Before you launch
- Send a float plan. A text to someone at home works: roughly where you are going, and when you expect to be back.
- Check the drain plug and the hatches. The plug should be seated and the hatches latched before the boat touches water.
- Think about your paddle leash. On a calm lake it saves you from chasing a dropped paddle. In moving water it is a snag hazard, and paddlers argue about it for that reason. Know which kind of water you are on.
Crossing open bays
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Dark streaks on otherwise glassy water | Wind. Cross at a short angle rather than pointing straight across the bay |
| Powerboat chop bouncing back off a cliff | Rebounding waves stack up against the incoming ones. Wait outside that zone rather than paddling through it |
| Swim buoys | Give them a wide berth. Lifeguards watch kayak wakes closely, and they are right to |
Sharing the shoreline
Do not drift up silently behind someone who is casting. Call out as you come, and pass wide enough that you stay well clear of their line.
When you pass a picnic beach full of kids, slow down. You are only a few feet from swimmers who may not be watching for you.
Capsizing, even on a calm lake
A glassy morning makes any kayak feel stable, and that is exactly when people underdress. Carry a whistle, and dress for the temperature of the water rather than the air. In spring, when the lake is still cold, our cold-water paddle safety primer covers what that means.
Practice flipping the boat and getting back on it at least once a year. The orientation brochure a rental shop hands you is not a substitute for having actually done it.
At the ramp
Stage your gear off the concrete, not on it. The ramp lane belongs to whoever is launching next.
Park the trailer and come back for your boat. A ramp backs up fast when someone rigs in the lane.
Clean your boat between lakes
Look over the hull and your gear for plants or animals hitching a ride before you move to another lake. Where the lake managers provide a brush station, use it. That is how invasive species stay put instead of spreading.
Bail the water that gets in
Most recreational kayaks have no footwell drain, so the drips off your paddle pool up around your feet over a few hours. A cheap sponge handles it. A hand bilge pump handles it faster.
Sun and heat
Open water throws UV back at you from below as well as above. A long-sleeve sun shirt beats sunscreen you keep forgetting to reapply.
Secure your drinks. A loose can becomes a projectile if you go over, and it is one more thing to chase. Wedge containers behind your calves or stow them in a sealed well.
Where to go next
Start with short loops along the shoreline rather than a crossing. You get to learn how your boat handles, and you build a mental map of the landmarks before you need one. That matters more than it sounds like it should: after a few hours of paddling, one pine-covered campground bay looks much like the next, and tired eyes are worse at telling them apart.