I always thought I might take up golf when I got old and had lots of time on my hands. I deny the first and the second hasn’t happened yet.
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It is limited to skilled folks.
Many who never jump from rec to sea kayaks are happy with paddling in sheltered water, warm days and water, and no waves or currents. That’s all good, too! It’s their pastime, not ours.
The danger arises when they see someone doing something more difficult and assume If Only I Had The Same Boat I Could Do That, Too. The US population has become dependent on technology to substitute for earned skills, knowledge, and fitness. Instant gratification rules.
Oh, OOPS, that’s going off topic! Horrors,
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Hi CraigF
Don’t stop! I am 84 and still leading small kayak trips on lakes, rivers and Cape Cod Bay! 67 is YOUNG!!!
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Get a Hullivator!
Gal on the right has great Teeth!!!
LOVE IT!!!
That’s encouraging to me. 67 is young! (so is 68)
Those of us who are addicted to kayaking can justify the expense of a hullivator if we think we should have one. For those who are investigating or brand new to the sport, that’s a big expense that keeps people from joining the sport.
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Its not just Sea Kayaking, it s paddling in general. Having been active in running a canoe club for the last 25 years, I have some theories on this from watching membership patterns. We see lots of young folks between teenagers and the time they start having careers or families or both. Then appear sparingly or disappear altogether for 20 years being consumed by soccer or softball, other family activities. Once the kids are out of school and they have free time again they start coming back. Our average age seems to hover around 55 through all this. Canoe and Kayak racing, seems to follow this if you look at the age class distribution. And look at TV commercials, old guys paddling in Viagra commercials, young kids with psoriasis paddling, but you don’t see a lot of families paddling.
Paddling is limited by available free time and us old geezers just have more time on their hands.
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That’s how it was with me. Family, school and responsibilities was a drain on time and finances. I was always intrigued by water, but my children never had that same level of interest. My grand children go on the water with me since I have the time and resources to share, but the commitment is different. They do it for a fun activity, I do it to explore. I doubt they would do it without my influence.
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I love to paddle and figure at 62 I have yet to really “sea kayak”. Castoff gave me a quick lesson a few years back but for me there are many obstacles. I nibble at the edges (sheltered areas, tidal creeks) in my longer ww boats (12 ft) on my own. I’m sure at some point I’ll get some more instruction. It is a hard sell when you already enjoy other types of paddling.
- geography: Only 40% of the world lives near an ocean. That probably goes up a bit when you factor in large lakes. It is a days drive for me to even get to an ocean or great lake. Typically I’m a slacker, enjoy the drive and a hike, and thus it really takes two days.
- boats and gear are expensive- compared to ww and rec boating everything costs more- better immersion wear (full drysuits), lighter boat materials to increase efficiency, and lighter paddles all cost more. Even the cost of commercial camping goes up on the coast!
3)large open water is more affected by local weather and tides or currents. One needs to acquire some local knowledge to safely evaluate conditions. If you don’t live locally then this can really slow down your desire. Even with tide charts you need to be able to factor in how far you are from gauging stations, tidal nodes, wind patterns, and understand where you are in relation to more exposed (choppier conditions) or where potential safe havens exist. Then there are rip tides, another local phenomenon. Local boat traffic patterns also should be considered. All of this favors “locals”. Situational awareness can be very specific to a given area. - a reliable roll is desirable, add a plb, spot, a weather radio and know how to use them. You need to be able to reenter your boat and pump it out or swim it a long ways to shore. So there are a variety of skills and equipment that greatly enhance one’s safety. If i miss a roll on the river and swim I’m just a few hundred yards from shore at most. Most rec boaters plan to just stand up when things go bad.
- it is not my ethos to ask for help. The whole idea of needing or relying on others, using a plb or radio to call for help is very much foreign to me. The idea of planning a crossing and calling the coast guard if things go bad from my perspective is just plain weird. Part of the appeal of paddling that I’ve enjoyed is “figuring it out” and being self reliant.
- I like to feel like I’m getting somewhere. In the absence of a high performing boat one often feels like they are not making much progress on a large open expanse of water. An hour later that object on the point is still just a distant object. Maybe in two hours I can tell what it is. I like it when my scenery changes.
6 nutrition and physicality: I am old for a ww paddler however I will be a young newbie sea kayaker! That gives me hope! In the meanwhile ,I will just keep taking small nibbles on my own but enjoying it all. It’s all good. I just have a lot to learn about the oceans and great lakes but I already enjoy eating shrimp and grits, blue crab, crab cakes, chowder and lob-sterrr so my nutritional journey as a sea kayaker has already advanced nicely!
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I need to acquire some more skills and equipment to be a real sea kayaker and i will need to clean out the garage so I can store a sea kayak inside, away from the elements. All my other boats live comfortably outside under my back or front porches. Why clean out the garage today when you can just put it off?
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I’m lazy!
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Hi kayakhank
I am not NEW! I am 84 and I think for some folks it may be time for a Hullivator!
Actually, I gave up on rooftop kayaking and got an old Ford van which is perfect for me. No lifting, I just store it in the van. I am like a turtle as I am always ready to go!
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I’m 61 now, but I was 44 when I started sea kayaking. There were a couple of younger people in our local group, but they left after having kids.
I’ve always done things to make it easier to do and remove excuses for not going out. My kayak is stored on the garage ceiling with a geared, hand crank winch. The Hullavator makes getting the boat on and off the car quick and easy with no back strain. My gear is kept in plastic tubs ready to go.
I started kayaking at 55. A year or two later I commented to someone that it seemed like most kayakers were in the 50’s and 60’s. He pointed out that it’s probably because they’ve finally reached a time when their kids are old enough that they have time and disposable income. I will say that in the last couple of years our group had added some pretty regular paddlers on their 30’s and 40’s.
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I started kayaking in my 40’s. I know kayakers of all ages, young and old. Most who I kayak with, prefer river/creek kayaking on flat water with a few rapids up to class II for fun. But most of the younger ones gravitate toward the excitement of whitewater kayaking in class III-V rapids. That sport is not limited to the young by any stretch of the imagination. I see ppl in their 60’s-80’s still pursuing big water. Sea kayaking is a different sport than white water kayaking but if you are seeing more older ppl getting into it, maybe it is because if someone is new to a sport, they want to take it easy with less risk.
Yes, I’m under 46, but not by a lot!
I’m 68 and have been Sea Kayaking since I turned 50. Those I paddle with are a similar age to me. Maybe a few outliers who are in their 40’s and 50’s, but overall I find Sea Kayaking attracts an older crowd. I agree with the others, there’s probably several reasons for this, the overall expense of the sport certainly being a big factor, but there’s also the time requirement. It just takes time to get on the water, paddle for a few hours, then get yourself back home. Also, I hate to say it, but I think younger people might enjoy other types of leisure that are a little more exciting–nothing against Sea Kayaking, I think it’s a great challenge, but if I was in my 20’s or 30’s I might want to try river kayaking, or downhill skiing, or basketball or something that was a little quicker and fast-paced than Sea Kayaking 
I love the paddles we go on, but there’s a time for everything, and maybe Sea Kayaking just attracts an older crowd?
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I’m 54 and paddle an Oru Bay kayak. I keep it in my van RV and go out every chance I can. Busy life and changes in coastlines, spouses and careers have curtailed my ability to pursue kayaking more. My 26 year old coworker paddles actively with her dad who’s about my age. A good boat costs money and leisure time to use it. I paddled more on the West Coast in my single 20’s than I do now, but my first husband also didn’t enjoy anything overtly athletic 
. Now I travel and hike/bike/paddle whenever I can.
I think it’s a combination of factors. I’m also seeing a trend towards less outdoor activities and exploring in the younger generations. Being of the late 1960’s into the 70’s generation myself, my parents were VERY into outdoor exploration and I grew up in BC, NWT, Yukon canoeing and backpacking. Without walking into in REI store, I have met very few people like me on the East coast.
Hello, im 45.
Sea kayaking is not limited to any age. But money , storage and transport is. So unless you can buy a boat , store it and transport it there is a problem, and of course there is the interest. I see most people walking round looking at a screen, mobile phones ( don,t have one) then there are games on their computers, i have never played one. Creating interest and keeping it going is not easy. I bought my first boat a Klepper when i was 41 and needed a bank loan i still have it and now at 86 i still use it but not often and i live 100 yards from a beach and the Atlantic here in the Isles of Scilly. We have no lake or fresh water sea kayaking only.
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