About Your First Kayak

Your First Kayak exists because the first kayak is bought in a sporting-goods aisle or on a phone, with a wall of boats that look alike and a price range of ten to one, and the questions that decide it, where will you paddle, how will you carry it, who's coming, are never on the box.

This site is the version we wanted to find: the three kinds of boat a beginner actually chooses between, what each is for, the paddle and life jacket that go with it, the Coast Guard rules with their citations, and the gear that gets the boat to the water without a second person.

How the guides are written

We work from what manufacturers publish about their boats and gear, from the Code of Federal Regulations (33 CFR) for the rules, and from the Coast Guard's boating statistics for the safety numbers, and we say where each fact comes from. We paddle the kind of boats we recommend. We don't run lab tests, and we don't claim to.

How the site is paid for

Product links go to Amazon, and Your First Kayak earns a commission on purchases made through them. The details are on the affiliate disclosure page.

Contact

Corrections and questions: [email protected].

Your First Kayak is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the US Coast Guard, the American Canoe Association or any manufacturer.