Tag Archives: kayak

Kayak Weathercocking vs. Tracking

Kayaker paddling without kayak weathercocking on Lake Superior.

Kayak weathercocking is the tendency of a moving kayak to turn into the wind. It’s caused by a difference in pressure between the bow and stern of your kayak, and it can feel frustrating if you don’t know how to correct for it. Luckily, there are tools and techniques that can keep you on course [...]

Posted in Articles, Equipment, Technique | Also tagged , , | 3 Comments

For Whom The Old Presque Isle Bell Tolls

Kayaker Bryan Hansel

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was built in 1840 and operated until 1871. It’s one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The park preserves both the old keepers house and the light. When originally restored, the owner used wood from a nearby shipwreck, so the interior features knotted wood with lots of [...]

Posted in Trip Reports | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fram Museum 1888 West Greenland Kayak Plans

Fram Museum 1888 West Greenland kayak.

When I visited the Fram Museum in Olso, Norway, I fell in love with a West Greenland kayak displayed as part of the Fram collection. The kayak is Fram number 176. Native Greenlanders built the kayak in 1888 for one of arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen’s colleagues after Nansen’s successful crossing of the Greenland icecap (Sea [...]

Posted in Free Kayak and Canoe Plans, Free Kayak Plans | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review of Canoe and Kayak Building Books

Canoe and kayak building books on the floor.

If you want to build a kayak or canoe from the free plans found on PaddlingLight, you should buy a couple of canoe or kayak building books. Most use different methods, which you can combine to make your boat uniquely your’s. There are lots of books out there to cover in a review, so I’m [...]

Posted in Books, Videos, and Movies | Also tagged , | 4 Comments

Paddling Weather Lore and Prediction

Kayak and stormy weather

Paddlers live at the mercy of the weather. On a calm day, we can paddle miles. On a stormy day, a strong headwind makes progress a crawl, and nothing is worse than lightning striking during a long crossing. Having simple tools to help predict the weather during a paddling trip helps with the decision making [...]

Posted in Kayaks, Tutorial | Also tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Public Domain Canoe and Kayak Images

3367249003_b3df0fff63

I always enjoy looking through old canoeing and kayaking images. They remind me that people have been paddling for a long time–what we do isn’t new, because it’s been around for thousands of years. It reminds me that our recreational activity links us to all those back through time that have enjoyed it. They enjoyed [...]

Posted in Photography | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Kayacam by Kayalu Review

DSC_0099_sm

Back in April, Kayalu sent me a Kayacam camera mount to test out on my kayak. I decided to give it a go on a calm day (check out the video below). The Kayacam mount attaches to your kayak or canoe by hooking into an existing deck fitting with a stainless steel clip. The stainless [...]

Posted in Books, Videos, and Movies, Camping Toys | Also tagged , , | 1 Comment

How Much Faster is the Longer Kayak?

hansel_bryan_080610-088

Recently, Silbs asks, Meanwhile, I have been driving myself nuts while mulling over an issue around boat size and speed. For starters, we all agree that a longer boat (all else being equal) can go faster than a shorter one. So far so good. In addition, we know that that longer boat will need more [...]

Posted in Technique, Tutorial | Also tagged , , | 22 Comments

10 Paddling Books to Read in 2010

Canoeist and kayakers should start off the new year and a new decade by resolving to read a few books. In the past I’ve done round-up reviews of boat building books and paddling books, but it’s about time for a new round-up. These 10 stand out as the paddling books you should read in 2010. [...]

Posted in Books, Videos, and Movies | Also tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Funny Kayak Videos

SS-12.11.2009-03.16.21PM

Over at Xtranormal, a website that allows users to easily create animated videos, a number of paddling related videos are appearing. They take a humorous look at serious issues and debates that occur within canoeing and kayaking. Many of the videos are based on some of the actual silly online debates that have occurred over [...]

Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Paddling Emergency Ditch Kit

hansel_bryan_080920-072

A common fear among paddlers is losing the boat or getting into a situation where the boat must be abandoned. Usually, along with the boat, the gear is lost too.  It happens. An example of it happing comes from Canoe Trip: Alone in the Maine Wilderness. The author David Curran finds himself on the wrong [...]

Posted in Equipment, Technique | Also tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Paddle to Seattle Kayaking Film

J.J. Kelley and Josh Thomas built a couple of plywood kayaks. Then they paddled from Alaska to Seattle via the Inside Passage in the plywood kayaks that they built. During the trip, they filmed everything. After the trip, they whittled all the footage down to an 80-minute movie. Everyone from Paddler Magazine to Outside Online [...]

Posted in Books, Videos, and Movies | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Great Gift Ideas for Paddlers

canoeing into the sunset

The end of the year approaches and the holidays are almost upon us. This means it’s time to start thinking about holiday gift ideas for the canoeist and kayakers in the family. This year, I’ve used and fell in love with a bunch of gear. Some of the gear I’ve fallen in love with appears [...]

Posted in Equipment | Also tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Canoe and Kayak Building Resources

hansel_bryan_070416-072[1]

Paddlinglight.com began as a place to distribute my wilderness philosophy, show off my kayak and canoe building logs, provide boat information, and get my free canoe and kayak plans online. Since it’s inception, Paddlinglight.com grew far bigger than I expected, and the most popular articles on the site have consistently been about boat building. For [...]

Posted in Build It Yourself, Canoes, Free Kayak and Canoe Plans, Kayaks | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Throw Bags for Sea Kayaking

throw_rope_tow_rope

Most sea kayakers who’ve passed a safety and rescue class are aware of the importance of carrying a tow rope. A similar safety device that could be of equal importance and prove more handy in some rescue situations is a whitewater throw bag. These bags are inexpensive and lightweight, so there is no excuse not [...]

Posted in Equipment, Kayaks, Technique | Also tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments