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Below you will find a list of sea kayaking books that I have found useful. Each featured book contains a personal review, meaning that I have read and used the book, in many cases extensively. I will not recommend any book that I have not read and enjoyed. Simply click on the book title to go directly to the book's page at Amazon.com. You will also find a search form for Amazon.com so you can browse based on your own specific interests. If you know a book that you'd like to recommend to me, please e-mail me. Links to Amazon.com will open in a new browser window.
| Featured Books: My Reviews | Sea Kayaking Manuals | New England Paddling |
Featured Books - My Book Reviews:
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Fundamentals
of Kayak Navigation David Burch; 3rd edition |
softcover, 336p, July 1999, Globe Pequot Press, $14.95 list
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The following is my own personal review: The complete guide to finding your way and getting there safely. Burch, the director of the Starpath School of Navigation in Seattle, Washington, covers every topic that I can imagine is relevant to sea kayaking, including reading and using navigational charts, dead reckoning and piloting, determining paddling speed, estimating distance from a landmark, maintaining a heading while paddling in a crossing current, and tidal effects relevant to navigation. Each example is accompanied by clear diagrams which help illustrate sometimes difficult points. This book is written specifically with the kayaker in mind; it's not an adapted version of a small-craft navigation manual. Burch strove for completeness when writing this seminal manual, but also kept the layperson in mind by maintaining his clear style throughout the text. His years of teaching experience and immense navigational knowledge are obvious from reading Fundamentals. The book will take more than one read to absorb all important information and all the techniques the author decribes, but you will never need another source. This is the kayak navigation book to buy if you plan on doing any sort of ocean kayaking. | |
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Sea
Kayaking Along the New England Coast Tamsin Venn |
softcover, 240p, March 1991, Appalachain Mtn. Club, $14.95 list
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The following is my own personal review: A delightful collection of ocean kayaking trips along the entire New England coast, from Maine to Connecticut. The book describes more than 30 trips in detail: put-in spots, suggested route, possible lunch spots, scenery, caution areas, campsites, and local-knowledge items such as what tide is required for a passage, plus post-paddling eating establishments. Venn covers both day trips and multi-day camping expeditions. The author has clearly done her research in planning each trip, incorporating her own knowledge and experience with that of local paddlers who have done these trips for years. Venn's style is easy to read and follow, and if you have a navigational chart of the area it is very easy to map her suggested route. The introduction contains very brief overviews of such general topics as equipment, navigation, and rescues, but because of the limited space delegated them, these topics are best covered elsewhere. Overall, this is an immensely useful book with enough detail so you know what to expect before you drive to the boat launch. If you live in New England, I highly recommend it. | |
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Quiet Water
Canoe Guide: New York John Hayes & Alex Wilson |
softcover, 416p, June 1996, Appalachain Mtn. Club, $15.95 list
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The following is my own personal review: An immense compendium of the pristine paddling spots left in New York State. The authors looked for lakes with one goal in mind: find places where the water has not been spoiled by development, pollution, or powerboats. Unquestionably, they succeeded. The book describes over 100 trips across the state, with an expectedly high concentration in the Adirondack Mountains. For each trip, the authors describe launch locations, scenery, notable areas on the lake, and any interesting wildlife seen during their paddle. Many of the lakes are a bit small for a full day's kayaking, but if one only has a few hours to paddle in, this is certainly a resource to have. The authors did a good job of including sites from across the entire state, and tried to include a number of lakes near New York City. Unfortunately, the authors almost ignored flat river paddling, but a few calm rivers and streams did make their way into the book. Overall, if you are a New Yorker who loves getting away from it all, this is one book to have. | |
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AMC
River Guide: New Hampshire/Vermont Appalachain Mtn. Club; 2nd edition |
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softcover, 336p, December 1994, Appalachain Mtn. Club, $11.95 list
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The following is my own personal review: A guide of all navigable rivers in the eight watershed districts of New Hampshire and Vermont, including the Hudson, Connecticut, Merrimack, and Piscataqua watersheds. While certainly geared toward whitewater rather than flatwater boaters, this series can give useful information for flatwaters kayakers. The key is figuring out where calm sections might lie. Extensive information is given about each navigable section of the river, presented in the form of possible trips ranging from 3 to over 50 miles. Information provided includes access points, locations of most rapids, all portage areas, scenery, and possible dangers such as obstructions. Using this book I have had very good luck finding flatwater spots on the Contoocook River near Concord, NH, for example. Sections are contributed by local paddlers who know the routes and have up-to-date (at least at the time of publication) information on the state of the runs. If you plan on doing river paddling, this book will help plan a trip, but it supplies a limited amount of information to the flatwater paddler. | |
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© 2000 Daniel E. Smith. Last updated 8-13-00