Kayaking Books

Ultrasimple Boat Building: 18 Plywood Boats Anyone Can Build

Gavin Atkin

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Subjects -> History -> Military -> Naval
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Transportation -> Ships -> Boat Building
Subjects -> Sports -> Water Sports -> Boating

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ultrasimple Boatbuilding Review 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who is contemplating building their own boat. This book was a special treat for me because there is a picture of a boat I built in it.
The prospect of building a boat can be very overwhelming. It is a process of figuring out your needs and then deciding on an appropriate design. This is followed by determining if you have the tools, money, space, skill, and time to see a project go from a pile of wood to a pleasant afternoon sailing on a local lake with your family. If you are like me you begin this process by reading as much as you possibly can prior to actually creating sawdust.
Gavin Atkin's book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the "how" to build a boat. Although you may supplement this information with additional material from other sources, Atkin gives enough practical information to actually build a boat. Atkin makes building a boat for someone who has never done it seem very doable, even fun. The second part of the book is filled with designs to whet the appetite of anyone who
is in the process of trying to decide what would would be the right boat for them. Mr. Atkin includes complete plans for seventeen of his own designs, all very doable, plus he reviews designs done by other popular designers.
My boat recently succumbed to dry rot and was hauled to the dump. I am now in the process of deciding which is the "right" boat to build and Gavin Atkin's book, "Ultrasimple Boatbuilding", has renewed my interest in building my own boat again.

Editorial Review:

The first complete how-to guide for building the latest generation of quick and easy boats

In Ultrasimple Boatbuilding, renowned designer Gavin Atkin shows you how to create elegant, seaworthy plywood boats with a minimum of time, experience, and expense. Using clearly written and illustrated step-by-step instructions, Atkin explains the basics of stitch-and-glue construction, tools, materials, shop safety, and more, as he helps you choose and build the simple boat of your dreams.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Canoeing and Kayaking

Canoe and Kayak Magazine, Dennis Stuhaug

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Liberty Mountain Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $10.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Just what we wanted 4 out of 5 stars.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.

We had already purchased a kayak,are novices, and wanted to learn a few basics without going through classes, since we were going on lakes, not white water. The book is packed with all kinds of interesting tips, terms, and knowledge. I looked over many books and decided on this one. Glad I did, it was just what I wanted.

Good for learning beginning skills 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Good basic book for the beginner learning about kayaking/canoeing. Filled with many good tips for picking a boat, paddle, and good ideas about what to buy to outfit boat and yourself. Good safety tips too. Since I've never done any kind of boating, this was a worthwhile purchase for me.

Editorial Review:

Don't get caught without a paddle...

Filled with nearly 100 photos and illustrations, this must-have guide-written by the foremost paddlesports experts-gives the aspiring canoe or kayak adventurer everything he or she needs to know before taking the plunge. Inside, discover how to choose between buying a canoe or a kayak, understand paddling techniques and strokes, and find out how to plan a trip and choose an outfitter or guide.

The Complete Sea Kayaker's Handbook

Shelley Johnson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Comprehensive Kayak Handbook 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After previewing several kayak books in the "handbook" category (those that cover the activity broadly and without specializing in any specific topic), I ultimately decided on Shelley Johnson's Complete Sea Kayaker's Handbook. I was hesitant to go with the title due to its corporate publisher (McGraw Hill imprint) figuring the smaller publishers with more specialization in outdoor activity publishing would offer better books or the more well known authors might have better selections. But the reviews kept leading me back to Johnson's rather inexpensive but very comprehensive Handbook.

The most important aspect of this title is Shelley Johnson's writing style. I found most kayak books to read like the author was an outdoors' person trying to be a writer rather than an excellent writer laying out all the key concepts of the activity. That being said, Johnson has impressive credentials and a solid understanding and mastery of kayaking and covered all aspects in respectable detail compared to many of the other "handbooks" that were rather short.

Three negatives come to mind and are minor flaws only. Pictures in the book (very good photography, I might add) almost all displayed Current Designs kayaks which seemed odd considering how many different kayakers were photographed. Made me thing there was some underwriting or sponsorship and annoyed me slightly for some odd reason. Number two is Johnson's use of "she" which is a personal pet peeve of mine rather than using a gender neutral "their" to describe an unknown third person. Finally, 10 pages on cooking with 7 of those pages being recipies was just weird. I understand the book should have a small section on cooking and camping while touring. But 10 pages for cooking seemed excessive.

Trip planning, navigation, and weather were all sensational additions to my developing knowledge. While I have become well versed though hardly fully proficient in most strokes, the chapter on strokes was very well done with good pictures and illustrations. The sidebars bring up a lot of controversies and issues associated with the activity, gear, etc. This book was even better than I had expected it would be and is an incredible value for the price considering the comprehensive nature and better writing style than other similar titles.

Editorial Review:

The Complete Sea Kayaker's Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the full sea kayaking spectrum, bringing a fresh approach and a dynamic voice to the subject. Author of the critically acclaimed Sea Kayaking: A Woman's Guide, Shelley Johnson covers all the bases for beginning to advanced sea kayakers. It's all here, from selecting the right kayak and gear to preparing and making an extended tour, mastering the strokes, rolls, and exit techniques; navigating; and much more.

Outdoor Navigation With GPS: Hiking, Geocaching, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, Outdoor Photography, Backpacking, Mountain Biking

Stephen W. Hinch

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Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Earth Sciences -> Geography
Subjects -> Science -> Earth Sciences -> Geography -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Whether you're hiking, fishing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, or taking a mountain bike ride in the backcountry, a GPS receiver can help you reach your destination and return safely--but only if you know how to use it! Outdoor Navigation with GPS, the most complete, easy-to-use GPS book available, is your guide to getting the most out of a receiver, from basic consumer advice to advanced techniques. Starting with essential definitions such as UTM coordinate systems, position formats, and map datums, and moving on to creating "waypoints," and using your GPS with a computer, long-time GPS instructor Stephen W. Hinch breaks down the jargon and teaches you what you really need to know.

• An emphasis on practical applications over technical theory.
• Examples include illustrative screenshots from the newest receivers--from top companies like Garmin, Magellan, and DeLorme.
• Lists up-to-date Web resources for the rapidly changing technology of GPS and its uses.

Discover Acadia National Park, 2nd: AMC Guide to the Best Hiking, Biking, and Paddling (AMC Discover Series)

Jerry Monkman, Marcy Monkman

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Appalachian Mountain Club Books Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $3.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

You Are Not a Typical National Park Tourist 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

You are not going to Acadia to bag another national park; you are not driving hundreds of miles just to drive up another mile to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, or to take a tour bus to the popover capital of the universe, Jordan Pond House. No. You are going there to bike your buns off. You're taking your kayak to feel the salty Atlantic spray in your face. You are going to bag Acadia's peaks the old fashioned way, by hiking up. You are going to need the Appalachian Mountain Club's book, "Discover Acadia National Park, Second Edition." You are going to need the pocket-sized map inside the back cover, and when your trip is over and you put it back in its sleeve, it's going to be dog-eared and wet. Your souvenir will be your sunburn; you'll do Acadia your way.

Cycling
Most of you will bike, it's the national sport here. The carriage paths (so called because John D. Rockefeller Jr. had them constructed for horse-drawn carriages), criss-cross the entire park, including the high elevation parts with the best views. When the AMC classifies the "Around The Mountain Loop" as "Difficult," you can expect to perspire a little. But honestly, the AMC tends to exaggerate a little. That "Around the Mountain Loop" isn't going to take you anything like 4 hours; it's going to take 2.5 hours at most. That 4 hour estimate is going to give you time to change a flat tire. And the Eagle Lake Loop will take a fit novice 50 minutes, not 2 hours.

Kayaking
The freshwater kayak excursions are very popular, but you didn't drive hundreds of miles to the Maine coast to paddle in ponds. Okay, loosen up in Eagle Lake, but eventually you're going to want to paddle Frenchman's Bay, The Porcupine Islands, or Somes Sound. Look a seal in the eye; photograph a humpback whale surfacing nearby for air. The seals are locals (notice their distinctive pronunciation), but the whales are tourists like you; say "Hi," and ask `em where they're from.

Hiking
Many of the hiking trails described in this book are fabulous, but some are forgettable. On a nice day there are literally a thousand people on Cadillac Mountain's one acre summit, half of them jockeying for parking spaces. The National Park Service needs to close the summit road so that the only access is by hiking or biking. Unfortunately this book doesn't indicate which destinations are accssible only with perspiration. Do try the Penobscot and Sergeant Mountain Trail, The Western Mountains - Mansell and Bernard, and The Peak Baggers' Delight. Actually any part of the Western Peninsula is going to be better hiking than the Eastern Peninsula; it's simply less explored.

Nor should you neglect the book's shaded boxes on topics like whales, lichens, the boreal forest, moose, and loons. You are there to take it all in, not to speed past things you'll seldom be able cozy up to again.

And take a little zip lock freezer bag to keep that little map dry. It's extremely helpful to gain access to the park's attractions, but it's a little fragile, and you're going to want it to stay intact in order to find your way out.

Editorial Review:

Now completely revised and updated, this is the ultimate multi-sport guide to outdoor adventure in popular Acadia National Park.

Kayaking Puget Sound, the San Juans, and Gulf Islands: 50 Trips on the Northwest's Inland Waters

Randel Washburne, R. Carey Gersten

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Revised and expanded guide to the best kayaking daytrips and overnighters in an area eminently suited to saltwater paddling, with completely updated information on the original routes from the first edition, plus five new ones. Also includes information on the Cascadia Marine Trail, the only Marine National Recreation Trail in the country3/4how to use it, how to support it.

The extensive inland waterways of the Pacific Northwest are considered among the best in the world for sea kayaking. Beautiful scenery, intricate and protected waterways, clean and clear water, and abundant marine life define the area. On shore are ample public parklands for camping and exploring.

These fifty trips in Puget Sound's myriad islands and fjordlike canals and inlets cover the area from Canada's Gulf Islands to the shores of Tacoma, including the fabulous San Juan islands and the unique Hood Canal. Each trip lists details including duration, potential hazard ratings, directions, an explanation of the area's tides and currents, and more. Also included are safety tips and guidelines for kayaking and camping with minimal impact on the environment.