A few years ago, we bought our third kayak. This one was an Old Town Kayak, meant for use on a lake. It was a one person kayak, in red and I loved it. Previous to that one, we had bought two kayaks, second-hand for little expense because we weren't sure that we would enjoy kayaking. We did, and still do but just don't have the time to kayak these days so I recently sold the Old Town Kayak to someone who would get the benefit from its use rather than it sitting in our yard for any longer. When we have time again someday, I plan to buy another Old Town Kayak.

When we were buying our Old Town Kayak, we found out that there are numerous styles of kayaks available. Depending upon what the intended use is, there are kayaks for recreation, for day touring, for fishing and tandem kayaks. Recreational kayaks are used by people who just want to get out on the water and have fun. They are very stable and easy to manoeuvre. Day touring kayaks are also very stable, the cockpit is large, and there are storage compartments. A tandem kayak is made for two people. They are stable and easy to manoeuvre and are great for use on lakes and rivers. The fishing type of kayak is exactly what the name implies - for fishing. It is lightweight, very stable and has many features that make it easy for the fisherman to enjoy the experience. For us, the recreational kayak suited our needs very well.

It is good to know the basic parts of a kayak especially when buying one. This way you will know what you would like for your kayak and what you don't need. There should be handles for carrying your kayak, one at each end. The hollow interior is called the hull. If there are storage compartments, they are called a deck hatch. There will be shock cord deck rigging that is installed at the front and the back of the Old Town Kayaks. The place where you will sit is called a cockpit and within the cockpit there is a seat. At the very back of the kayak, there will be a serial number to identify this particular kayak.

Although we had not done a lot of research before buying our Old Town Kayak, we have since found out that these are very good quality kayaks. We were very happy for the years we had and used our kayak and would not hesitate to buy another. It was as sturdy and stable as they said it was, even in rougher waters. I love the fact that you sit low in the water - that gives a much nicer perspective when kayaking for enjoyment. There were many times when we were able to just sit still and watch the lake-life swim around us in clear waters.