But, this type of stability shines when you hit choppier water conditions. Getting into a boat with a lot of secondary dynamic stability won’t feel stable – you may even topple out of it when trying to get inside. So, if you’re looking to feel stable when paddling on calm waters, then you’ll want to go with a canoe or one of the kayaks with a flatter, wider bottom.ĭynamic stability is less about feeling stable (as it often doesn’t feel stable), but about making it much easier and more stable for you to flow with the water as it moves. Only if you excessively rock your boat or lean way over into the water are you in danger of toppling out. When entering and using these vessels you’ll flow through calm water without feeling unsteady. But, certain kayaks like sit-on-top yaks or intro casual kayaks like this Pelican also contain a lot of primary stability. Since your standard canoe bottom is typically wide, smooth, and flat it’s the quintessential primary stability vessel.

Primary stability provides you with balance in calm waters and results in you toppling out of your vessel much less. The structure that provides this type of stability is large, flat bottoms. Do you feel like you’re not going to topple over? Was it relatively easy to get into the hull? If so, then the boat has a lot of primary stability.

Primary stability is best described by that feeling you get when sitting in the boat for the first time. Most beginner paddlers and anyone paddling on calm water are mostly looking for vessels with primary stability.

Kayak vs canoe