Love to kayak? But also wish your dog could come? Well look no further, I have done the research for ya on the single most amazing kayak ever. Buckle up.
You may have noticed, we got ourselves a new addition to the page here and one that I have been wanting to include for a while...kayaking! The past couple of years along my adventures to various campgrounds, state parks, and city parks, I began renting kayaks. Renting? Ya...it's kind of hard to own one when you don't have a permanent home. Anywho, most times I was camping or vacationing and of course my dog was with me, but when I would rent a kayak, Rusty would have to stay behind. As you KNOW by now, I'm not a big fan of that. But that is kind of how the cookie crumbles when you are renting something and have to obey the rules. But now that I have a permanent location? A kayak was high on the list.
And what do you know...I finally got one! After months of research I might add. Why did I not just head to the local outdoor shop and purchase the prettiest one I saw? Because if you did one simple search on kayaks, you could probably see there are 5 billion different types, lengths, colors, purposes, shapes, and seats that a kayak could have. If I just wanted a general kayak to hop in the water with to tool around, then sure, grab the cheapest one in town and you are good to go. But I was not going to get caught with a kayak that did not fit Rusty! I had rented enough of various kayak types to know immediately that some would better fit a dog than others. But I didn't really know what type I REALLY needed.
Another little known fact about me...I usually am pretty good at somehow picking out the most expensive option available...without even trying. So I will just let you know that this definitely does not end up being the cheapest option out there. Tune out now if you want. BUT--I started googling, youtubing, pinteresting, you name it to find pictures, videos, articles, and opinions on what works best for dogs. Do you need a long kayak, a wide kayak, a sit on top vs sit in kayak, or how about a angler kayak? Uhhhh...what? What I quickly learned was that I definitely wanted a sit on top kayak meaning you are not "in" a kayak and your legs and feet are free to the air and not tucked under and away. This was step one. That is the biggest and most well-known distinction for kayaks. The sit on top kayaks offer more leg room aka larger room for a dog to sit. So then this is where it became complicated...real fast.
The thing about sit on top kayaks is that they tend to have more cutouts and grooves inside the kayak for seats and foot holes and storage and who knows what else. Imagine a big dog. Standing on a wobbly surface. With uneven terrain. Oh, and they can't swim. Did I ever mention Rusty can't swim? Ya, don't worry, he wears a life jacket. But he really does hate water so he has never gone past paw deep haha. Okay, back to the above scenario. So all of that sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Exactly. I was not going to buy just ANY kayak and find out that Rusty wouldn't even get on it safely! Or better yet, he gets on it...and then tips us both. So now I was on the hunt for a kayak that offered a smooth and even-ish surface along the bottom for Rusty to sit/stand.
The thing about kayaking solo with a dog...is that there is technically two of you...but only one can contribute to the paddling. Kayaks can be either solo or tandem (meaning two people). The more seats you have, the longer it gets. The longer it gets, the heavier it becomes. The heavier it becomes, one person likely can no longer manage it onto a car or into the water alone. See where I am going? Back to the dog as a second person who can't functionally help. So did I really want a solo kayak? Or a tandem? Honestly, I went back and forth on this one for a long time. Again, I did not want to end up with a kayak that I could not manage by myself or that ended up being too small for me and Rusty.
Okay, so why not just go to the kayak store and sit in them all and see what fits best? Well. 1) This is the midwest and kayaking is not SUPER common. Unlike my short stent in New England where literally every car, truck, SUV has a kayak on top. And 2) It was winter when I was looking and most local retailers cut down on kayak inventory until spring rolls around. So basically I was looking at the most perfect wrong time. It's okay, I do what I want! But this also meant that whatever kayak I found to be up to my standards, I would probably end up purchasing sight unseen...I'm sort of an avid online shopper so it didn't really concern me.
Now, here we go. Throughout my research I stumbled across a "10 Best Kayaks for Dogs". HELLO. Now we are talking! Of course I went through each one--price, colors (yes, that played a role--I won't be seen in something ugly!), and room for Rusty. And you know what, I ended up buying #1 on that list. The Ocean Kayak Malibu Two. Now, let me tell you why its AMAZING. It's a tandem--but hold up--it has THREE spots for seats. You can use the kayak with two adults, two adults and a small dog or child in the middle, OR one adult and a large dog. Did you hear that last one...ONE ADULT AND A LARGE DOG. That's me and Rusty!! Although I prefer to think of Rusty as a medium sized dog, but we can argue that later. And since its a tandem, yes, it is a little heavier, BUT it short for a tandem kayak. 12 feet to be exact. Most solo kayaks are around 10 feet, while most tandem kayaks can be 14 feet or longer! AND the entire bottom contour is flatter than others which allows for more stability of the kayak to prevent tipping. Of course this comes as a trade off usually with speed, but who is trying to race in a kayak with a dog? Not me.
So TODAY, finally today, the weekend weather cooperated and me and Rusty broke this puppy in (the kayak, not my dog). And I must say, it paddled like a beaut. As for Rusty? He was a rockstar of course! Now stay tuned for future posts about kayak gear for me and Rusty as well as for my vehicle! And how to manage a kayak all by yourself...when your tandem kayak partner is a dog - it is possible! It's good to be back on here, friends, and as always, thanks for reading.
Shawna + Rusty
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