Picture this: You're standing at the water's edge, kayak loaded and ready. The sky is a solid blanket of gray, and the air feels refreshingly cool. You pause for a moment, sunscreen in hand, wondering if you really need it today. I have been in that exact spot more times than I care to admit, […]

Every spring, the same conversation pops up at put-in points across the country: someone spots an inflatable kayak and immediately writes it off as a pool toy waiting to deflate. Meanwhile, the paddler unrolling that "toy" is about to have a perfectly legitimate day on the water. After spending more than two decades in both […]

To find a leak in an inflatable kayak, mix dish soap with warm water in a spray bottle, fully inflate your kayak to the recommended PSI, then spray the solution section by section across the surface. Watch carefully for bubbles that form and grow at leak points. Mark each spot immediately with a grease pencil […]

Picture this: you have your kayak loaded, you're staring at a beautiful stretch of water, and you're wondering if you can legally put your boat in. I learned the hard way that you can't just drop a kayak into any water you find. After launching into what I thought was a public creek in Wisconsin, […]

The morning fog was just lifting off Lake Murray when I secured my first keeper bass of the season. Three pounds of silver-sided beauty, thrashing in the early light - and within seconds, I had a decision to make. Where does this fish go? That question has haunted kayak anglers for as long as we've […]

Staring at your pristine kayak deck, drill in hand, wondering if you're about to make a costly mistake? I've been there. That first hole feels like a commitment – and it is. But here's what two decades of kayak modifications have taught me: drilling holes into a kayak isn't just safe when done correctly, it's […]

I'll never forget gliding through the Emerald Cave for the first time. The morning sun filtered through the arched entrance, turning the water an impossible shade of jade green. A curious sea lion popped up beside my kayak, close enough to spray me with his exhale. That was twelve years ago, and I've been exploring […]

Sleeping soundly on a kayak or canoe trip doesn't happen by accident. After spending over 200 nights camped along shorelines across North America, from the misty coasts of British Columbia to the sun-baked banks of the Suwannee River, I've learned that restful sleep separates memorable adventures from miserable ones. When you wake refreshed, you paddle […]

Few elements transform a relaxing paddle into a survival situation faster than an unexpected increase in wind speed. I learned this lesson the hard way on a spring morning at Lake Travis when calm conditions deteriorated into 25 mph gusts that turned my 12-foot recreational kayak into an uncontrollable sail. What should have been a […]

Last summer on Lake Travis, I watched a guy load his sit-in kayak with two coolers, camping gear, and his 80-pound golden retriever. The kayak sat so low that water started pouring over the cockpit rim before he even pushed off from shore. That expensive fishing kayak became a submarine in about 30 seconds flat. […]