Lifetime Youth Wave Kayak with Paddle

We live at a lake, so I purchased this for my son’s 6th birthday. He was so excited to have “a kayak of his own” that he slept it in for a week in his bedroom. (The instructions do say not to sit in it when it’s not in the water because it can deform it, but we figured it’d be fine). He’s taken it out twice so far. The first time we attached a long rope to the handle so that he couldn’t potentially float away (it was a very windy day). The second time he asked to have the rope off and even practiced paddling on his knees, standing up on it (like a paddle board), tipping over, swimming around and climbing up the back. His grandmother was amazed how quickly he was able to steer with his paddle. He’s proud of it and loves to pull it out of the water. He can’t carry it yet: 18 pounds is too heavy and it’s too bulky. He loves the independence of it, considering many other water toys (paddle boards, paddle boats, row boats, etc.) are too big for him. We purchased a paddle leash because, while there are notches in the kayak to sit the paddle, he knocked it into the water a few times while playing about. One piece of advice about pricing: check frequently. We got the green one for under a hundred dollars. The price on the green and blues ones fluctuate every couple of weeks or so.

We bought this for our 9 year old who is getting into fishing. It arrived quicker than stated. Although it did arrive in a plastic bag which was ripped and had some scratches on the hull but we really didn’t mind due to using it right after. My son loved it! Small enough to fit in the back of the truck. Light enough for my son to carry. Its extremely stable so he is able to stand on it while fishing. I have a kayak so mine is a little faster but I would rather have a stable platform for my son. Great product may buy another for the older son!

For what we are using the kayak for, it’s perfect. We have not come up against any problems whatsoever in the 2 summers my daughter has used it. My daughter was 8 years old when we first got it, and she found the kayak very easy to use.

Before we purchased, I contacted the company to try to figure out how long she would be able to use the kayak (I didn’t want to get it and find out that she would be too big when she turned 10, for example). They explained that there is no real height limit, only a weight limit (130 lbs). Obviously this kayak is shorter than an adult’s kayak, but it’s true, an adult woman under the weight limit could use it though her knees would be somewhat bent. Anyway, the point is that if you are buying this for an 8 year old, it should be usable for years.

I admit we haven’t exactly strained the limits of this kayak, but for our use (8/9/10 year old on lakes) we’ve been nothing but pleased. I don’t know if it’s lacking some features people want but for us, it’s done the job and we’ve been happy.

We purchased this kayak for my son who is 6 years old. It is perfect for him to use at the beach. He is on the smaller side, I would say he is about 42″ and just 44lbs. He is able to maneuver and get around in the kayak perfectly. It took him about 5 minutes to get comfortable. Now he will jump in his boat and just go out and paddle around, etc. This kayak is a PERFECT “starter” boat for a child, It is super light and includes the paddle. You can’t beat the price with shipping to your door. The kayak itself weighs about 20lbs, so it isn’t too hard to move around. We were able to easily load the boat and the paddle into the back of my Honda minivan. The only feature I wish this boat had was some kind of rigging cord to hold the paddle on the kayak when it is sitting. On our full size kayaks you have a groove to place your paddle and secure it to the boat using a bungee cord. The weight limit on the boat is approx. 120lbs, so I anticipate this kayak to be used for the next several years. Very happy with this purchase.

This is a perfect starter Kayak for a kid. We bought this for our 8 year old as her birthday present. She loves it! It is easy to paddle, she does not get frustrated because it glides right to where she wants it to go. It is easy for her to get in and out of. She has not tipped it yet or jumped in from it to use the swim up on the back, but I like that she has that option so she can get back on without an adult having to jump in and try and push her back on. The boat is lightweight making it easy for a kid to drag it onto shore or for it to be thrown onto a storage shelf when not in use. It even comes with a paddle, which makes it super simple to just get it and go!

Pros:
Lightweight
Does not tip easily
Easy to paddle
Comes with paddle

Cons:
No dry compartment
She wants it to have a cup holder

I tow this kayak behind my personal kayak to carry 60lbs. of camping & hiking gear (including 20 gallons of water/heavy). Works VERY well! Tracking works very well as a tow behind and I hardly noticed that it was there. Except for tight turns and starts that do jar slightly (take your time on starts) the tow was smooth. Had lots of lake questions about what I was towing ( I said a body, and that seemed to satisfy curiosity fairly well /and for some reason a usually crowded lake became much less so…. ???). This is a workout to be sure, but I did 36 plus miles a day without too much trouble or added exhaustion. I enjoy this much more than my tiny pull behind cooler (brand withheld to be kind to them). This works SO MUCH BETTER! At a 20lb load you almost wont even notice it behind you.

My grandson loves this. He is almost 5, but tall like a 6-year-old. He wears a life jacket and quickly learned how to maneuver around a small pond. We also had two 7-year-old girls use it at once. Very stable! It does not capsize unless his dad tries to use it. Haha. Sturdy too. It fell out of the truck onto the pavement but received not a scratch or dent. Buy some life jackets and you then have a very safe kayak experience for kids. It is well designed for safety and yet also glides nicely through the water in a pond or lake.

My eight-year old daughter loves it. A little difficult for her to carry it, though it is light weight. Very happy with our purchase.