No.....
Posted by: oldgeezer1 on Jan-28-13 5:41 AM (EST)
It has "de-volved" as a result of marketing, and the sport has no real definition.
Anything that a person can paddle with a double bladed paddle has become a kayak.
Everyone nowadays has kayaked it seems and considers themselves a kayaker, which is okay I guess, but what they are referring to is much different from what many of us might consider "kayaking"
I would consider a true kayak to be something that can be / must be edged to turn, requires a degree of skill to paddle, and is intended to be rolled.
Others will disagree, but that is my opinion.
The influx of rec boats is effectively reducing the sales and the number of people who learn the "art" of paddling in my opinion.
My apologies to those who are about to flame me for my comments like they did about 2 years ago when I said the same thing. Wow did that piss some folks off.