Sponsons can be a useful training tool, like training wheels and have some use as an additional safety device in some situations. However, if you want a stable kayak, get a kayak that is designed to be stable, it will work better than a kayak with baloons tied to the side.

> How useful are sponsons, and can anyone recommend a particular
> manufacturer? I am a novice, paddling on Lake Ontario. The water is
> quite cold, the lake is quite windy, and I REALLY don't want to get
> pulled out of the water by some obnoxious, drunken power boater.