The Kayak Companion: Expert Guidance for Enjoying Paddling in All Types of Water from One of America's Top Kayakers

by Joe Glickman

Get paddling Joe Glickman, a two-time member of the US National Marathon Kayak Team, fills this kayaking primer with expert advice and plenty of encouragement. Beginners will benefit from Glickman's clear descriptions of the basic techniques of sea, touring, and recreational kayaking, while experienced kayakers will find insightful tips on navigation, troubleshooting, and boat assessment. Enlivened by delightful stories of Glickman's personal kayaking...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158017485X
• ISBN13: 9781580174855
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Book is Great...For ANYONE.

I am new to kayaking, so I thought got a LOT out of joe's stories, experience, and explinations of kayaking techniques and philosphy. I can see where a more experienced kayaker may feel that the information in this book is beneath them... (caveat: Kayakers seem to be like bodybuilders...they all think they know everything and can't wait to tell you about the way you should be doing things.) ....but I still think the book is great for even experienced paddlers. Why? Becasue Joe Glickmann, besides being a very experienced kayaker, can write. The book is just a plain good read. It's funny. It has great stories and you can always learn something good from stories. I say buy it.

Good intro to kayaking

This book is a fun read. It was actually this book that got me back into kayaking after 30 years. It is not meant to be a detailed book on the technic of kayaking, but a fun and entertaining adventure biography with enough detail to educate as well. There is just enough information for someone interested in kayaking to get started. It's a good read for someone thinking about kayaking and interested in real life outdoor adventure. steve

Good information and outstanding stories...

I have been a big fan of F. Spencer Chapman for a LONG time. In 1930, he spent a YEAR on Greenland with the British Arctic Air Research Expedition (an important sounding name for a group of college boys on an adventure). The Team Leader was Henry George "Gino" Watkins. They became supremely proficient paddlers in kayaks. They also spent considerable time nordic skiing on the glacial plateau, flying Tiger Moths in aerial surveys, as well as recording meteorological conditions. On the Second Expedition in 1932, Watkins was again the leader, and Chapman again went along. Watkins died in a hunting accident. Chapman wrote both expedition books, "Northern Lights: The British Arctic Air Research Expedition" and "Watkins Last Expedition." But before WWII, he also went to the Himalayas and climbed several mountains, including Chomolari in the Kingdom of Bhutan (one of the highest peaks to be climbed prior to WWII). His book "Memiors of a Mountaineer" is a classic of those times in Tibet and the Himalaya. Joe Glickman is our modern F Spencer Chapman. I recently got copies of Joe's "Kayak Companion" and "To the Top" books. Excellent material. Joe has an easy reading style, and his stories are amongstthe best, paddling or climbing. If Joe can't make you laugh, your funny bone has to be broken. I usually find myself laughing at myself, because I too have been there.I should add, thuis is the ONLY book on which any accurate information about racing flatwater kayaks is corectly given for surfskis. No other kayak book has accurate info on these boats.

Inspiration, good advice, lots of laughs

This book helped me a lot. I've been paddling a plastic 16-foot kayak for two years and felt I was ready to advance in the sport. Reading Glickman's book was the next best thing to knowing a really experienced paddler who is happy to answer all your questions - including those you don't know enough to ask. When he listed the common mistakes paddlers make in the forward stroke, he could have been talking about me. I followed his advice and saw immediate improvement. The chapter on choosing a kayak was invaluable, and will save me a lot of money and time when I'm ready to upgrade. Glickman's stories of the trials and tribulations of his epic wilderness paddles were alternately inspiring and very funny. If you love kayaking - or think you might - you'll devour this book.

Just Right

I was looking for an introduction to kayaking, but I wanted to avoid the condescending "___________ for Dummies" series. The Kayak Companion was just what I needed. It was concise, clear, and even a little bit poetic.