Basic Kayaking: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started (How To Basics) [Paperback]

Jon Rounds (Editor), Roberto Sabas (Illustrator), Skip Brown (Photographer), Wayne Dickert (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2005 | Series: How To Basics

2005 National Outdoor Book Award Winner

A fully illustrated introduction to river kayaking with a full-color gear guide plus chapters on river safety and reading the water

Step-by-step instruction on essential techniques, including all major strokes and rolls

This newest title in Stackpole's Basics series takes on the wildly popular sport of river kayaking. Packed with information and featuring hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations, it provides clear, easy-to-follow instructions on selecting gear, getting your boat on the river, and mastering fundamental moves. Also covered are the ferries, peel-outs, and turns required to maneuver a kayak in moving water. For would-be day-trippers, river-runners, creekboaters, and even those aspiring to the world of extreme rodeo playboating, Basic Kayaking is where the journey begins.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roberto Sabas is a freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in various publications. He lives in Savoy, Illinois.

Wayne Dickert is a professional kayaker and canoeist who competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He is currently the manager of instruction for the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina.

Photographer Skip Brown shoots outdoor sports and recreational activities for books and magazines. He is a Class V paddler, an advanced-rated hang glider pilot, and an accomplished windsurfer, snowboarder, and mountain biker. He lives on the Potomac River in Maryland with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; Spi edition (June 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081173210X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811732109
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Lacrosse

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This Book is Mis-titled, April 2, 2007

By 

Magnus (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Kayaking: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started (How To Basics) (Paperback)

This book was given to me as a gift by a well-meaning family member who knew I was getting into the sleeker side of paddling after being passed by too many kayaks while paddling a canoe.

The title would lead any sane person to believe that this book is indeed a good beginners book for general kayaking.

It is not.

It is, in fact, a highly specialized book for white water kayaking. It's also fairly terse, the bulk of it being made up of photographs.

For someone like me who is more interested in flat water, slow rivers, protected marine waterways, and coastal swamps this book is nearly useless. Keep looking.

The title and subtitle of this book are incredibly deceiving and are a disservice to readers who might not know better until they get a few pages into the book and realize what they got stuck with.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If an Author Forgets a Word, It Shouldn't Be Part of the Title!, October 22, 2007

By 

Bellini "Vincenzo Bellini" (near Sacramento, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Kayaking: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started (How To Basics) (Paperback)

I agree that this book seems to be mistitled. If it had been more appropriately titled "Basic Whitewater Kayaking" I would have kept looking elsewhere, others interested in whitewater (river-running, playboats, etc.) might have been drawn more to it, and life would be better.

While some basics are universal for the sport, this well-illustrated book is solely aimed at the whitewater enthusiast, and only accidentally takes along the quiet water paddler for the ride.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Whitewater Kayaking, August 1, 2005

By 

C. Jones - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Basic Kayaking: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started (How To Basics) (Paperback)

I picked up my first copy of this book having just paddled with Wayner. I am an advanced paddler but wish I had had this book starting out. It is nice to see all the words we use defined. For those of us who learn by reading this book will be a great first step and for others a welcome refresher. I found the sections on particularly useful. I plan on ordering two more copies for friends who say they want to get into this amazing sport.