Kayaking

[Drago]

Anyone here go kayaking? Been thinking of getting one to pass the time when my shoulder is mended. Nothing gnarly or competitive, just an open kayak for gentle exploring, but know zero about it.

 

[Chromatic]

@numbnuts does I believe.

 

[hopless500]

Don't buy a yellow one.
You will become an insect magnet. DAMHIKT.

 

[Globalti]

Kayaks are the absolute kings (or queens?) of open-water transport. They are less stable than canoes but they are fast, graceful and seaworthy in skilled hands; friends of mine kayaked from Shetland to Foula and back and I know that experienced kayakers undertake bigger more daring voyages than that. Jared Diamond claims in his book Collapse that two Viking settlements on the west coast of Greenland failed after only a few decades because the Vikings were pastoralists and refused to embrace Inuit hunting technology, which uses the kayak as a deadly seal hunting vessel combined with spears and a strong throwing arm.

If you plan to go sea kayaking, take lessons, learn to roll and go with other more experienced kayakers who know how to self-rescue.

Other than kayaks there are loads of canoes including the sit-on variety used in holiday resorts and open Canadian canoes used for long shallow-water trips with heavy baggage.

 

[Drago]

Yeah, I was thinking of a sit on type. Sea kayaking looks immense fun, but I'm spoiled for local lakes that I can use.

 

[hopless500]

You can get long pointy touring ones, short stubby 'sporty' ones. You'd probably want something in the middle

Edit/ And I second the learning to roll suggestion.

 

[Globalti]

I would add that there's a new kind of craft, as graceful as a kayak and based on a scaled-down Viking longship called the St Ayle's Skiff. Skiff building and competitions between coastal settlements is becoming a big sport in Scotland and other British coastal waters.

Edit: looks like the cox of this skiff has got it right.....

 

[screenman]

Me, I do a bit and have been able to roll since 1979 Join a local club and use their equipment for a while, loads of them about.

 

[screenman]

Have you considered a Canadian as they are good for family outings.

 

[PeteXXX]

@Drago , get yourself down to Bedford Road canoe centre. I'm sure they do taster sessions there.
Didn't you do any paddling when you were dibble? They often train there

 

[Drago]

@Drago , get yourself down to Bedford Road canoe centre. I'm sure they do taster sessions there.
Didn't you do any paddling when you were dibble? They often train there

Did my swiftwater rescue training there. Thinking about it, WarkSAR have a kayak team, so I may have a chat with them.

 

[numbnuts]

Hi yes I go kayaking, just sold my sea kayak, but I still have a sit-on-top that I use for fishing and sailing yeah I made a sail for it.
If you have never been in one I would do a BCU Star one course they are great fun, it is a full day course and you will learn to paddle properly and not just wave it around in the air like most new comers do.
Safety equipment - YES I know you can swim, but bouyance aid is a must, wetsuit in cooler weather and dry suit if your man (mad) enough to want to paddle in the winter.
Get a good make and not something from China.....and get one that is at least 12 foot long as they paddle straighter and see if you can try before you part with any money.

 

[Dave Davenport]

I've done a fair bit and my daughter and son in law are both kayak instructors & guides. They work out of Fishguard in summer and Abel Tasman, New Zealand during our winter, they do anything from half day 'have a go' to week long advanced courses. I'd recommend getting a bit of instruction and trying different types of boat before you decide what type to go for as you may find you want to do more than a 'sit on top' will allow.

 

[Stephen Piper]

There are as many different types of canoe (a kayak is a type of canoe) as there are types of bike. A good starter boat would be a 9-11ft sit on top which can be bought for around £300, a shorter one would be good for surfing but quite slow. You will get wet though, you sit in a puddle and drip water off the paddle over your legs. The longer the boat the more efficient but less maneuverable they are. I have a 14ft SOT, an Ocean Kayak, Scupper Pro, mainly for use at sea. SOTs are relatively safe compared to SINKs (Sit in Kayaks) as self rescue is just a matter of climbing back on, no rolling is needed. Canadian (open) canoes are dry to paddle but are more difficult to steer in high wind, I have two of them, 16 and 17 ft long, best used where it is not far from dry land.
The open canoe equivalent of Cycle Chat is http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/forum.php or for kayaks https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/

 

[Ian H]

Strictly-speaking, you sit in a kayak with a double-blade and kneel in a canoe with a single blade. But most people call kayaks canoes.
I used to surf canoe (kayak) in the 80s, until I found there wasn't enough time for both canoeing and cycling.