How old should a Child be to go Kayak???

Question

How old should a Child be to go Kayak???

Answer 1

Old enough to be able to swim, and fit enough to get to shore and climb out without help. If the child cannot do any of this, it will be risking their life to take them kayaking.

Answer 2

With a properly sized personal flotation device and adult supervision, pre-school-age children can do just fine in kayaks. The youngest child I know to have learned to perform a roll in a whitewater boat was 3-years-old. Jackson Kayaks makes some great play boats for tykes. My 8-year-old paddles a Wilderness Systems Ripper on 6-10-mile river trips that are mostly flatwater with small rapids. The most important consdieration is that your child know how to swim, knows how to re-enter the kayak if it capsizes, and is closely supervised by an adult. http://www.waterwilderness.net

Answer 3

Kayaking is offered in camps. With proper gear and some swimming experience there are different sized kayaks that can be handled by different ages i different types of water.

Answer 4

Age is somewhat irrelevant- Ask yourself,can they swim? Can they use good judgment and avoid a predicament? Will they be on calm lake water or a raging river? Just make sure they know how to right an overturned kayak,they wear a protective head cover and they can remain calm no matter what happens.