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Had my first go at kayaking this evening. Albeit in a city canal 🙂
Great fun! Wanted to see if any old hands have any tips? I found the hardest bit was getting in and out of the bloody thing from the brick rim of the canal. Managed to kind of flop into it and found an old fence to haul myself out. I thankfully had bought a paddle leash and used this as a kind of land anchor. At first I was really struggling to stay in a straight line, the slightest bit of wind putting me in a spin. After hauling myself back out of the water I noticed that I'm missing the spring which deploys the skeg. So manually pulled it out and things got much easier. So, how is one supposed to paddle? Deep and close, or shallow at a low angle?
I'll just repeat what I've said on other threads. Kayaking is mind blowing when it goes well, but also very dangerous when it goes wrong.
I've done a bit of surfing, quite a lot of skiing and boarding, a fair bit of rock climbing, some ice climbing and a fair bit of MTB. All those give fear, terror, elation, adrenaline, relief, focus etc in their own way but none come anywhere close to that feeling on a difficult section of water when you capsize, roll up, nail your line and get down the hard bit ( clearly I've contradicted myself by mentioning rolling and nailing the line in the same sentence, but never mind)
Catching a helicopter into the Hokitika in New Zealand, hiking into the Styx, running the Ulla Slides in Norway, the Coruh in Turkey, or the lower T in California were some of the best days in my life.
Alas swimming almost a mile in the Astre was nearly the last...
In the end I gave up, because I couldn't devote the necessary time to getting as good as the rest of my group, but I'd love to get back into it one day.
It depends. You actually get different shaped blades for high angle and low angle paddling.
I sea kayak and tend to paddle at a low angle when pottering about and a higher angle when making progress and really wanting to put the power down.
Hmm, well I can't say I was making any real progress. It's more likely to be my technique being a complete beginner than the paddle - an adjustable Decathlon job. Are you supposed to push out with your foot, or down with your arse or anything?
I stopped when I had Hoppy jr because a)it are too much time faffing for a very short period of time on the water, b) it depends so heavily on conditions that you have to be very selfish and c) I lost a lot of friends in a short space of time and I wasn't able to make the case to myself that I was happy with the risks I was taking anymore.
Having paddled solidly for nearly 20 years I walked away from all river paddling and shortly after pretty much everything. 10years later I've started to dabble back in playboating and have got an itch to get back in my sea boat.
Oh and it can make biking look cheap.
I started paddling as a kid in the scouts. I dabbled in K1 flat water racing for a few years. Moving to the western isles soon and looking forward to getting a sea kayak.
Paddle technique varies depending on the type of boat - skinnier boats like surf skis and racing boats use a high paddle angle with near vertical paddle entry are are pretty exhilarating to paddle fast (10km/hr+)when the technique all comes together. Watch some YouTube videos on paddle technique - 90% of paddlers get it wrong, keep the arms straight and all rotation should be from the hips and driving from the legs - as the left paddle enters, your left leg is bent, as you rotate you drive the left leg, pushing the hip back , bending the right leg with that paddle now forwards. If you just use your arms and shoulders you’ll tire quickly.
I am not a serious paddler and never will be. We like being able to tour long distances with the weight being taken by the canoe or kayak. Have done several US 4-6 day trips into remote areas in canoe and some pootling in Sweden. Love the idea of sea kayaking Scotland or British Columbia but to do it safely will take time (training) and money (training plus equipment hire).
Technique - noticed lots of beginners lie back. Sit upright, bum back into seat, feet pressing against foot holds with knees bent up against side/top. In flowing water that gives you control from your hips on the roll of the kayak. Watch some videos about paddling. Yes need skeg if slow flow / flat water / windy, but also be aware boats 'drift' when they turn. You can get experience days inexpensively that will show you basic technique.
Getting in and out, the key is to put one hand on the back of the cockpit, in the centre of the boat, and the other on the bank. Support your weight on those two points, the boat doesn't wobble. If you put your weight on your foot, keep it in the centre.
Going straight is mostly practice. It may help to think of the paddle as a fixed point that you pull the boat past.
Is it a sit on top or a traditional decked kayak? If the latter, find somewhere with clean water and a helper, capsize it and make sure you can get out (forward roll to get your legs out and don't try to get your head out of water until your legs are clear).
I started paddling as a kid in the scouts. I dabbled in K1 flat water racing for a few years. Moving to the western isles soon and looking forward to getting a sea kayak.
Paddle technique varies depending on the type of boat – skinnier boats like surf skis and racing boats use a high paddle angle with near vertical paddle entry are are pretty exhilarating to paddle fast (10km/hr+)when the technique all comes together. Watch some YouTube videos on paddle technique – 90% of paddlers get it wrong, keep the arms straight and all rotation should be from the hips and driving from the legs – as the left paddle enters, your left leg is bent, as you rotate you drive the left leg, pushing the hip back , bending the right leg with that paddle now forwards. If you just use your arms and shoulders you’ll tire quickly.
I go along with that. I used to race both sprint and long distance for a number of years and that summary is pretty good. A lot of power developed by the rotation.
It does depend a lot on what sort of kayak you have though.Sprint kayaks typically have a high seating position which helps the very upright insertion of the blade when it's coupled with a very narow bow section. Of course, a hgher seat position means less stability.
In kayaks with low seats you're more likely to be paddling lower and inserting the paddle further out from the sides of the kayak, which in turn means that you have to think a bit more about keeping straightline.
Thanks guys, some good tips here. Definitely will try to sit up next time. I was reclining back in the seat. Felt quite low and the paddle too long so need to work on my posture then.
Kayak is a plastic sit-in made by Dagger.
Sit up straight or with your weight slightly forward.
High strokes (passing parallel to boat) provide most forward power, wider strokes (arcing away from the boat) provide more turning.
Don’t look at the front of your boat. Pick a spot in the distance and look at that.
If you start turning to one side, make a wider stroke on that side.
You can always try and find a local club, they’ll no doubt let you have a few goes and pay by the session and give a few pointers.
I’ve been kayaking for 25 years on and off (more off than on) and my kids are getting into it now.
I also raced sprint and marathon to a reasonable junior standard had a go at whitewater but I was a bit scared tbh, also there’s not much whitewater local to me and being near Birmingham the sea is abound far away as it gets so fla****er was the most convenient. I did paddle my race boat on the sea at Barmouth once, that was ‘fun’ didn’t stray far from the shore though.
I love being on the water, I’m hoping to dabble in some races again once the world is back to normal.
Depending on the boat you were using, shorter fun boats don’t necessarily track easily in a straight line and you need to sense and correct early on with a slightly wider sweep of the paddle stroke.
I learned in my teens, initially in a pool and managed to learn to Eskimo roll very quickly, but paddling in a straight line and developing more boat feel took considerably longer.
Joining a local club is a great piece of advice. They’ll help you select appropriate equipment for your needs and also help poi t out some of the technique issues.
As others have pointed out above, when you become more proficient and can control the line you want, particularly in moving water, it’s an incredible feeling.
And equally, I’ve stopped mainly because of the time taken to get places. White water paddling in the UK is very rain dependent and weirdly we don’t always get it where you need it at the times you would like it, so pre-booked weekends away are really hit and miss for good boating.
Paddle in at your feet, pull parallel and close to boat until hips then remove.
If your stroke is too long you start to lift water and steer rather than power forward.
Top arm/wrist should be roughly in front of you face as you pull lower arm.
As mentioned above try to get power from your trunk to save you arms, big muscles in abdomen and back!
Make sure your hands are an even distance from each blade and try to keep power on each side even.
While learning watch the nose and it should zig zag with each 2 strokes. If it zigs but doesn't zag then you need to correct quickly. Long flat stroke from toes, out wide and right to back of boat. When a kayak starts to turn out of control it's the back end that slides out - bit like a handbrake turn in a car - so last bit of the stroke acts a rudder to correct. Remember kayaks are designed to turn quickly so you can avoid obstacle so keeping a straight line is a challenge.
Play with your blade in the water and feel what it does when you change angles etc. Try reaching side ways with paddle vertical and pull yourself towards the blade.
Keep having fun!
Like a few on here, I learnt to 'canoe' with the Scouts and did the BCU Star awards. I have a couple of sit on top kayaks now for pootling in the river and for finding quieter beaches when on holiday.
We were taught the trick for getting in was to put the paddle between the shore and just behind the seat and using it as a stabiliser to sit/shuffle along.
We were taught the trick for getting in was to put the paddle between the shore and just behind the seat and using it as a stabiliser to sit/shuffle along.
Yes this but don't sit too hard or you'll end up with a bent shaft!
Welcome to the club. Paddle sports are addictive. 😎
Top tip for sitting up - imagine someone is pulling upwards on a string attached to your head.
I too would say join a club or have a few lessons.
Like so many sports there's some real subtlety going on with technique. A coach needs to see head, shoulders, hand placement, trunk and hand rotation, feel foot pressure, look at edging and leaning, paddle placement, catch, pull and release. You will use long, short, close, wide strokes, move your whole core in rotation and fore/aft etc etc...
Where are you, I know a few places to suggest club or coach.
Yes this but don’t sit too hard or you’ll end up with a bent shaft!
Good advice for life!
Cheers mate, I'm in Sheffield. I can't see me joining any clubs as I'm not really one for groups or 'organised fun', but I have actually bumped into a local guy who was running SUP lessons and took his number with a plan to arrange a kind of one-to-one starter course before I used the kayak. Especially as the bit that was worrying me most was getting in and out from the canal bank. I'm pretty impulsive though so the weather was nice on Friday so I just did it. The kayak is kept at my work unit on the side of the canal so literally out the door and into the water.
I will still get in touch with that dude though at some point over the summer. Especially before taking it on any rivers or moving water. I might take it to a clean-ish reservoir at some point to practise escaping/rolling/rescue etc as another poster pointed out.
One thing of interest that might need sorting to get proper technique is the footrest situation. I basically inherited the boat and I'm too tall for the existing footboard. So I just took it out. Not much of an issue with a quick bimble on the canal but will need to fit some adjustable footrests at some point, or maybe fill the nose with something hard but buoyant?
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Get yourself one of these and pretend you have been doing it for years
Used to love it from my first go in PGL as a kid to once monthly on the river irwell at Burrs country park in Bury, high water was tough but fun till I had a moment doing the weir drop I’d done countless times but rolled and couldn’t get out of the churning weir and had to be rescued. Not fun, and too scared now, although we do live within spitting distance of the Leeds Liverpool canal which is nice and sedate.
Burrs weir for reference.
to do it safely will take time (training) and money (training plus equipment hire)
That's the main reason for joining a club - you get all that much cheaper than through any other route. And then once you're confident, buddies for car share on trips, suggestions of places to go etc.
Jambourgie - biggest issues I've found with beginners not going in a straight line are (1) not holding the paddle right by not having the same distance between hand and blade on each side (2) most people have a dominant side, so pulling harder on that side than the other (3) waiting to spin out rather than adjusting a stroke to keep straight before they start to go off line. It all sorts with time in the boat.
One thing of interest that might need sorting to get proper technique is the footrest situation
Footrests serve two purposes, pushing the boat forward and safety. As you pull yourself forward via your right hand, push the boat forward with your right foot, then the same with the left. The footrest is essential to getting rotation and using the legs and torso for power, with the arms just a linkage.
Second, is that if you hit a fixed object, you can slide forward in the boat. Used to be a big hazard on moving water, when boats were 4m long, as you could end up basically lying down in the front half and unable to get out, but modern short whitewater boats mean you can't slide so far. But your boat has a skeg, which means it's not a short ww boat, so something to watch for. Filling the bow with foam blocks is one way, pedals on a track down each side are another. Do you know the model of kayak you have?
Cheers mate, I’m in Sheffield.
In which case, speak to Dan at DC Outdoors for some coaching. I suspect he was the dude you spoke to on the SUP's....