Is stability important?

When speaking about stability you will need to know about two different types. Initial stability and secondary stability. Boats with initial stability feel solid at rest and heel (lean over) very little when you enter or move about the boat. In general, wide, flatter-bottomed boats tend to have high initial stability and low secondary stability. These boats fall within the “Recreational” category. Boats with secondary stability feel somewhat tippy at rest but they have a high resistance to capsizing when heeled heavily. Narrow, rounder-bottomed boats with flared topsides tend to have low initial stability and high secondary stability. These boats fall within the “Touring” category. The best piece of advice we can give you is always test paddle the canoe or kayak you wish to buy to ensure it is the right fit for you.

If you want to read more on stability, check out the article "Kayak Stability and Leaning" from Guillemot Kayaks

back