Children Kayak Touring and Fishing
Children normally find it harder to paddle and navigate than most adults do since they have less power and less developed motoric and spatial skills than adults have.
Kayak Touring is usually associated with the use of long and narrow traditional sit-in kayaks called Touring Kayaks or Sea Kayaks.
Paddling those kayaks requires either exceptional paddling skills or the use of a rudder (or both) for tracking, and it also requires the ability to roll the kayak in case it needs to be outfitted with a spray skirt.
These factors largely prevent children from using traditional touring kayaks and limits them to using wide, open cockpit sit-in or SOT kayaks known as ‘recreational’ kayaks that track poorly unless paddled with a rudder, which in its turn both impedes them as well as complicates things for them.
Therefore, it is quite rare to see children taking part in kayak trips in their own kayaks. The more common solution is using tandem kayaks, or canoes, but most kids love their independence and since they ride their bikes alone from an early age in most cases they expect to paddle their own kayak too, or at least prefer to do so.
The W Kayak tracks better than monohull kayaks, and therefore you never need a rudder to help it track. It’s also more ergonomic for kids than monohull kayaks are since the higher W paddling position adds power to both their paddling and control efforts.
Similarly, children can be taught to participate in kayak fishing trips in their own W kayaks from an early age. The problem in such cases is to make sure that they can operate their fishing tackle safely and independently.
Tags: children, fishing tackle, kayak fishing, kayaking, Kayaks, kids
February 1st, 2008 at
I saw another post on this blog about children fishing from kayaks. I wonder how do you teach a kid to fish from a kayak on his own?
Arnie H.
February 1st, 2008 at
Arnie,
On first sight the challenge seems daunting, but if you break the problem into its two basic components it becomes much easier to address.
First there’s the paddling aspect: I just finished posting on this blog a series of seven short articles on teaching children how to paddle a W kayak. If you read them you’ll see it’s not very difficult.
Second, there’s the fishing aspect, which can be taught from a very early age, gradually, starting with fishing from shore, docks and big boats trough W kayak fishing together with an adult on board, and finally independent kayak fishing. The W’s stability and ease of use makes it a lot easier for the kid, especially since he or she can cast and reel in fish from a high position and even stand up in confidence when doing so.
Yoav