How to paddle with child?

women’s guide to sea kayaking
women’s guide to sea kayaking (http://tinyurl.com/37fbxo) has info about paddling a SINK with a small child.



my son when toddler size was happiest in a SOT and i found it easy to paddle with him sitting directly in front of me. as he got older and bigger, that was no longer feasible. we moved up to a tandem SOT so he could help paddle, etc.

A couple ways I’ve done it
My eldest daughter’s first paddle trip was when she was about 18 months. She sat in a child seat that clipped under my seat in a large recreational kayak (Perception America). I did not wear a skirt. We both had PFD’s. This was done in a no-wake area of a large body of water where we stayed close to shore. My wife (a good swimmer) walked along the bank as a safety precaution (more for her peace of mind than it doing any actual good). The trip was VERY short - about five minutes. We got back and she wanted to go again, so my wife took her out while I was nearby with a canoe (wife doesn’t know how to solo a canoe).



Second trip with her was sitting on a Class 4 PFD (seat cushion type) between my wife and I paddling a rented recreational divorce boat (Otter 2). We were in the Florida keys and had a good time in the mangroves and chasing sharks around a lagoon.



I’ve got a Mainstream Jon Buoy and have installed a bench seat in the front. She can sit on the bench seat or right on the bow while I row or paddle from the middle or rear positions. Too slow for her. And for me, to be honest.



I’ve also got an Ocean Kayak Malibu II. I paddle from the center position and my daughter sits on the rear position. I’ve done this NEAR current, but not IN current (practicing in an ox-bow going up and down). She gets confident enough to crawl over me to get from the rear to the front and back again. Makes me nervous as heck, but that’s why we’re not in current. It’s shallow enough she could stand, or I could just scoop her up.



The key thing is, these would be really, really, really boring trips for me alone. If you’re an accomplished paddler, don’t expect a child to have the patience and wherewithal to put up with what you take for granted. Keep the trips short, and safe. Go WAY under your own abilities because you are no longer responsible only for yourself. And your child is not equipped to be responsible for herself/himself.



Getting him/her used to the confines of a boat, and used to the feeling of a boat is great. But just keep it really safe. Also, I have found that a trip to the donut shop on the way home helps with generating a positive attitude about the trip.


  • Big D