I am pretty new to the kayaking world but I am in love with the sport! I am not the kind of person who will go find his first kayak at Costco so I am hoping you might be able to help me. DO you have favorite books that you read to help you with the sport? I am also looking at getting a magazine subscription since they will be keeping me in tune with the latest products. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Hi Brooks. I salute your intention to learn more about sea kayaking by reading books and magazines. Having a small library on the subject will be of real value. My suggestion is that you get David Burch's Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation , for sure. This book is packed with useful kayaking info above and beyond just navigating--you cannot go wrong here. Next I'd suggest getting at least 2 and maybe 3 sea kayaking manuals and reading them all thoroughly, comparing and contrasting the advice given to you in all the books. You'll quickly see that there are areas of sea kayaking where the experts don't agree, so you'll need to find out why, and then determine for yourself what the most prudent advice is, for you in your situation.

Since we're on Sea Kayaker's message board, I can recommend Sea Kayaker as one magazine to consider ;).

Go to nckayaks.com and read their words very carefully. Especially their discription of their boats and what they are designed to do. You can also go to paddling net. and request catalogues from a lot of kayak builders.

Along with NC Kayaks, I would also recommend that you consider Seaward, Atlantis, QCC, Valley, NDK, Current Designs, Eddyline, Necky, Point 65 N, Wilderness...I'm sure I've left some out--some on purpose. And if you are handy, you might even be interested in building your own. Check out Pygmy and CLC.

I am very partial to NC Kayaks and Current Designs, but everyone has their favorites.

I think it is very important to try to determine just what type of kayaking you are most interested in and look for a boat that satisfies that interest best and is within your budget. Since we are here on a sea kayaking forum, I sort of assume that sea kayaking is on your agenda. If you aren't already aware of it, you soon will be that sea kayaking has many facets. Are you going to want to play around in the ocean, lakes, rivers, sloughs; mostly day paddle, tour (camp out etc.), fish, bird watch, do some photography? Whatever it is, the boat you choose is going to be very important and will be an enourmous factor in how much you enjoy your particular endevour.

Carefully consider what type of construction will suit your interest the best and then find out all you can about what constitutes a well built boat--using that particular material.

Just be patient; learn as much as you can and be ready to change your mind about all of the above, over and over until you are thoroughly confused, but then you will emerge with your own formula that is right for you--for a while anyway. Have fun.

Brooks, continuing with your topic of a sea kayaking library, I also recommend the book Sea Kayaker: Deep Trouble . This book is a compilation of 20 Safety reports that appeared in Sea Kayaker magazine over the years. The accounts, by Matt Broze and George Gronseth, detail just what went wrong during these sea kayaking outings, and what lessons each misfortune (some fatal) can teach us about planning a trip, avoiding mistakes, and generally keeping out of trouble on the water. You'll find that book, and many other good books and DVDs, for sale here on the Sea Kayaker Magazine home website.

Thank you for the help. I ordered for a start:
1.Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble: True Stories and Their Lessons from Sea Kayaker Magazine
2.Sea Kayaking: A Manual for Long-Distance Touring, John Dowd
3.Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation, 4th: Master the Traditional Skills and the Latest Technologies
4.Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Coast: From Northern Oregon to British Columbia's North Coast
This should fill my inbox for a bit and thank you again for the help.
Brooks

Brooks, great start on your library! Excellent selection of books. Here are some other totally unsolicited suggestions that have worked well for me over 25 years of sea kayaking:

Get the nautical charts for the areas you choose to paddle, and become familiar with them. This holds whether you carry a GPS or not.

Know the wind; Respect the wind; Fear the wind. You might want to check out the thread on this Message Board: How hard is the wind blowing, really?

Keep a log of your paddles. Triples the enjoyment of your trips, over the years.

Not sure where you're located (West Coast I think, right?) But,my guidebook to paddling in NY just hit the shelves 2 months ago. It is called "Canoeing and Kayaking New Yor" and covers paddling locationa across the whole state. You can go to http://www.menasharidge.com/product.php?productid=16753 to check it out.

Kevin,
While the server for our blog is indeed located in the Northwest our members are from all over the world. Good luck with your new book.