Lifetime Wave 60

Size and Weight

Featuring a child-friendly length of 6’ (183 cm) and a width of 24” (61 cm), the Wave 60 offers a nice mix between stability, interior space, and portability. Since it is pretty short, this boat is ideal for use by children between 5-8 years old that are just starting to explore life on the water.

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As far as weight goes, the Wave 60 tips the scales at 18 lbs (8.2 kg), which is about average for this size boat. For most adults, this kayak should be easy enough to transport, even over fairly long distances, especially if your little paddler decides to help out.

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Capacity

Despite its small size, the Wave 60 actually has a pretty impressive weight capacity. Rated for 130 lbs (59 kg), this kayak surpasses the same-size Pelican Ultimate 60’s 100 lb (45.4 kg) load capacity.

Keeping in mind that kayaks shouldn’t be loaded beyond 80% of their maximum capacity for optimal performance, the Wave 60 is best for children that weigh less than 100lbs (45.5kg). That means that this kayak is an ideal starter boat, but that your child will eventually need to upgrade to a model with a larger capacity.

Features

Since the Wave 60 is designed for fun paddles with the whole family, it’s decidedly light on features.

For a seat, it has a molded sit on top deck area which offers little in the way of lumbar support, though this is less of a concern for most children. Instead, it has a sloped back end and a swim-up step system that makes it easier for younger paddlers to re-enter the boat after a capsize.

To accommodate rambunctious kids and splashy conditions, Lifetime designed this boat with multiple self-bailing scupper holes. That way, the boat naturally drains the cockpit area as your child paddles, limiting your clean up time at the end of the day.

Finally, the Wave 60 comes with a molded paddle cradle so your little kayaker can set their paddle down without losing it on the water.

Performance

When designing the Wave 60, Lifetime crafted this boat with a fairly wide, flat hull, which improves primary stability and maneuverability on the water. It also has multiple molded footrests for children of different heights, which allows them to get more control over the kayak while turning.

However, unlike many other flat-hulled boats, the Wave 60 has what’s known as a “reverse chine.” This means that the kayak has a hard chine (a.k.a. an angular, boxy shape) that flattens out and actually becomes parallel with the water toward the sides of the hull.

For paddlers, this results in improved tracking over what you might normally find on a flat-hulled boat. Additionally, it means that the boat better glides through the water, while providing excellent primary stability.

That being said, even a reverse chine isn’t enough to provide a flat-hulled boat with great secondary stability. Therefore, the Wave 60 is most appropriate for use in calm conditions in sheltered water.