By Barbara Baird

Welcome to the days of XXXL, not the next number for the Super Bowl, but a fact of modern life — where so many things can be bought in bigger sizes or portions. A super-sized kayak does not mean your hips are several inches wide and getting wider every ride. It means you can spend hours on calm lakes and meandering on quiet rivers as you float and photograph and maybe fish. It means you don't have to execute the Eskimo roll, you don't have to work in tandem with someone else in the boat and you have less craft to handle than a canoe.

Larry Thompson, owner of Galloway Creek Outfitters in Springfield, MO, likes to see recreational kayaking becoming popular in the Midwest. Thompson owned an outfitting business from 1993-2004 in Bullhead City, AZ. He saw the trend of recreational kayaking mushrooming there before he moved to Springfield in 2004. When he saw recreational kayaking appearing in the Ozarks, he decided to get back into the business.

According to Thompson, recreational kayaks are user-friendlier, meaning they rarely flip over. These kayaks are generally a few inches wider and shorter (between 8-14½ feet) than sea touring kayaks, offering greater stability on the water. Recreational kayaks can be turned easily in twisty streams, and offer large cockpits — an attraction for photographers and fishermen alike. Some models even seat two in tandem. Most recreational kayaks come in either a sit-on-top or sit inside the boat design.

Of course, price varies according to a kayak's material. Plastic, rotomolded polyethylene, super linear polyethylene and Kevlar are a few options. Thompson says, “Composite or laminated boats tend to be more expensive and definitely weigh less and can be higher performing, but tend to be more delicate in day-to-day use on rocks or other obstructions in the water.”

Recreational kayaks offer an opportunity for fishermen to get close and personal to the environment. No noisy motors, the ability to sneak in where it's too soft to wade, the ability to see fish in shallow waters and being able to maneuver into tight spots are a few reasons fishermen like these craft. Some kayaks have stability for fishermen to stand and fish, allowing a greater vantage point.

Two other must-have's if you're going to kayak include a good paddle and PFD.

Paddles come in fiberglass, plastic, aluminum, graphite, Kevlar, carbon or wood. Check the flexion of a paddle and check its weight. Paddle blades come long, short, narrow, wide, feathered, unfeathered, symmetrical, asymmetrical, spooned or dihedral. Each shape has its benefits. Talk to an experienced kayaker to learn which paddle suits your needs.

PFDs today are not those manky orange ones you got issued at camp. Most kayakers choose to wear a U.S. Coast Guard Class type III PFD that come in either vest or pullover style. These PFDs have large neck and armholes and narrow shoulder straps, allowing you to move freely through your strokes. A PFD should also be waist length in case you want to use a sprayskirt. Pockets are good, and so are lots of adjustable straps.

Above all, Thompson reminds kayakers of all levels to “boat smart from the start” — a leftover slogan from the National Safe Boating Council's campaign — and to wear PFDs at all times in the water.