely love watching your informative videos.

[@PaddleTV]

Great to hear you're getting back into it! You certainly are in a great place for paddling!

[@kayasper6081]

Great to see you in those moving waters, even it is only for a few seconds.

[@PaddleTV]

Can't wait for the water to start moving here! Things are melting quick though. Shouldn't be long...

[@rhm021m]

Hey Ken, great info as usual keep up the fantastic work. I keep hear you talking about different classifications of whitewater. I dont know if you did a vid on this before, if not can you do an informative video on the different classes of whitewater, how to distinguish them apart and what are some of the skillset you would need to have to tackle the different classes of whitewater. Much appreciated.

[@PaddleTV]

Thanks! I appreciate the idea. I think a lot of people would benefit from it. Cheers!

[@inkbytes9440]

Great and informative thank you. Been looking at sit on tops here in the uk and I think you’ve convinced me for what I’d use it for.👍🏻

[@PaddleTV]

Glad I could help!

[@dg1019]

Tried to get my wife into ww kayaks but she just never wanted to go there. So I got her a 11 foot sit on top. She loves it. Its comfortable, carries a lot of gear and works fine in class 3 and under rivers. I was going to try an inflatable but she is never going to tackle big ww.

[@PaddleTV]

Good idea to not force her. Whitewater isn't for everyone, and anytime I've seen someone pushed to do it, when they didn't want to, has rarely ended well. Great that she enjoys the SOT!

[@BrianthatiscalledBrian]

Thanks, Ken. I would imagine the sit inside recreational is more stable than the sit on top? I'm still thinking about a Pungo, but I should check into the Jackson line too. Cheers. 👍🙂🛶

[@PaddleTV]

Hey Brian. Yes... and No. :) While sitting lower in the water as you do with a sit-inside kayak makes it inherently more stable, sit-on-top kayaks are often wider than sit-inside kayaks, which levels the playing field when it comes to stability. Sit-on-tops can be wider than sit-inside kayaks, because sitting higher lets you paddle more easily in a wide boat (although you need a longer paddle!). If a sit-inside kayak is too wide, it's difficult to paddle without banging your paddle and hands on the kayak all the time. All that being said... Pungo is a great kayak! It's been one of the top kayaks for over a decade for good reason.

[@BrianthatiscalledBrian]

@PaddleTV Thank you so much for the explanation. It really helps and is much appreciated. 👍🙂🛶

[@tomsergesketter5138]

I think I'm even happier with my perception 12'. Pescador 👍🏻

[@PaddleTV]

Yup! Solid kayak.

[@seawinds12]

great info ty

[@Paul.Kramer]

I love your channel. I'm new to the sport... but I have a canoe . This is not a canoe channel. Lol

[@PaddleTV]

Thanks Paul! FYI: I've got a bunch of canoe videos coming out next month. Stay tuned...

[@Fightandresist]

Great information. My problem- I am looking for recommendations for a larger (yes, obese) paddler.

[@PaddleTV]

There are a couple of options for larger paddlers... Inflatables can be a good option. There are some sit-on-tops that accommodate bigger people too. For example, the Jackson Kayak Big Rid has a load capacity of 550lb. It ain't cheap though... store.jacksonadventures.com/jackson-kayak-big-rig-hd-2021/

[@Fightandresist]

@@PaddleTV Thank you! No, that kayak definitely is not cheap. If I lose a little weight, I was really looking at Liquid Logic's Coupe. I am a fan of sit on tops. The Deuce Coupe is also good.

[@mechadebzilla]

I would recommend Crescent Kayaks. Their boats run toward larger capacities. They even have a tandem (Crew) that be solo paddled.

[@toms6841]

I have to express my disagreement with your review and characterization of recreational, sit-inside kayaks for river tripping. Especially about their extreme limitation to very mild, slow moving water. What? The assumption is that one is paddling only an open cockpit kayak, and that running anything other than light Class I water will fill your kayak and force you to wade/swim to shore. My primary interest over the last several years is river touring with a kayak that is capable of everything from lakes and deadwater to Class II or light III rapids if/when they are encountered. This takes a hull that is designed between a purely recreational and a sea kayak. Sporty and responsive enough to handle some whitewater, but also capable of decent tracking for the long hauls. At least 2 watertight hatches for gear/equipment and flotation. And the big factor not mentioned is deployment of a skirt if any amount of rapids or weather is encountered. There are quite a few videos on YT which show kayaks of this breed being deployed in some pretty impressive whitewater ... more than I care to challenge. Two quick examples are the Jackson Journey 14 (my personal choice) and the Dagger Stratos 14 or 14.5. Again, both stable and responsive and situated somewhere between a dedicated sea kayak and a whitewater sport kayak.

[@PaddleTV]

Hey Tom. You're absolutely right... I'm a huge fan of these touring kayaks on the river. They open a whole world of opportunity on rivers. I think you're bang on, in that for experienced paddlers, they are one of the best types of kayaks for rivers. I probably should have talked about them. I think I had more 'entry level' paddlers in mind when doing this video, which is why I didn't go down that road... but I did talk about whitewater kayaks, and so I should have mentioned touring kayaks as well. Thanks for the note!

[@richardlambert4253]

Hi Tom, I use the dagger axis 10.5 for river touring, and I love it, I thought I might lack space but I got creative with my packing and can easily do 5-7 day trips, and I feel comfortable in class 3 rapids, with it, keep in mind that I’m no pro, and a more experienced paddler could possibly do bigger rapids, They also have the dagger axis 12, I would be curious to see how that handles! Happy paddling:)

[@larrystewart5477]

I'm with Tom S, an 11'9" dual bulkhead Eddyline Rio is my kayak of choice for upstream exercise paddling on my local tiny river.

[@toms6841]

@@richardlambert4253 Wow ... I'm impressed. Gear, provisions enough for 5-7 days and Class III rapids. Of course, the 10.5 makes sense for maneuverability and responsiveness over my 14. I'm guessing you're the equivalent to an ultralight backpacker. Happy paddling!

[@njcranes]

Wish they made WW kayaks for big dudes

[@PaddleTV]

Yeah, there aren't too many options for large or tall people. Inflatable kayaks can be one of the better choices though! They aren't as high performance as your standard whitewater kayak, but you can still have a heck of a lot of fun in them!

[@njcranes]

@@PaddleTV Yup. "Duckies" are fun but mostly in fast moving water! Thanks for your content!!

[@jacobcastle2741]

What are some trusted inflatables on the market that are durable and easy to paddle?

[@PaddleTV]

There are a few companies that make high quality inflatables. The ones that pop to mind first are NRS, Advanced Elements, Innova, and Sea Eagle.

[@ronactive]

Das Video ist sehr interessant. Grüße ronactive

[@gmsmolen]

Class 1 river/creek in No Central Arkansas with some obstacles: I see a lot of my friends using a Wilderness Aspire 105 for the rivers. Thoughts? My Hurricane Skimmer 11'6" (a sit on top) did not not maneuver well and was not easily controllable when we came upon the small waves. Thoughts on a sit it? I don't float those rivers alone so there is always a group to retrieve the kayak if anyone tips.

[@PaddleTV]

Yup. The Aspire would be a good boat for a Class 1 creek with obstacles. Although I haven't tried it, at 10'5", I'm sure it's quite maneuverable. Anything bigger than Class 1 and I don't think the Aspire would be the right kayak. You would want to get something that doesn't get swamped by waves - like a sit-on-top, or a sit-inside kayak that takes a skirt. Enjoy the rest of summer!

[@raabez]

Ken, no mention of touring kayaks?

[@PaddleTV]

Yup. You're right Bob. I should have mentioned them. I'm a huge fan of touring kayaks on the river. They open a whole world of opportunity. For paddlers with experience, they are one of the best types of kayaks for rivers.

[@ahilbilyredneksopinion]

I wish I could afford to get into this 😕 it looks like so much fun.....

[@strolchstrobo8500]

What about crossovers?

[@PaddleTV]

Very true... crossovers are a bit more specialized, but you're absolutely right. They can be amazing river kayaks. I need to get my hands on one to review!!