[.ca] Sit-On-Top Kayaking: A Beginner's Guide (ISBN 0966865502)

Read This One First...:
I wish Tom Holtey's "Sit-On-Top Kayaking" had been in print when I started ocean kayaking at age 55, nearly ten years (and 4 or 5 kayaking books) ago. Today, I'm grateful that it IS available as a packable, readable reference that always reminds me of the basics that are so important to beginners and veteran kayakers alike. Don't get me wrong - the books then available were good - just overweight with procedures I simply couldn't apply. This book delivers what it says on the cover - A Beginner's Guide - with clarity and directness, thanks to Mr. Holtey's lean text and Mr. Altman's line drawings. After several years of increasingly challenging coastal paddles, I have found that it is indispensable.

No words of wisdom here.:
Spend the money on a good basic sea kayaking book. There are some good ones out there, but this is not one of them.

BEGINNERS Guide....as the title suggests:
A bit expensive for a manual type guide (minus one star). The larger than normal type and simple language makes this guide an easy read and a very useful one, especially for those who are new to the sport of kayaking. The chapters on safety, rescues and signals could be literal lifesavers and are essential reading for anyone entering the paddling experience (ok..so if it saves your life..it's worth the price). However, if you are already familiar with the paddling basics (strokes, safety, etc), there's nothing much new here, except for some specific information tailored to sit-on- top type kayaks. For those planning to paddle in the ocean, chapters on waves, tides and kayak surfing are useful and informative.

A must have book for all levels of kayakers:
Tom Holtey has had several decades of experience in kayaking and it shows. The information in this unique book is an easy read, but by no means trivial. The obvious target is the beginner, but there are many details that the experienced kayaker will find useful. I have personally paddled with Mr. Holtey, and I can vouch that he knows his stuff, and practices what he preaches! If you are considering kayaking, there are other books on the subject are very detailed and you may want to purchase them. However, if you want a book that distills all of the information into a concise form that you will remember when you are out there in the awesome blue world that all kayakers know and love, then get this book.

A Good Basic Buy:
I'm still a bit new to SOT kayaking and I found that this book offered some excellent information and suggestions - the checklists were very helpful when I began equipping my kayak. Really solid, basic information!