AMC Outdoors, March 2002

By Michael Lanza

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when buying a whitewater kayak was as simple as, at other times in history, buying a car ("Young man, picture yourself behind the wheel of this shiny new Model T") or a facial tissue ("Excuse me, do you have a Kleenex?"). Choices were few and the decision relatively straightforward.

No so today. Just ask Mark Schappert, the AMC's Connecticut Chapter Whitewater chair. He observes that a couple of decades ago, "there were one or two boat models. Now there are about 50 of them and they're very specialized." In other words, kayak shoppers should not be terribly surprised to find themselves one day facing an ad slogan that inquires, "Have you paddled a Dagger lately?"

If choosing among the myriad whitewater boat models on the market is no longer a coin toss, the upshot is that greater selection means you can find the kayak that's just right for you — provided you know what you're looking for. For beginner paddlers especially, this can be a daunting process. So for advice, I turned to three people who've been around these boats for a lot of years: Schappert; AMC New York-North Jersey Chapter Canoe Committee equipment coordinator Rob Anderson; and George May, conservation chairman of the New Hampshire-based Merrimack Valley Paddlers. The tips that follow are drawn from my verbal and electronic conversations with them.

What Kind?
There are three basic types of whitewater kayaks:

River-running boats are like medicine's general practitioners—traditional all-around kayaks that do nearly everything but specialize at nothing. Roomier and more stable than other types of whitewater kayaks, they handle predictably in big, moving water and are easy to Eskimo roll, making them ideal for beginners. They are longer than other whitewater boats, usually at least nine feet, with rounded hulls (also known as "displacement hulls") and medium volume.

Playboats are used just as their name implies, to "play" in river features such as standing waves, eddy lines, and holes. Also called rodeo or freestyle boats, they represent whitewater kayaking's growth. More advanced rodeo boaters will "park and play" at a single spot along a river, making this subgenre of kayaking more accessible because it doesn't require a time-consuming vehicle shuttle. Shorter than traditional kayaks—typically less than eight feet long, sometimes less than seven feet—with a narrow snout, low volume (less than 50 gallons), and a flat-bottomed, or "planing," hull, they are highly maneuverable and ideal for spins, squirts, and cartwheels. Some have a rail around the outer edge to grab a wave, allowing the boat to spin atop the wave. While paddlers will run rivers in them, these boats do not forgive small errors, tip easily, and are difficult to Eskimo roll, making them not the best choice for beginners.

Creek boats are the rigs that extreme paddlers use to plunge over waterfalls or run steep, narrow, boulder-choked creeks—basically, these are kayaks for the most difficult and technical kayaking done today. They are generally short and maneuverable with blunt, high-volume ends that help bring the boat back up to the surface after a big drop. While these boats are very forgiving and easy to roll, this type of kayaking is clearly for experts only.

The radical evolution of whitewater kayaks over the past decade has resulted in some blurring of these three categories. Several years ago, when the venerable boat-maker Dagger introduced the RPM (for Radical Play Machine), its "short" nine-foot length and low-volume stern made it a forerunner of today's playboat. But because playboats have continued to shrink, the RPM—still hugely popular—has become a recommended beginner's river-running boat, and many experienced paddlers still own an "old" RPM because of its responsiveness, stability, and comfort.

Boat makers have also recently interbred river-running kayaks and playboats to produce a popular offspring called a river-running playboat that combines a flat bottom for maneuverability when surfing waves with softer edges and high volume for comfort and easy handling in bigger water.

Laying Out Cash
Once you've decided to take the plunge and buy your first boat, well, don't rush out and buy your first boat.

"When beginning kayakers ask me what to buy as a first boat, I tell them that they shouldn't," Anderson says. "All beginning paddlers need to try out a variety of different models as they learn their basic skills. Once they start to feel comfortable on the river in one of these tippy, tight-fitting boats, they can start to decide what kind of kayaking they want to do and what boat they might want to buy. The only way to make an informed choice is to paddle as many different boats as you possibly can."

Kayaking's growth and specialization has spawned a proliferation of models on the market, so look around and don't sink hundreds of dollars into a boat immediately. Join a club that owns some boats and try them all—the AMC's New York-North Jersey Chapter, for example, owns a dozen different kayaks—or take lessons with a reputable outfitter that offers classes. Borrow boats from others for a quick test run.

Beginning kayakers, Anderson says, often start out in a river-running boat and, as they gain confidence in their skills, want to try the more advanced moves better suited to playboats. Once you've developed some basic skills and sampled several kayaks, you'll have a better sense of what model you want.

Anderson, May, and Schappert all advise: Always try a boat before buying it. Many retailers will let a buyer with basic skills test run a kayak, and many sponsor demo days at rivers where you can try different models for free.

Beginners would do well to start out with a used boat: A new whitewater boat runs anywhere from $700 to $1,200 and up, while a used kayak in good condition may sell for under $500, and the seller may throw in the spray skirt, paddle, and/or air bags. Experienced kayakers are constantly upgrading to new models and selling boats that are often relatively new and in excellent condition, and usually at less than half the retail price. Roto-molded plastic boats are almost indestructible, so don't worry about scratches on the hull. Clubs, demo days, river festivals, popular river put-ins and take-outs on dam-release dates, and the web are all good sources for used boats. Some dealers offer club discounts on boats.

"Boats are built so well these days that you can take one that's pretty beat up and use it for years while you decide what [kind of paddling] you want to get into," Schappert says.

Shop around smartly for your kayak. After all, you don't want to wind up with an Edsel.

—Michael Lanza is author of The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Travel, from AMC Books.