Does anyone know of some kind of “dog side car” that may enable my to bring my lab kayaking with me? She cannot fit in my boat because of the size of the opening.
How long can she tread water?
Just kidding. I don’t know of any sidecar for a kayak, nor do I think you’d want that - it would really increase your resistance and decrease your speed and maneuverability. If you want to take you dog paddling, best to get a separate boat for that - a tandem, tandem SOT, or canoe.
A friend does it . . .
takes her dog kayaking all the time. She uses a SOT and the dog loves to sit in the “tank well” behind her.
Here’s one answer:
www.kayrak.ca
Had the same question
– Last Updated: Mar-27-07 1:51 PM EST –
about bringing along our 80-lb lab. Played with various ideas, including a towed raft and making a catamaran with my wife’s kayak. Finally decided that the best tool for the job for us was a canoe. A tandem kayak or large SOT might also work.
Small dogs are much easier...
reply
forgive me for lack of exposure. What is a SOT?
canoe?
Have seen many with a dog in canoe, including 90 miler in adirondacks, ny.
my dog hated the SOT
but paddled 17 miles through topock gorge, mono lake, and several other small lakes with me in a pungo. not my favorite boat to paddle solo, but perfect with the dog:)
don’t know how you are going to paddle with your dog if you can’t fit him in your boat???
Doggy sidecar
I have seen a outrigger/platform set up in canoe& kayak mag. I just gave all my old copies to friends,but I know that I have seem them in there.
Are you sure
– Last Updated: Mar-28-07 11:47 AM EST –
you want to take your dog with you paddling in (or on) a kayak? Unless you've trained your dog to be 'gator-aware', especially here in Florida, the consequences could be dire. They consider dogs a gourmet food item. Nothing against the other folks advice but I don't think they know you're talking about paddling in gator territory.
I think it'd be safer for you and your lab if you were to be paddling together in a canoe. A big gator will still be able to smell him (or her), but if it can't see him it won't attack. I trained my two female german shepherds to not only avoid them but to also alert me to their presence if they saw or smelled one when I took them canoeing with me. They were great gator alarms.
I paddled a stretch of the Hillsborough River Monday near Trout Creek. On the creek itself I saw at least six within the first quarter-mile. Upstream from the creek on the river I counted sixteen before reaching Nature's Classroom. None of the ones I saw were under five feet in length, which leads me to believe they were all females since the mating season's starting around the next full moon (it could already be in progress). The smaller gators are in hiding due to the the bull's mindset; If they can't breed it, they'll eat it. The mating females are going to eat all they can before they have to fast for nest-building and guarding purposes. Now, mating season varies from river to river so I can't say this is happening in any of the areas you paddle but it's something to think about.
The reason I'm informing you of all this is because I don't want your loving lab, your best buddy, to wind up as a meal for an overgrown lizard.
Take care of yourself, and your companion, by going out on the water in a canoe, not a kayak.
Scuba dog - Oh man . . . .
That poor dog. There’s nothing anyone can say that would convince me a dog would enjoy that contraption . . . . lol
Thanks
Thanks for your concern. I know what you are talking about when it comes to gators here. I will not take my dog into rivers that I am not familiar with. However, I lived on the Santa Fe for a couple of years and I am very familiar with the stretch that I travel on a regular basis. Not many gator sightings in the 9 years that I have been traveling it. Guess they don’t like the springs because it cools the water down.
However, I am a single female and I take my kayak and my dogs out to the springs/river frequently. I could not haul a canoe around by myself. My little gog has ridden in my kayak for the last 9 years. She’s only 5 ponds. It’s just the lab- I don’t want to leave her but I can’t figure out a safe way to bring her along- in a kayak. Don’t like sit on tops and I don’t want a canoe. Someone would make some money for this invention huh? I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Looking for new places to explore this summer. Recommend any near Tampa?
Doggie life preserver
However you decide to take your dog on the water, make sure that it wears a doggie life preserver. Dogs are good swimmers, but there are conditions that make it difficult for them to swim and they can tire easily and drown.
I take a dog out in a canoe, rather than a kayak, because it offers much more room and easier accomodations.
There are single canoes, 12’ or so, that are about as easy to handle as kayaks. There are also plastic rec kayaks with large cockpits that may accomodate a large dog. Another possibility is a folding kayak, like Folbot. Folding kayaks usually have a large cockpit that can accomodate a dog, and the payload to carry one. Some folding doubles can be configured for a single paddler, for better handling. Check foldingkayaks.org for more info.
Depending on the kayak, it may be difficult to keep one upright if the dog decides to go for a swim.
www.kayrak.ca
as chief brody said
"I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat"
Dogs and kayaking
I cannot speak to the stability, but when canoeing with my daughter, we met up with a recreational kayak paddled by an older gentleman with his dog on a homemade wooden deck on the foredeck. The dog was of a medium to large build. He kept the boat in trim, but I don’t know how.
This was on a mill pond and its feeder creek so it was protected water.