Teaching kayaking to a kid

[Gfish]

Cool!, the look on his face... his own boat. Godda admit, I'm envious too. Didn't get my own until I was 43. My Dad did get me a cheap .22 when I was 14.

[Dominick]

uh oh no way will I get on a kayak.  They are popper lures for sharks.    Dominick

[JasonGotaProblem]

So I put the kid on the yak in my parents pool. Really he grabbed it and jumped on while I was changing (other adults were out there) and I swear after those 2 min I coulda thought he'd been practicing 2 hours. An hour later, I think I'll be pretty comfortable with him in the river with me. He was jumping off and climbing back on like nothing.

We are probably still a few years away from him going out of my sight with it, let alone going out by himself. But he's 7. That'll come. But I am so incredibly proud of the kid. I couldn't have asked for better.

[Gfish]

Cool!
Wow, where do your parents live?
I see it now; Dad in the front with his rig ready to go and Son in the back paddling away, "hard to starboard Son, I see some action over there by the bank". Or maybe Dad trolling from the back-Son up-front, "come-on, dig! dig!, faster Son"!

[Cor]

Some excellent advice here.   I never had any tuition with most things and just got on with it but as you say were not all the same.

I would take him on the double till he has gained some confidence, purposefully tip it over in shallow 💦 water and have fun righting it and climbing back on.   Dad will have to practice the eskimo roll a bit   (is actually not so difficult)

Ask him if he wants to go on the single with you, let him make the choice.

Enjoy it.

[JasonGotaProblem]

My parents are on the river in Indialantic, FL. The dock in the background has been the background of very many of my fish pictures.

He's now standing up on it like it's a paddleboard. I told him to stop bc he'll crack the plastic. But I'm nonetheless proud.