Customer Reviews

Simple Kayak Navigation: Practical Piloting for the Passionate Paddler

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a well-written, methodical approach to sea kayak navigation. Utilizing common-sense language, it gives the reader a fascinating overview of navigation basics up through more advanced topics. It gives extensive treatment to navigation fundamentals that prepare the reader for more complex tasks such as calculating ferry angles and lines of position, dead reckoning, and trip planning in high current and windy conditions. Photography and illustration is excellent, and Mr. Killen's writing style brings a humorous, relaxed approach to a subject that many avoid because of fear or intimidation. Killen's knowledge is comprehensive, and his ability to reduce complicated topics to easily digested parts, then place them back in relation to the whole is first rate. As a licensed sailboat captain, diving instructor, and certified kayak instructor I have used navigation skills often. However, until I read this book, I was navigating in a counter-intuitive, laboured process. I've found many time saving methods using information and skills demonstrated here, and my navigational accuracy has increased as well. A major bonus was the inclusion of an appendix by Timothy Williams, that gives World Wide Web addresses and links (with capsule reviews) for many interesting and time-saving sites dealing with navigation. All in all, the best, most complete instructional tome available for kayakers and small boat sailors.

"Simple Kayak Navigation" by Ray Killan is a very easy read. It is concise, packed with excellent examples, and laced with humor. I will argue that it is the new standard for a sea kayak navigation self-study guide. It may be because Mr. Killan has been teaching coastal navigation to sea kayaker for years and he knows what works and what doesn't in getting the point across.

I originally purchased "Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation" by David Burch.
Why? Because I was told by several instructors that it is the `standard'. Well, Mr Burch's book makes for a decent desktop reference guide on kayak navigation (i.e. you want to know more about a particular navigation topic). However, if you want to learn sea kayak navigation this book is not well organized and this makes for a very difficult read (i.e. high snooze factor).

Update (7/30/2010): Please see my attached comment in regard to an error I found in this book after a second through reading. You may want to print it out and stick it between pages 53-54 as a reference.

Well-written, in a humourous style, this little book contains a wealth of information for the beginning and advanced sea kayaker. Trip planning, compass use, tides, currents, and GPS are all well-covered here. Having many books on navigation, this is the one I turn to when refreshing my skills. I recommend it without reservation to my students, and have not heard any complaints, other than persons wishing for a follow-up workbook that presents more examples of real-world navigation problems and step-by step solutions in a hands-on format. An excellent book.

If you like having someone extract the important information from difficult reading material and condensing it for you you are going to love this manual. It would be on my recommended reading list as the go to book for someone who is a little skeptical about reading a 50 page technical manual on kayak navigation or just plain navigation of any kind because of all the difficult time, speed and distance stuff you can throw on top of compas bearings and chart coordinates.

If you have already read Sea Kayak Navigation Simplified (no easier to read book on the topic anywhere) and want to know a liitle more about how the get from point a to point b when planning a trip this is the next read for you.

I really like the additional material in this book that gets right to the point with easy to remember and follow formulas for computing all the variable you really need to know without actually going to the logrithim tables. Even simply explains how to use your pocket camping compass as a protractor to plot bearings on your chart without using expensive chart tools.

Once you feel comfortable with knowing the material presented in these few short pages you will have the confidence to plan multi day trip and the knowledge of how to make adjustment in the field (your kayak deck) on the fly as things change, like the nice weather you were anticipating for your trip on the day you are at the farthest point from where you left the car.

It's a great and valuable easy read.

East to read and engaging, with good pace and development of the theory through increased detail and complexity as the pages turn. This book is both a great introduction, a well-executed delivery system for gems that you wouldn't think you'd remember but you keep finding in the pockets of your memory and an excellent reference to go back to again and again. Clear and common sense warnings about the risks of poor navigation planning with a notable absence of preaching or doomsaying. I actually recall going outside in the back yard, eleven hours or more from the nearest open-water beach, and taking bearings on landmarks and plotting ferry courses across the local creek (all six feet of width!).

I read this book yesterday, and it is very easy to read and UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU, Mr. Killen!!! I have been trying to get a grasp on this subject for a couple months and it has come with much difficulty. Yours was the third, well-known, book on the subject I have read. Granted, it should be sinking in about now. But this book just brought it all together and gave me many "Eureka moments".

I, too, discovered the error on page 54, which immediately threw me off. I read the section over and over, and realized it was an error. I was quite proud I caught it and that I was actually understanding the subject. I checked on the internet to veryify it was indeed an error and verified it in one of the above reviews, and Mr. Killen's comment above. Actually, I think the error helped me understand the section.

I highly recommend this book. I wish I had picked it up as my FIRST read. I would very much like to take a Navigation class from the author.

(Mr. Killen, there is also a minor error on page 71 where you are talking about biking and use the word paddle instead of peddle. Didn't know if that has been brought to your attention.)

Simple Kayak Navigation by Ray Killen contains many practical techniques for calculating heading and rules-of-thumb. The coverage of tides and currents is excellent. The weaknesses of this book are the insufficient coverage of wind (only 7 pages) and no discussion of the Coast Guard's Navigation Rules of the Road.