Sit-on-Top Kayaking : A Beginner's Guide [Paperback]

Tom Holtey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

In just 96 pages this new paperback introduces the beginner to their craft, its features, and the equipment needed to best enjoy the sport. It covers all the basic strokes and entry techniques. The book then goes on to discuss conditions that kayakers face while paddling: from wind and waves to oceans and fresh water. An easy read, it is graced with over 60 illustrations, charts and checklists. It gives the basics of touring, fishing, camping, surfing and diving; route planning, rescues, signals and even putting a kayak on your car. Finally, it addresses where to find sit-on-tops nation-wide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I have been paddling for 40 years now and have two words for your book: "Great Job!" -- Sonny Norris, Central Florida PaddleMasters paddling club

"The CKF Guides and management have reviewed Sit-on-top Kayaking, A Beginner's Guide" and clanked mugs! A tremendously successful effort, SOTK will quickly prove to be a valuable tool for all entry-level paddlers as well as all the informally trained veterans. We like the book so much we plan on adding its exposure to the CKF Schools curriculum." -- Dennis Spike, Coastal Kayak Fishing

About the Author

Tom Holtey has eighteen years experience in the paddle sports industry with a foundation in canoeing and traditional sea kayaking. Trained and practiced in wilderness trip planning - from the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine to the tropical coastlines of the Hawaiian Islands - he has lead and taught the novice adventurer under many varied conditions. It was while teaching courses in sit-on-top kayaking at the University of Hawaii that much of this book began to take form. During this time, Tom managed a kayak retail store in Honolulu and worked extensively with members of the local kayak club, Hui Wa's Kaukahi, where many new developments in the sport have been made.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Geoodyssey Pubns (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966865502
• ISBN-13: 978-0966865509
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This One First..., May 18, 2000

By 

Robert G. Walls (Kaneohe, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sit-on-Top Kayaking : A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

I wish Tom Holtey's "Sit-On-Top Kayaking" had been in print when I started ocean kayaking at age 55, nearly ten years (and 4 or 5 kayaking books) ago. Today, I'm grateful that it IS available as a packable, readable reference that always reminds me of the basics that are so important to beginners and veteran kayakers alike. Don't get me wrong - the books then available were good - just overweight with procedures I simply couldn't apply. This book delivers what it says on the cover - A Beginner's Guide - with clarity and directness, thanks to Mr. Holtey's lean text and Mr. Altman's line drawings. After several years of increasingly challenging coastal paddles, I have found that it is indispensable.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars BEGINNERS Guide....as the title suggests, August 17, 2000

By 

Darren (Jersey Shore, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sit-on-Top Kayaking : A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

A bit expensive for a manual type guide (minus one star). The larger than normal type and simple language makes this guide an easy read and a very useful one, especially for those who are new to the sport of kayaking. The chapters on safety, rescues and signals could be literal lifesavers and are essential reading for anyone entering the paddling experience (ok..so if it saves your life..it's worth the price). However, if you are already familiar with the paddling basics (strokes, safety, etc), there's nothing much new here, except for some specific information tailored to sit-on- top type kayaks. For those planning to paddle in the ocean, chapters on waves, tides and kayak surfing are useful and informative.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book for all levels of kayakers, March 2, 2000

By 

Kevin K.L. Ching DDS "Brush, floss and paddle... (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sit-on-Top Kayaking : A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

Tom Holtey has had several decades of experience in kayaking and it shows. The information in this unique book is an easy read, but by no means trivial. The obvious target is the beginner, but there are many details that the experienced kayaker will find useful. I have personally paddled with Mr. Holtey, and I can vouch that he knows his stuff, and practices what he preaches! If you are considering kayaking, there are other books on the subject are very detailed and you may want to purchase them. However, if you want a book that distills all of the information into a concise form that you will remember when you are out there in the awesome blue world that all kayakers know and love, then get this book.