Looking for the best kayaks for a beginner kayaker? Here’s the ultimate guide to buying your first kayak:

why this blog? hi there! My name is Maddy and I’m an adventure guide and guidebook writer committed to helping people explore the outdoors, with a focus on Midwest adventure. I’ve worked as a kayak guide for 6+ years and counting, have experience in outdoor retail and demoing kayaks, and I’m more than happy to help you choose the best kayak for you.

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Best Kayaks for Beginners: how to choose the best kayak for you!

Choosing a kayak is a super personal choice! The best kayak for you will depend on where you want to paddle, how far you want to paddle, and your body type.

1) Wilderness Systems Pungo

If you’re looking for the single best kayak for beginners, check out the Wilderness Systems Pungo. This boat is the multi-tool of all kayaks, and one of the most popular kayaks on the market for a reason. 

The Pungo is stable in a variety conditions, has dry storage, is fast and durable. It’s totally possible to camp out of a Pungo on overnight calm water river routes and chains of lakes (I’ve actually used a Pungo exactly for this)!

Overall, the Pungo is the perfect boat for a paddler looking for a boat to tackle a variety of routes and needs. 

A quick note about open water:

For paddling on the ocean, exposed headlands, or lakes with more than 5+ miles of open water, it is extra important to check weather and consider conditions. 

On extremely large lakes like the Great Lakes, outside of protected bays a sea kayak— a kayaking with two sealed bulkheads or pockets of air— is the only suitable and sea worthy vessel. Note that while a sea kayak can increase your safety, a sea kayak and proper gear alone cannot keep you safe without knowledge of how to use your safety gear and self-rescue. 

2) Wilderness Systems Tsunami

For beginner-level coastal trips, kayak touring and camping, check out the Wilderness Systems Tsunami. This boat is an entry-level sea kayak with two sealed pockets of air on either end, meaning the boat will not sink if capsized.

Because of this, in the event of capsize you can either self-rescue back into your boat or hang onto your boat while you await rescue. 

The Tsunami is stable and durable, and good for longer overnight camping trips in mostly protected waters like calm rivers and lakes. This boat is also suitable for  beginner level coastal day trips where conditions are expected to be 1ft waves or less with no swell, and all parties are fully equipped with safety kits and ACA L2 skills.

For a boat better suited for coastal touring, look into a Wilderness Systems Tempest.

For a full list of gear and safety gear to bring kayaking, click here!

3) Oru Lake Kayak

Looking for a lightweight, highly portable kayak for paddling calm lakes and rivers? The foldable Oru lake kayak is a great choice!

This kayak is less than 20 pounds and highly portable. The Oru Lake kayak may not be suitable for paddlers looking to tackle areas with waves or larger paddlers as there is a hard weight limit of 250 lbs. 

4) Eddyline Sky 10

Looking for a great kayak for calm evenings on the local lake that looks great in photos? The Eddyline Sky 10 is a beautiful, lightweight (just 32 lbs) designed for calm waters. 

This kayak is an excellent choice for paddlers looking for a gentle, sleek ride and a lightweight kayak. Note that due to the thinner carbonate campsite used in Eddyline kayaks, this is not a good kayak to drag over rocks. 

The Eddyline Sky 10 has a weight limit of 250 lbs, is considered a stable boat, and is relatively easy to transport. 

5) Eddyline Sitka XT

The Eddyline Sitka XT is a great kayak for a sea kayaker looking to tackle mostly protected routes. This model is lightweight with a skeg (drop down fin) to allow for straight tracking, and is best used for day- weekend paddle trips. 

While the Sitka is marketed as a sea kayak, as a sea kayaking guide I personally would not recommend the Sitka for paddles where over two ft waves are expected or likely. 

note! pictured boat is a performance Valley sea kayak & not a Sitka.

At 15ft 3in this is a short boat for a sea kayak and likely to not track well in following seas, meaning that due to the length there is an increased change of capsize when the waves are at your back, increased by the fact this boat is already marketed toward beginners. 

(Ie, 15ft is not necessarily a short boat for an experienced paddler looking to play in large waves and surf, but no experienced paddler would choose an eddy line for a surf boat. A 13 ft Sitka is also available; in my opinion this is too short a boat for coastal paddling for beginners and suitable only for calm lakes and not sea kayaking as advertised.)

in short:

My personally recommendation is that the Sitka is only the boat for you if you are looking to do coastal day trips where mostly calm water is expected, or weekend overnight trips of the same. 

In general, I find Eddyline boats to be overpriced for what they are (you can get a heavier, hardier plastic kayak for cheaper) unless you specifically find value in the aesthetics of the boat and its lighter weight.

6) Tarpon Wilderness Systems Sit-on-top

For the best beginner kayak for fishing, check out the Wilderness Systems Tarpon. This stable sit-on-top kayak is perfect for fishing on calm mornings with plenty of storage and a comfortable seat.

This boat is also dog friendly! Consider picking up a life jacket for your dog before taking them kayaking.

Are inflatable kayaks a good idea?

Exercise a healthy amount of caution around inflatable kayaks! While some inflatable kayaks might be suitable for casual small lake paddling, keep in mind that inflatable kayaks can be difficult to self rescue into in the event of capsize. 

In addition, failure to inflate properly can lead to a less stable inflatable kayak. Personally, I never recommend purchasing an inflatable kayak particularly for beginners. 

Rather than an inflatable kayak, consider a packraft instead. 

What do I need to know before buying my first kayak?

Before buying a kayak there are three major things to consider! 

First, decide what type of paddle trips you would like to do. Are you looking for kayaking trips mostly on your local lake? Do you prefer to take river trips or overnight kayaking trips usually for a weekend on mostly calm water? Or are you interested in in open coastal trips with potentially large waves? Each of these types of paddling will lend best to a different type of kayak. 

Second, consider your own body. How heavy of a kayak can you carry? Is it more important to you that your kayak looks pretty, or that you can drag it over rocks? If you are a smaller person, you are going to want a smaller kayak. On the other hand, if you are larger, you’ll need to factor that into your kayak choice too.

Third, you will want to factor in your budget! There is a common conception that a more expensive kayak means a higher quality kayak; this is not necessarily true. 

While it is generally true that the $100-$200 kayaks you find at Walmart are definitely worse (and more likely to sink) than a nice rotomolded Wilderness Systems boat, increased price tag doesn’t always correlate to better quality. 

looking for more on how to get into kayaking? Check out these other resources for kayakers!

• Check out the ultimate guide to overnight kayak camping adventures!
• Here’s your packing checklist for kayaking adventures!
• Read about the best kayaking destinations near Seattle!

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