20 Best Sea Kayak For Beginners (2023 Updated)

Cedar Creek is THE place to shop for all your kayaking and camping needs. Terrific customer service and speedy delivery! The Pungo 120 is hands down the best Kayak for a beginner to expert. It has everything you need and a wide variety of accessories!!.

PaddleVA was so helpful throughout the shipping process. The kayak arrived well packed and in perfect condition. This kayak handled so naturally for me on the lake and river. The seat is comfortable, the foot rests are easy to adjust while on the water, the console is very convenient, and I was able to transport this kayak by myself.

I like to think I am pretty strong, but I am a 5’7″ woman (not a big burly man), so I was very glad I was able to lift this boat up onto the roof rack without help. This boat is so comfortable and handles so well.

It is exactly the kayak I had been dreaming for years of owning. Thank you PaddleVA.

This kayak has been used and abused in every way possible, all across this fine land. 10 years of solid use, never kept indoors. actually on a lake in the water for probably 60% of it’s life. I have to say,it has been good one.

In all of those years it has never tipped over. It has developed a few leaks but that is just from wear and tear from rocks and pavement and such. The elastic JUST started getting loose this year. Honestly,I would have never dreamed of getting 10 years of use and catching probably 10,000 fish or more from something that costs $500.

well done.

Under normal circumstances I probably wouldn’t have left a review. This kayak has to be a speed demon but only if it is purchased in orange. I be this thing can do 300 mph easy on open water in perfect weather conditions.

There is a secret button on the paddle handle that opens up and two compartments under the kayak and exposes a futuristic space propulsion system that will launch you straight into hyperdrive. This Kayak has to be hands down the fastest little speed demon watercraft on the face of the earth.

This thing will get you an Olympic gold medal easy, Paris 2024 be ready. Get your bottles of champagne ready. You know the saying “If you’re not first, you’re last”, you will have movies made about you after purchasing this sweet water racer.

Anyways this is all an assumption since someone stole my credit card info and bought this little orange rocket kayak from Walmart Online. This is the only explanation I could think of for why someone would buy a kayak with a stolen credit card it has to be something extremely special.

If I see this kayak in the Olympics I will know for sure who stole my CC information. Anyways I hope this Kayak was worth it. Cheers to your new found love for water adventures.

Great kayak for young kids first learning how to paddle. I have one for both my 5 and 8 year old. They enjoy being able to have their own kayak and coming along with me for a paddle. I recommend bringing a tow rope for when they get tired and using some common sense while considering the user’s age when planning an outing but overall these kayaks are great for their price and for beginners.

Perfect for introducing kids too kayaking and getting them started. Will be getting my kids something a little nicer once they outgrow these but for now they both love their kayaks.

Bought this for my preschool age granddaughter’s birthday. It arrived last week in perfect condition. No scratches and plastic bag it came in was in perfect condition. The kayak is extremely stable and it tracked well.

My granddaughter stood on it and also got on and off the side in the water without tipping. She was a bit too small to get on herself from the rear. Pink color is super visible and she was beyond excited to call it her own.

I purchased it from Dicks Sporting Goods who worked closely with Lifetime to offer an excellent customer service experience. The entire ordeal exceeded in my expectations.

I am an old whitewater boater. I have also been a sea kayaker. I now enjoy kayaking on the ocean with my grandsons. I know boats and I knew which boat would fit my need. Paddleva had the boat I wanted and was able to ship it to me (crucial since I live on an island).

The professionalism and knowledge of the staff was impressive. They also worked with me on how to make sure the delivery company did not damage the boat. I will continue to buy both sea and recreational kayaks.

I now know which company to deal with.

After review of multiple tandem kayak rankings, the Malibu Two showed up multiple time so. I bought it and used it for the first time this weekend. I have a cockpit kayak and don’t like the enclosed feeling.

Tis is a great kayak. I much prefer the sit-on-top design. The seats offer very comfortable back support. The ability to paddle solo is a great feature.

I can’t really complain too much, it did last for 6 trips. I did hope for a little better durability since it was not used anywhere it could get ripped, only used in calm water with no obstructions. Bottom chamber developed a leak, haven’t found the hole yet, just doesn’t hold air.

When it did hold air, my wife enjoyed using it on several local lakes. If you still consider buying one, it is fine for smaller people, my wife is just over 5’, worked great for her, it would be getting pretty tight starting around 5’6” or so, still usable up to probably 6’ or so.

Can be aired up with the supplied pump in 5 minutes or so, oar could be a little longer, but works. Seat is comfortable, leave both seat bottom and seat back fairly low on air to get best comfort. It does handle well and is very stable.

I can’t really recommend, but for the price, it’s still cheaper than a rental would cost you for 3 or 4 hours at most places, so keep that in mind, if you were going to rent somewhere, this could well be a better alternative.

This is a very well-designed kayak at a great price. It has the rapid acceleration, quick turning and straight tracking of a high performance boat at a much lower cost. The raked bow and modified “Greenland design” is very beautiful.

“Curiously, it is marketed as a fishing kayak but will shine as a fast day- tripping boat or overnighter in the hands of a confident paddler looking to improve their skills. An experienced kayaker who dos not want to break the bank will love this boat, but due to its narrow (21”) beam, it will seem tippy to a novice, and they should not venture far from shore.

The short waterline and narrow beam make this a very efficient boat to paddle due to a small wetted surface area. This could easily result in a 15%net savings in energy expenditure and time spent on the water.

For a six-hour paddle (360 minute) such a savings puts you into camp nearly an hour earlier, thus avoiding building waves and thunderstorms. This is a critical safety consideration frequently overlooked.

While longer kayaks are capable of greater top (“hull”) speeds, sprints cannot be maintained for long. Plastic boats like this are heavier than comparable fiberglass boats, but since the paddler makes up most of the weight while in the water, this difference is of less importance in performance than form drag (boat width) and wetted surface area.

I recommend getting kayak “wheels” for transport if weight is an issue. Plastic boats like this seem nearly indestructible, and this one is wellsuited to small and medium-sized paddlers. The fishing rod holders are extraneous, as are the extensive lines (ropes) on the decks.

The boat is really too narrow to be a stable platform for most fishermen and the bungee cords on deck are sufficient for handling and re-entry. The seat back strap should be strengthened, and probably will not last, but adding your own cushions can make a custom fit for a very low cost.

The rudder lines are too weak and will not be durable over the long term. Regardless, the boat tracks so well and turns so quickly that a rudder is not necessary, and I have taken mine off. A rudder will add to your drag in the water and windage (crosswind profile), making holding a course more difficult.

The hatches are watertight and well made. I have been sea kayaking in coastal Alaska and British Columbia, as well as the Pacific Northwest, for about 40 years and can enthusiastically recommend this boat.

Purchased two (2) BKC SK287 in yellow over Labor Day Weekend. Both shipped together to my home in rural VA within 10 days, and shipper called in advance to arrange delivery details. Packaging was minimal, but sufficient to avoid any shipping damage, which I appreciate as an environmentalist.

No assembly instructions, but mounting of the rudder was intuitive. BKC email notifications before, during, and after were appreciated. Intermediate level paddler via Scouting, but first-time yak owner.

These are very nice, mid-level boats that should give years of paddling pleasure, if properly stored and maintained. A bit tippy for the Beginner paddler, but like bicycling, balance comes with forward momentum and practice.

Yellow color highly visible for our busy boat traffic corridors. Paddle On!.

I bought the sk287 because of the price and the features for that price thinking it will be an ok yak based on reviews some quite negative, but when I received the yak very pleased with appearance boat has a lot of rocker, very comfortable.

Took it out yesterday for first time. Alot of reviews say it is unstable on the water, I’m sorry I’ve been kayaking for over 30 years and anyone who says this boat is unstable doesn’t know what they’re talking about or the first thing about kayaks.

This is a Hard chined Greenland styled yak. From the moment I sat in the yak I felt comfortable and very stable paddled all day in comfort,was able to edge this boat with ease and never felt the least bit tippy, rolled with Ease as well.

Now the things that could use improvement are rudder system is ok but not as smooth as I would like. Not a lot of info on this boat so some things I will let you know are- spray skirt size I recommend seals spray skirts size 1.

4 fit is perfect I have a sea sprite by seals. Also if you are over 5’10 not the boat for you I’m 5’7 fit is awesome you have to know what boat is the right size for your height and weight so if you are 5’10 or under 200 pounds or less and are a some what experienced yakker this is a great boat well worth the price also recommended getting the upgraded paddle by BKC well worth the price.

I don’t mean to offend anyone over there negative reviews but know what style of boat you are buying this is a sea kayak for open water and the ocean not for beginners but if you are an experienced kayaker on a budget this is a great boat.

Thanks Bkc Rich.

Bought this kayak to replace an older Pelican sit-on-top tandem which was uncomfortable for myself, my husband and our 50 lb dog. The Malibu Two is much more comfortable for all of us giving my husband at the back enough leg room, lots of room for our dog in the middle and a comfortable configuration for my legs in front.

It tracks better than the Pelican and is nice and stable even when our dog get wiggly. It is still very heavy to manage out of the water (lighter than the Pelican) but the handles on the side make it a lot easier and together we can load it onto the top of our camper.

My only beef with the kayak (and the reason I can’t give it 5 stars) is that I can’t keep my “behind” dry! The self-bailing holes on either side of the front seat act as blow holes that shoot up water into the front seating area in small waves or chop (like a boat wake) so on every paddle, I am pretty much guaranteed to end up with wet pants (and sitting in a puddle).

Also, the kayak also doesn’t take chop or waves over the bow well and the person in the front is guaranteed to get quite wet if you have to paddle straight into them as we did recently when the wind came up on our return to our parking spot (I was soaked).

So it is a great kayak for warmer weather when you don’t mind getting wet, but I would not use it for paddling in cold lakes in cold weather. This may be somewhat the downside of the sit on top kayaks, but it seems the seating could be designed a bit more thoughtfully to mitigate the problem.

I’ve had my Prowler BG2 for 7 years now. I love it. I’ve had 2 spinal fusions, so the thought of sitting in a kayak all day was daunting. The seat is the best. I have done 10 hour forays in complete comfort.

Its a big craft. I call it my battle cruiser. Its stable even on big lakes with a rough chop. Its too heavy for me to manage easily on land, so I use a trailer and boat ramps. That has put some limitations on where I go.

Don’t expect it handle like smaller boats. On faster rivers I have to be very careful. It’s a bit slower handling and not as responsive as some others. But as a fishing kayak it simply superb. Lots of storage areas.

The hatches have never let water in.

I bought this over a year ago because I was told they discontinued the Frenzy and this model replaced it. I needed something for surf fishing. I have used it twice in the bay where it’s calm. Too much drag causing to use up a lot of energy to get to the fishing spot.

Also doesn’t track very well. Constantly wants to spin around. I don’t want to even use this in the surf. If it performs this bad in calm water, I don’t want to venture into waves with it. Deeply disappointed in it.

Also deeply disappointed in Ocean Kayak for discontinuing the Frenzy. That was the best surf kayak I have ever used and was very popular in my area.

This kayak is amazing! The quality of the material is so nice and sturdy. The excursion is a thicker more durable material than the K2 and a little longer and narrower, very comfortable with plenty of leg room.

It inflates and deflates quickly. maybe 7 minutes. Plenty of room for a small cooler. I like that if you’re sitting still for a while fishing or just enjoying the view you can use the bar to attach a small beach chair umbrella for shade.

I see where others have mentioned their kayak deflating in the sun, we didn’t have a problem with that at all. We did make sure that we compensated for that ahead of time with extra air in case it became an issue (as the instructions warned about).

We also bought the K2 for our son and he loves his too. No leaks or holes in either. No issues at all. I would be careful in very shallow water near oysters or rocks because of the material. If I had one con on both of the kayaks it would be that I’d like for the oars to be a little longer but that isn’t enough for me to give a lower rating.

I rented a Sea Eagle explorer 380x, and although I really liked the 380x, my shoulder width caused me to continually hit the bigger tubes with my paddles. I decided to go with the 385FT for my purchase and I’m very glad I did.

You sit up a bit higher and the tubes are smaller making it more comfortable. The kayak paddles well and tracks well. I haven’t tried it as a tandem, just using it as a solo. I’m a bigger person and wanted the stability and weight capacity to myself.

So far, no issues with this kayak, it’s great. I love being able to fold it up and throw it in the car quickly and easily. Very convenient.

This is a great Kayak! Once you get the seats adjusted to support you properly, it is very comfortable. Our 12 yr old also fits in the middle very comfortably. Very stable in the water with three people.

It is a little heavy for our daughters to tote down to the lake without a kayak cart, but it is a tandem, so that is to be expected.

I bought this as a gift for myself. Took it out with my mom and daughter a few days later and noticed a hole in the storage compartment. Took it back to West Marine and they determined it must have had a stress fracture when it was unloaded into their store.

Exchange was painless and a breeze, the West Marine staff were extremely helpful and kind.

It is great for families, navigates great and can hold up to 3 people. It is pretty heavy and difficult to carry but we knew that because its so big. Overall, awesome!

I have had one for about a month now had it out 3 times. first I felt like this thing is not sturdy. but as I paddled it I changed my mind. I pushed on the sides where I was setting and felt no give.

It cut though the water better then my old plastic kayak and was more responsive. The only draw back is the very first cast with my fishing pole. The lure hit the neoprene bow cover and buried its hook in it.

After that I just made sure the hook stayed away from it. It is so far everything I thought it woud be.

this kayak is outstanding! I bought it for my wife for Mother’s Day she has been wanting a kayak for years but transporting a non-foldable kayak is not an option. we have already taking it out on a few RV trips and set up as easy after doing it a few times.

The kayak tracks really well. my wife also has been taking it down to a Harbor in her car that we live near and been enjoying it out on the water there also. since purchasing the kayak we have had several friends also buy the Oru.

Quality is fantastic and the comments I’ve gotten from my wife and our friends is that they now go out kayaking a lot more because it’s not a problem transporting it anymore.

I live in a remote village in Alaska and purchased this kayak with the intention of hunting out of it for moose. After some practice it sets up easily and within 5-10 min. It packs up relatively small and light which makes it super easy to fit in a skiff with my other gear.

We set up camp with the skiff and then drop into creeks and sloughs with the kayaks. The stability is great and it is easy to steer. Wind does push it around because it is so light, but so far that hasn’t been an impossible issue.

I am able to fit a small pack behind the seat and have my rifle positioned between my legs with the barrel propped up on the front edge. The kayak is easy to walk over super shallow portions of the floats without difficulty.

It is easy to empty of water. My only complaint is that there is no “cushion” on the seat. This is easily remedied though with a seat cushion I already own. I still plan on getting a moose with this kayak (yes, I know, it will take about 8-10 trips to get the meat out with it), but I look forward to using it throughout the year.