What is the most stable kayak today?
After years on the market, the 38″ wide S4 Microskiff is still the world’s most stable kayak by far, although many fishing kayaks and tandem kayaks are much wider and bigger.
How is this extreme stability achieved?
The S4 Microskiff is a patented full twin-hull (“catamaran”) kayak and boat that features two wide hulls and a saddle-seat like which can be found in jet-skis, ATVs, snowmobiles and other extremely stable personal vehicles.
The S4’s twin-hull design allows for optimal distribution of its buoyancy (volume) along its sides where it the most effective in terms of supporting its passengers’ weight when they tilt sideways, and for countering the effect of waves hitting it on the broadside. In contrast to this stable design, ordinary kayaks feature a mono-hull whose buoyancy is distributed mostly along its center line, where it is ineffective as far as stabilization is concerned.
But this is not the only aspect of the S4’s design that contributes to its unmatched stability – Read more on this design for maximal stability »
About this video
This footage was shot on the S4’s first outing. We had expected it to be very stable, but it exceeded our expectations in the sense that it was so stable that we had to improvise completely new ways that would properly demonstrate its stability, because the crazy things we did with our previous kayak models nearly failed to make the S4 budge – It stayed almost indifferent to a big guy standing in its cockpit, jumping up and down, rocking from side to side, etc. The S4 delivered a new level of stability never seen before in kayaks, portable microskiffs, and other small craft.