Kayaks for kids

[CampinNewf]

Hey,

Last summer, we bought two touring kayaks (a single and a double) to use while camping.  DW would use the single, and I was able to take our two young boys in the double since our youngest was only three y/o and he could sit on a little seat between my legs.  This year however, we figure he will be too big to do that by the end of the summer, so we need to either change the single for another double, or put the older boy (7 y/o) in his own kayak.

Has anyone tried putting a kid that young in their own kayak?  A local canoe/kayak store sells kids kayaks and says he's the right age, but I'd rather hear from someone who has tried it.   

Thanks

[Cheyenne06]

Seems young to me unless your on waveless/windless ponds. My recollection is at that age ours was OK only under ideal conditions on a flat lake w/ no wind or waves, but if it got breezy, or when we would go on a stream where it might take a couple of good strokes to pull the nose around to make it around a bend without getting pulled into a root wad, there just wasn't anywhere enough physical strength, nor the mental for-thought to avoid a situation at that age (or even for another 3-4 years, of course highly dependent on the individual).

[capy235co]

Well I think I would be thinking about a sit on top. Unless he can demonstrate that he can eskimo roll it if he tips. Kids often panic when they tip.

[chilipyro]

What kind of water are you planning to be in? Last year, I picked up a Wave Rider kayak from Dicks Sporting Goods (http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4353207) for my 8 yr old daughter. It is a small sit-on-top kayak, that comes with paddles. On sale, it was $100 (regular price is $130). My daughter loved it and had a blast. The nice thing about sit-on-top kayaks is that it is easy to get back on if you fall off. They are not for white water, but they are great in surf.

[BirdLand]

Before purchasing our Old Town 12' Vapor (sit-in, but with a rather large opening) we tried both sit-on-tops and sit-ins with our boys.  We tried the sit-on-tops on a still kettle pond at Nickerson State Park (MA); they flipped over a couple times within an hour (they were 11 & 13 at the time).  That same summer, we took sit-ins out at Janes Island State Park (MD) which is basically a barrier island waterway system along the Chesapeake; they did fine in spite of it being considerably more 'rough'.  We also went on a NPS kayak trip at Assateague; again, there was no problem with the sit-ins.

The boys regularly take our kayak into the ocean (staying very close to shore) and haven't capsized.  However, we've had a couple of scares.

My oldest son has a misguided belief that preteens (and teens) are somehow immortal and their parents are unreasonably overprotective.  He was warned that currents near a lighthouse were dangerous in spite of a calm bay; he ignored our warning (and subsequent on-shore use of whistles and lights as well as calls on the walkie-talkies) and admitted that it took all of his strength to not be smashed upon the rocks (yes, he was punished and banned from kayaking for a while).  He admitted that he thought we were overreacting until he found out otherwise.

Our youngest is a rather large and strong child who is an excellent swimmer and is always very concerned about rip currents (as we parents are).  Regardless of whatever precautions, he was caught up in one while kayaking and was carried out rather far (far enough that I almost lost sight of him with my binoculars).  He did as he'd been taught; he conserved his energy until he felt strong enough to paddle parallel to the rip current, and then slowly drifted in.  He ended up about 3/4 mile from where he'd started, but we were thankful that he remained calm and safe.  He told us that remaining calm was the hardest part of the whole experience.

Another time, the youngest was out in the bay, and a small motorboat full of what appeared to be drunken men seemed to intentionally veer rather close to the kayak; we were certain that the wake would cause DS to tip.  Again, he admitted that he just tried to remain calm and not panic.

I agree with those who post that conditions are a primary concern in allowing a child to go out by themselves.  In our case, what seemed like ideal conditions were compromised by the children's ideas (i.e. disobedience) and jerks in a motorboat who apparently thought it amusing to give a kayaker a scare. 

None of these circumstances are within our control as parents (I think anyone who develops a way to make their children obey 100% of the time will become a multimillionaire!).  We also can't control the actions of others.

As other posters have said, you just really need to consider the circumstances under which your child will be using the boat (and hope that your little ones will not act upon strong-willed ideas like mine did)!

Good luck!

[CampinNewf]

Thanks for all of the replies.  I should add that the kayak will only be used on smaller lakes during good conditions and only when paddling with us, at least for the first year or until he demonstrates the ability to handle more.  We were thinking of getting him something like this: https://www.ottawapaddleshack.ca/node/328, but maybe he's still a little too young and that Wave Rider is a better idea.

[smokyroo]

We have 10 yaks, a Carolina Skiff and bigger Grady White boat. We love the water and we love camping. My kids started to paddle at about first grade or so. We have a couple of sit on top boats,they are no longer made, ...Islander Hulas, nice easy boat for a kid to paddle. Make sure you tie a bow line to the kid boat because if you want your kids to paddle again, you will be happy to pull them along at times.   The one huge drawback to shorter kayaks is they dont track well.  You will have to be patient and teach them to paddle a boat.

The other keys to this and I suspect you thought about this, is get a good kids paddle vest and kids design paddle.  We have a couple of  kid paddles by Werner. They cant paddle an adult blade for any real distance or time.  The kid PFDs are desgined for paddling versus a standard ski vest style PFD.  If it is flat water and a leisurely pace, you kids will love their own boat

[smalls]

I have a 9yo son and a daughter that just turned 8. We just started kayaking this year. My wife and I each have 12' Emotion Mojo SOT kayaks, that have room in the rear cargo area for one child to sit back to back with us. Knowing this wouldn't always be ideal, we bought the kids their own kayaks.
Their yaks are 8' SOT emotion Spitfire ones. They are great for kids, and really fun for adults, even though they don't track very well. Right length paddles and paddling PFD's are a must.
We mostly do state park lakes and still water paddling. We have also been on flat areas of the Susquhanna river a few times. The kids love it, and are completely able to handle the waters in their own yaks.

Of course we always paddle together and always wear PFD's. We have even done self help with the kids. Had them jump off in deep water (where they couldn't stand), and taught them how to roll back on the yak and sit back up.
It is a great family sport, and fun for all ages.

The key is the right equipment, and eager kids. Our daughter was not fond of the idea of kayaking at all, until she saw how much fun her brother was having. We also bought our kayaks at a specific outdoor shop on the river. Anything we looked at we could take out front and test it out with no obligations or money spent if it wasn't right.
The kids now have even started to try paddling on their knees, sideways, and standing. Being comfortable in the water is a big consideration.

Take the kids and find a shop that lets you try before you buy. At the very least rent some yaks and see how they do. Glad we checked it out. Good luck.