In a world where the average kid’s kayak is a glorified pool toy, Celliers Kruger has a different idea of what kayaking for kids could look like. Built to be stable and comfortable while also allowing for growth as a young paddler, the Piper sit-on-top kid’s kayak is a far cry from your average kid’s kayak.
We caught up with Kruger at Canoecopia 2025 to hear all about the design choices behind the Piper.
The inside scoop on the Lekker Kayaks Piper
The Piper, designed for kids aged 5-12 and up to 130 pounds, is stable but streamlined with a long waterline to preserve speed so that a kid can more easily keep up with adults on the water. Like a touring kayak, it can be edged and turned. The Piper is a touch more narrow than the average kid’s kayak, but not necessarily less stable.
The philosophy behind the design of the Piper is that kids need a boat that inspires confidence and allows for growth as a paddler early on, so that by the time they’re ready for their first performance boat they’ve built foundational paddling skills.
Key in the Piper’s design is a higher-volume bow to inspire confidence while paddling in waves, a slightly higher midsection around the cockpit of the boat to keep a small paddler drier and secure, and a downward sloping stern deck to reduce wind interference. D-rings for thigh straps make it possible to take the Piper down small rapids, and Kruger himself took his own kids out on small rapids in earlier iterations of the Piper.
“I believe that the vast majority of kids should start out paddling with sit-on-tops,” Kruger writes about the Piper on its product page. “It is the safest option by far, and also the most enjoyable if the boat is designed right. Unfortunately the bulk of kids sit-on-tops on the market are really just toys, not kayaks.”
Check out the Lekker Kayaks Piper here.
