News & Views

What to Wear for Kayaking Don’t let cotton underwear ruin your day. If you’re dressed right, you’ll stay dry (or dry enough), stay warm (or cool enough), and enjoy your time on the water. We often say “dress for immersion” because if you end up in the water, you’ll be safe and comfortable and not soggy and miserable. Here’s how we dress for kayaking, season by season—based on real-life experience from thousands of paddlers and a lot of trial and error. 🦺 Life Jackets (a.k.a. Personal Flotation Devices) Wearing a life jacket is the single most important thing you can do to stay safe on the water. A U.S. Coast Guard–approved personal flotation device (PFD) keeps your body afloat if you fall in. Everyone in your group should wear one—no exceptions. But not all life jackets are the same. What…

How to Plan and Lead a Safe Kayak Trip in Open Water A Guide for Group Leaders, Guides, and Self-Guided Paddlers If you’re leading others (or simply taking responsibility for yourself) on a kayaking trip that goes beyond the protected shore, be thoroughly prepped. You’re navigating tides, wind, distance, emotions, and real risk. This guide outlines how to plan and execute on successful outings in open water. Disclaimer: we can’t cover everything here, but some is better than none!   BEFORE: Prepare Yourself and Your Group Plan around the least experienced person. Don’t shape your trip around yourself if there are others. Instead, ask: • Who is the least experienced on their boat? • Who might fatigue quickly? • Who has the least time on these waters? Collaborate and build your route around their needs. Everyone needs to be prepared.…

What To Wear After Summer The Hudson River was carved by glacier during the last Ice Age. The Ice Age is over and now humans paddle the path of the glacier. Warm blooded we are, we must take special precautions because cold water of any temperature can have a sudden effect on body and brain….

Flow: Timeless Transcendence On The Water I have paddled my whole life in wonderful places throughout the world. This includes halfway around Australia, Alaska, Patagonia, The Galapagos Islands, British Virgin Islands, San Juan Islands, Scotland, Maine, SF Bay, Florida Keys, Bahamas, Kauai, Costa Rica, Brittany, Bavaria. Then, there are the thousands of miles in the…

Want to Kayak or Paddleboard After Summer? Cold season paddling can be a glorious joy! There’s a lack of traffic, unique angle of the light, and a sense you’re a step closer to a primal reality. That’s why MKC offers it. Fresh air and blue water creates a wonderful heart-nurturing exercise. Connecting to nature via…

Here’s a wonderful article on Manhattan Kayak and our SUP tours and history in SUP Magazine by Rebecca Parsons. Hope you enjoy it! -The Manhattan Kayak Team 

When I founded Manhattan Kayak Company, I was a kayak snob. I believed that the sleek, sit-in-style kayak that hugged the body like a ski boot, making the boat an extension of my nervous system, plus the natural rhythm and efficiency of a two-bladed paddle, were superior to its canoeing cousins. My belief seemed to…

Which One Should You Choose: Kayak or SUP? If you are brand new to paddling and are conflicted about which paddling discipline to learn, I am here to help. As founder of Manhattan Kayak Co, I have a lot to share on this topic. First, for fitness: In both kayaking and SUP, learn to use…

What’s SUP? Stand-Up Paddleboarding Will Taylor, editor of SUP The Mag, writes in his forward of Urban Reprieve: “Cities make me feel like a child when I do go -whether it is New York, Bangkok or Rome – I wander around in a daze, my senses indulging in the constant stimulation, my neck craned skyward…”….