5 Tips for Ladies Who Want to Get Into Kayaking
6-minute read + 18-minute video
We love this advice from Abigail, an experienced paddler who loves getting women into kayaking any chance she gets.
(Photo courtesy of Blazin’ Paddles)
Our friend Dan from Headwaters Kayak teams up with Abigail from Lodi Lake Boathouse for this comprehensive video. She gets people out on the water every day and shares her best five tips that make it easier for other women to get out there, too.
“These are tricks I use myself,” says Abigail. “I’m not the weakest person out there, but I’m definitely not as strong as Dan, so these are tricks that I actually use every day whenever I’m loading my kayaks, whenever I’m picking my kayaks up, so hopefully it’ll help you out.”
Watch the video below:
#1 Choose the Right Kayak
Abigail shows the viewers three different kayaks she uses personally that are ideal for smaller paddlers. They are:
FeelFree Nomad—This sit-on model weighs just 45 pounds and is 9.5 feet long, which makes it pretty easy to handle. One of its best features is the wheel in the keel. Combined with the grab handle at the bow, it makes it very easy to move this kayak from your vehicle to the launch, even with your gear loaded.
The Nomad is a great choice for new kayakers, both for its price point of $599 USD (2025 price) and the easy way it handles in the water. Because of its small size, it’s ideal for kayakers weighing 190 pounds and below, although it can handle up to 210.
Eddyline Rio—Eddyline has several lightweight kayaks in its lineup, but Abigail likes the Rio specifically for smaller paddlers. At just 35 pounds, it’s 10 pounds lighter than the Nomad, a difference you’ll feel immediately. Then it’s a full two feet longer, which means it’ll track much straighter for you on the water.
Abigail is 5-foot-4 and weighs about 150 pounds. The Rio fits her perfectly. When sitting in it, the knee braces fit, the foot pegs fit, and she feels at one with the boat, which really ups performance.
The downside for some? The price point is much higher—more than $1,000 higher at $1,699 USD (2025 price). If you already know kayaking is your thing, the investment will be worth the lighter weight and better performance.
(Photo courtesy of @tysoncrockettphoto)
Stellar S14 LV—Moving up in quality and performance again is this Stellar kayak. It’s even lighter than the Rio at just 34 pounds, but adds another two feet of length, bringing it to 13-ft-9. The seat is built for performance (vs the Rio seat that’s built for comfort) and it comes with an adjustable skeg for versatility.
These kayaks are built for speed and efficiency, and also for a ton of playfulness and maneuverability. Using the skeg or not helps dial in that responsiveness. Edging and steering is effortless. The LV stands for “low volume,” which means a great fit for smaller paddlers.
As you can guess, the S14 is another big jump in price due to the features and materials it's made with. There are four options available, starting at $3,295 (2025 price).
#2 Lift Your Kayak
Abigail gets asked by other women all the time for the best way to lift a kayak. She emphasizes that it’s much more about technique than strength, at least for these lighter-weight boats.
For the sit-in models, she likes to grab the kayak by the combing (the edge of the cockpit) with both hands and lift it to support on her thighs. This keeps the strain off the arms and back. Once it’s up, then she reaches across to the underside of the combing on the opposite side, directly in the center so it’s balanced. From there you can hoist it up to your shoulder to carry.
For the sit-on model, she doesn’t pick it up but uses the keel wheel to roll it.
(Photo courtesy of Five2Nine)
#3 Use a Kayak Cart
“Not everyone’s going to be able to throw a kayak up on their shoulder,” Abigail says. “That’s where a good pair of wheels will come in.”
A kayak cart is designed to take your kayak’s weight from storage to vehicle to launch and back, so you don’t have to carry it. You can either lift your kayak to your cart and place it, or move the cart to the kayak and place it.
Be sure the kayak is on straight and strap it to the cart, load up your gear into the boat and away you go.
#4 Load Your Kayak on Your Vehicle
Abigail's trick for getting a kayak on her car herself is a $20 bath mat. It protects both her car and the keel of the kayak, and it provides a smooth surface for the kayak to roll over as she gets it up on top.
At the rear of the car, place the bath mat on the top of your vehicle. Pull your kayak’s bow up to the edge of the car on top of the bath mat. Then move to the stern of your boat and lift it up, rolling it forward on the mat and onto your roof rack system. Unloading follows the same steps, just in reverse.
(NOTE: Be sure you’re pushing and pulling it off straight so the kayak doesn’t get unbalanced and fall off to the side.)
Abigail includes a couple of tricks to make the loading process easier for her:
- She backs up to a curb so she has a few inches of height advantage as she loads
- She chose low-profile racks and a kayak saddle that makes it easy for her boat to slide right on
A second bath mat for the ground is a great idea for those times when you can’t load from a grassy spot. It protects the back tip from getting scratched up.
Surprisingly, the longer the kayak, the easier it is to load with this method. The angle is lower and there’s not as much pressure pushing down on itself.
(Photo courtesy of Five2Nine)
#5 Get Connected
Finally, Abigail stresses the importance of getting involved in a community of paddlers in your area. It could be a local paddling club, a local Facebook group or through a nearby paddlesports retailer. Others in the paddling community are happy to help, offer advice and help teach what they know.
Meeting others who love to kayak and get out frequently will help you on your journey to becoming a competent and confident paddler, no matter your size.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or sales@aquabound.com, or choose our online chat option.
More for you...