I have gotten into a new hobby this summer, that of kayaking, and I was considering the possibilty of kayaking the canals Amsterdam. It seemed like a nice idea but upon further research I found that it might not be so nice due to the fact heat there are not many places to get in and out and also the water is unfortunately very polluted. Still it seems like a cool way to independently tour the city. It might be a good challenge for a more experienced kayaker.

There does seem to be some very good kayaking and canoeing opportunities outisde of Amsterdam as i found at this web site http://home.planet.nl/~vortex1/e-amsterdam.htm Lots of good pictures too.

I have never seen a kayak or canoe in any of the canals but thats probably because ive only ever been there in the winter.

.......anyway I would be interested to hear of anyones personal water craft experiences that they would like to share?

thanks

I did some kayaking in the amsterdam canals, and a bit outside of Amsterdam, during Queensday week in 2001. Overall, it was a great experience, and I would easily recommend doing it in Amsterdam, since it gives a unique and rare perspective on the city.
The water is unclean, but more dirty (mud, debris, trash) than polluted. The biggest concern is canal traffic, but the advice on the website you mentioned seems to cover it, and in any case, avoid doing the canals during dusk or after nightfall. The traffic on the weekends is heavier, with more tourists taking the canal tours, and a lot of locals taking their small boats out. I would recommend avoiding as much as possible the section of the Amstel river in the city center, since it seemed to have the busiest traffic.
The biggest problem I personnaly encountered was finding a launch point, and it took me some time to find the Torenstraat Bridge, which I finally used (BTW, the closest cafe' on the bridge has the best apple pie in Amsterdam).
Anyway, kayaking the city is exciting, and an experience much more special than kayaking in the countryside. I hope to get the chance of doing it again in the future.

Mac