[Paddlewise] In Praise of Tandem Kayaks

I don't share the general prejudice against double kayaks.  I certainly
enjoy being captan of my own ship, but I think doubles add a wonderful
dimension to the sport.

Safety is greatly enhanced with a double on a trip.  It makes a terrific
rescue platform and, as was pointed out, it can be a way to move a
disabled paddler along where towing or staying put would have been
necessary otherwise.

Doubles can be very fast, since there is twice the horsepower without
twice the boat.

Doubles can be sociable, if you know how to get along with your partner.
 (But it is really hard for the stern paddler to hear the bow paddler
most of the time.)

My wife and I used to teach a class called "Couples in Doubles" hoping
to get people to not kill each other in a double.  The simplest
technique was to require everyone to paddle with someone else's
spouse/partner the first time and then with their own the next.  We tend
to treat total strangers better than people we care about in times of
stress.  Treating the spouse as a stranger helped.  But, unfortunately,
old habits die hard and the class was usually not very successful.

The adventure therapy trips I lead with teens have all the kiddies in
doubles.  Stable, more power and, best of all, they have to work on
cooperation, communication and teamwork.

And teaching the forward stroke is easier in a double, I think, because
the stern paddler has the example of the instructor right in front of
them all the time to imitate.

The last thing is that I can take raw beginners on long or challenging
paddles and not have to freak them out by putting them in a single.  My
favorite way to introduce people to the beauty of the Chicago skyline is
to take them out in Lake Michigan in my double.  Seen from the lake on a
nice evening the city looks pretty good.

Jim Tibensky
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