Kayaks are small narrow vessels that are used for navigation in both salt and freshwater. They are propelled using a double-ended paddle from a central seat or cockpit.
Kayaks all do basically the same thing. However, they come in several shapes and sizes. Some kayaks are designed for navigating clam freshwater, some for coastal navigation, some for whitewater, and some for a wide range of different environments.
Most modern kayaks are extremely stable in most conditions. However, some kayaks are more stable than others due to their design.
In this article, we’ll be looking at what the most stable type of kayak is and what traits make a kayak more stable in the water.
What Kind of Kayaking Do You Prefer?
What the most stable type of kayak for you is will depend on the type of kayaking you want to do. A kayak that’s stable in the ocean may not necessarily be stable in a freshwater environment. To figure out what type of kayak is best for you, you’ll need to know exactly what kind of environments you want to use the vessel in.
There are a few ways you can use a kayak to enjoy different forms of the sport and different hobbies. Different forms of the sport require different kayak types.
The two basic differences in kayak design are sit-in and sit-on (open-top) vessels.
- Sit-in kayaks are the more classic design that features a small cockpit and a closed body. You sit inside this type of kayak with your legs extended out in front of you. They sit lower in the water and can cope with a more versatile array of environments.
Sit-in kayaks are used for a range of applications. They can be used for river navigation, stillwater navigation, coastal kayaking, and whitewater kayaking. The design of each vessel for the different environments differ but the overall sit-in design stays the same.
- Sit-on kayaks are open on the deck. They do have a cockpit in a sense but they don’t have a covered body. They are often used for recreational purposes and are ideal for fishing. Their open-top design makes it easy to store equipment and turn around in the kayak to reach kit and make casts for fishing.
Sit-on kayaks are much easier to get on and off of but they are generally less stable in the water. They sit higher above the water level which gives you a higher centre of gravity. This can make them unstable in rougher conditions.
Although these two kayak types outline the main differences in kayak designs, within these two groups exist several different kayak types. Differences in length, width, hull design, and displacement affect the kayak's stability and performance.
We won’t go into too much detail about all the different kayak types, but here are some of the main kayak types within these two groups:
Factors That Affect a Kayak’s Stability
There are a few factors in a kayak’s design that affect its stability and performance on the water. Often, sacrifices in efficiency and speed increase stability and sacrifices in stability improve the speed and efficiency of a vessel.
If you’re looking for an incredibly stable kayak, you shouldn’t expect excellent tracking and efficiency. More stable kayaks will be harder to propel due to some of the factors mentioned below. However, unless you’re planning on kayaking competitively, this usually isn’t an issue.
Let’s take a look at how differences in these four factors define whether a kayak is fast, slow, stable, or unstable.
1. Kayak Length
The length of the kayak will affect the stability and performance abilities of the vessel. The length of a kayak will be increased if the width is made narrower. This is because of displacement (more on this soon). A kayak manufacturer may make a kayak narrower and longer to increase its efficiency on the water.
Longer and narrower kayaks cut through the water better. This allows them to go far faster with a lot less effort. However, by reducing the width, the kayak becomes far less stable. A long and narrow kayak is far more prone to tipping.
On the other hand, a shorter kayak may also be less stable. In order to shorten a kayak’s length, the hull must be made much wider. This will make them more agile, meaning they can turn far quicker. Shorter and wider kayaks are excellent for whitewater navigation. However, they can be challenging and slow in calmer conditions.
The most stable kayak will balance length and width perfectly. A kayak designed for recreational purposes will be around 8 to 10-foot long with a width of 25 to 32-inches. This brings us to our next factor: width.
2. Kayak Width
A kayak’s width plays a huge part in the stability of a vessel. Generally speaking, the wider a kayak is, the more stable it will be. A wide kayak is far harder to capsize because there’s more volume either side of you. This means that you’ll need to lean far more to one side in order to capsize the vessel.
The beam of a kayak (the width at its widest point) will determine how easy or difficult it is to capsize a kayak. The wider the beam, the harder it’ll be to capsize. The narrower the beam, the easier it’ll be to capsize.
The beam of a recreational kayak is usually around 25 to 32-inches wide. The beam of a touring kayak is usually around 23 to 26-inches wide. The beam of a performance kayak for competition sprinting is even narrower coming in at 19 to 22-inches wide.
The long and short of it is, the narrower the kayak the faster you’ll move with less effort whereas the wider the kayak, the more stable it’ll be but the harder you’ll have to work to build up speed. This is why performance kayaks are far narrower than recreational kayaks.
3. Displacement
The displacement of a kayak is the major determining factor when it comes to stability and speed. The displacement is essentially the kayak’s volume.
The width and length make up the displacement of a vessel. In order to stay afloat with the kayaker in the vessel, the kayak needs to have a certain volume. The wider a kayak is, the less length it needs to stay afloat. The longer a kayak is, the longer it must be.
Displacement can be read simply as an L:B ratio (length to beam ratio). This number is found by dividing the length at waterline (LWL) by the beam at waterline (BWL).
The higher the L:B ratio number of a kayak, the narrower and therefore faster it will be. The lower the L:B ratio number the more stable but slower the kayak will be.
Here are the typical L:B ratios of the four most common kayak types:
As you can see, whitewater kayaks have the lowest L:B rating. However, this doesn’t mean they’re the most stable type of kayak. Because they’re extremely short, they can be unstable and not at all efficient in calm water. The most stable kayak for the widest variety of uses is the recreational kayak.
The Two Kayak Stability Types
There are two stability types that outline a kayak’s stability traits.
Generally speaking, a kayak with good primary stability is better for the beginner kayaker looking to feel safe and stable when they first start kayaking. A kayak with good secondary stability is ideal for the more experienced kayaker that wants to explore more and venture into more challenging environments.
Let’s see what these two stability types entail:
1. Primary Stability
Primary stability in a kayak is how well it resists rolling initially. A kayak with good primary stability is very hard to capsize through weight imbalance. This essentially means that a kayak with good primary stability is unlikely to capsize when you lean too far to one side.
This initial stability is great for beginners and makes the vessel feel safer in calm waters. However, once you lean past a certain point in a kayak with good primary stability, the kayak will roll and capsize quickly.
You’ll often find that kayaks designed for calm waters, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers have good primary stability. This is because vessels for these purposes aren’t often thrown off balance from rough water, tricky currents, or whitewater.
Kayaks for rougher conditions have less primary stability but increased secondary stability…
2. Secondary Stability
Secondary stability is how well a kayak resists capsizing after a fast shift in weight. Kayaks with good secondary stability will roll to a certain point but will resist capsizing after that point. This means the weight in the kayak can shift dramatically but recovery is easier.
This form of stability means that the kayak can be pushed around in fast-flowing water and lean from side to side quite a lot before any risk of rolling entirely occurs. This allows you to shift weight and “slalom” with the kayak through tough sections of whitewater without tipping the boat upside down.
Ocean tourers, long distance touring kayaks, surfing kayaks, and whitewater kayaks often have excellent secondary stability to help keep the paddler upright in challenging conditions. However, they will feel wobbly and “unstable” to the inexperienced person that’s learning to kayak because they have the ability to roll at a sharp angle before capsizing.
A Final Word: Which Type of Kayak is Best for You?
The best type of kayak for you ultimately comes down to what you want to use the vessel for. I assume that most of you reading this are relatively new to kayaking and require a kayak for general paddling on freshwater lakes and slow-flowing rivers. You will likely want something with good primary stability.
If you're concerned about stability and are relatively new to kayaking, your best option is a recreational kayak. These come in open-top and sit-in options. Open-top recreational kayaks are easier to get on and off of but are not as stable in rougher conditions. Sit-in kayaks can take a bit of practice to get in and out of but are far more stable in a wider range of conditions.
If you want to head out into the ocean kayaking, your best option is, of course, a sea kayak. Although narrower, their length and displacement make these kayaks incredibly stable and efficient in choppy Tidal conditions.
If you’re looking to head out into whitewater then a whitewater kayak is obviously your best option. However, if you’re here worried about the stability of a kayak then it’s unlikely you’ll be looking to paddle through any raging rapids.