Chances are most kayakers won’t rate a kayak under 16 feet as a contender for title of ‘best.’ And yet these smaller recreation boats compose the majority of the market for kayak sales. That means a wide range of choices, with more than ever for 2013. We look at what’s new in this roundup of the rec boat category.

No doubt the kayakers thought they were doing the right thing by covering up their campfire with pebbles and rocks when they left their campsite in Nuchatlitz Provincial Park on July 26. Far from it. By covering up the fire without first extinguishing the embers they put into place circumstances that caused a disaster for a family later that day.

Klepper Folding Kayaks is set to launch its innovative Klepper BACKYAK after years of development, design modelling, and testing based on solid German engineering. The Klepper BACKYAK world premiere will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Klepper Folding Kayaks Open Doors Day in Rosenheim, Germany.

Already beleaguered in their natural environment, our nature’s predators have a new problem: our expanding outdoor playground is encroaching on their homes. Coast&Kayak Magazine looks at the long-term ramifications of how human recreation is the next big hurdle for our coast’s wild mammals.

Colin Angus sets the new time for circumnavigation island by paddle - or in this case, by oar

Reflecting the increase in popularity of folding kayaks, Klepper Folding Kayaks are the first folding kayaks to be featured on the 'How It's Made' TV Show.

Harry Whelan from London and Jeff Allen from Cornwall completed the fastest recorded circumnavigation of Ireland by kayak - an incredible 25 days.

About 100 kayakers converged en masse in an even't dubbed 'floatzilla' to mark the official opening of the BC Marine Trail on Saturday, May 14. The kayakers paddled across Ladysmith Harbour to the marine trail grand opening timed to take place during the 2011 Vancouver Island Paddlefest. The paddlers were met at Transfer Beach by Stz'uminus First Nation Chief John Elliot, who as part of the ceremony was asked by kayakers for permission to land on Stz'uminus traditional land. Once granted, kayakers performed a paddle 'salute' followed by a synchronized Greenland roll.

Coast&Kayak Magazine presents a world-exclusive preview of the new Gulf Islands Marine Trail, a new leg of the BC Marine Trail, to be officially opened Saturday, May 14 at Transfer Beach in Ladysmith.

A look at the features, launches, campsites and points of interest of the southernmost portion of the new Gulf Islands Marine Trail, part of the new BC Marine Trail. This area includes Sidney, Saanich and the surrounding waters including Saanich Inlet.

There is no doubt the Gulf Islands straddle two worlds. The rugged wilderness and unspoiled vistas that define the islands are definitely at odds with those places tamed for residential use. The outer islands share the best and worst of both. If you are looking for untrammeled shoreline and mountainous scenery, Saturna Island is the beacon, made brighter with the inclusion of much of the island into the Gulf Islands National Park reserve.

To call Saltspring Island the heart of the Gulf Islands is to acknowledge not only its domineering physical presence (capped by the highest peaks in the region), but also the cultural spirit reflected in a bustling community of arts, boutiques and bed&breakfasts.

The sandstone formations in these islands are remarkable, not just in appearance but also in history. Back in 1792 some sketches were made of one particular overhanging sandstone gallery by an artist on an expedition commanded by the Spanish explorer Galiano. The namesake Galiano Gallery on Gabriola Island, an overhanging sandstone shelf extending 90 meters / 300 feet, became famous as a result. It’s a local park today, but while the most famous it’s not alone for the dramatic sandstone rocks. Galleries, ledges and fretted “brain rock” sandstone abound throughout these islands.

The first issue of Coast&Kayak Magazine was dated May/June 1991, making this the ‘official’ 20th birthday magazine. To mark the occasion we’ve decided to give everyone a birthday gift of a free kayak with no strings attached (can’t fit a string in a magazine anyway). Our dream was a cedar kayak, but in this world of laminates and veneer we decided it would be easier if we gave you a faux cedar strip finish. So here is a complete faux cedar kayak kit.

Coast&Kayak Magazine is marking its official 20th birthday issue with something epic: a free kayak in every issue, with complete plans and materials included. You can build your own faux cedar kayak, with a supporting video on how it's done in Coast&Kayak's multimedia edition online.

Kayakers are being asked to converge en masse to the official opening of the BC Marine Trail at the Vancouver Island Paddlefest on Saturday, May 14. The kayak flotilla will officially kick off the new system of routes through the British Columbia coast designed for kayaks and small boats, and will coincide with the government announcement to be made at the paddlefest that day.

For those of us who love to kayak coastal waters, there is a feathery companion whose historical link to coastal man may date back further than any other seabird.

When buying a kayak, a game plan helps. Here are some hints on how to navigate the options.

Coast&Kayak Magazine released it's Spring 2011 edition today online and in print, and it's cause for celebration. First and foremost, it's a chance to mark 20 years of publishing Coast&Kayak Magazine. Plus it's a chance to unveil the name that will carry the magazine into the next 20 years: Coast&Kayak Magazine. It's also a chance to mark the creation of the BC Marine Trail with a world exclusive preview of the new BC Marine Trails Network, destined to become the world's longest paddling route.

Coast&Kayak / Coast&Kayak Magazine presents a world-exclusive preview of the new BC Marine Trail, to be unveiled in May. Coverage in the Spring 2011 issue of the magazine includes a step-by-step look at one of the first two sections to be announced: The West Coast Vancouver Island North trail section.

Welcome to the end of the world. Officially it’s only the northern end of Vancouver Island, but when you paddle west past Cape Sutil, the northernmost point on Vancouver Island, you pass a magical point where civilization has tried to encroach, but nature continually reclaims. Many ruins are testimony to nature’s dominance here, which you can feel like the morning mist.

A new rival for any hiker’s “must-do” list is the North Coast Trail, which opened in 2008. It adds 35 kilometers to the Cape Scott Trail for a total hike of 48 kilometers – less than the West Coat Trail’s 78 km, but no less imposing for all the challenges hikers will endure.

Brooks Peninsula may seem a distant and imposing stretch of land, and indeed it does have a well-earned reputation as a stormy and dangerous location. But access to both the north and south sides of the peninsula mean the best features can be enjoyed without the danger of a full-fledged crossing. Popular kayaking destinations are the Mission Group Islands near the entrance to Kyuquot Sound to the south, or the Bunsby Islands which lie closer to Brooks Peninsula.

Similar to most other regions, Nootka Sound offers numerous access points to a diverse range of attractions, which vary from the storm-thrashed reefs of Nuchatlitz Provincial Park to the more protected waters of the Spanish Pilot Group.

The Nootka Trail is a world-class wilderness experience by any standard. It meanders the outer shore southward from Louie Bay then east to cover the two most spectacular sides of Vancouver Island’s largest offshore island.

Clayoquot Sound is the most accessible of the regions of the West Coast Vancouver Island North marine trail, but don’t hold that against it.

It was, in a word, a slog. I can find no better way to describe the run friend Carey Lockwood and I took down the yet-to-exist WCVIN in late August 2009. We battled our way down to Tofino against strong southerlies for most of the 15 days.

Klepper Folding Kayaks launched the new aluminium-frame Klepper Smartline Alu 490 (16'1") folding kayak at the 2011 Dusseldorf International Boat Show.

Joe O’Blenis pulled into Nanaimo’s Brechin boat ramp the evening of Saturday, Sept. 4, just 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes after starting out – a time fast enough to unseat Sean Morley’s 2008 record of 17 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes for the fastest circumnavigation of Vancouver Island by paddle.