Thinking of taking up Kayaking
Discussion
Hi all,
Recent bid to get a bit fitter and have been looking at 'interesting' ways of doing it rather than hours at the gym... I was thinking of getting a kayak as I'm only about an hour away from the Lake District - I was at the outdoor show in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago and spotted some of those inflatable doodads that sort of convinced me to take a deeper look at this - I have done kayaking/canoeing in the past and enjoy being out on the water (Blame my granddad for that I guess!) but don't really know anyone knowledgeable on kayaking...
I was wondering if anyone could;
- Tell me if I'm mad or not, I don't know anyone else who would be interested in going with me, so would probably be solo most of the time - Is there much of a safety aspect to consider? I'm a fairly strong swimmer and have spent quite a lot of time on boats in the past.
- Recommend some decent reading (books/forums wherever to find out a bit more)
- Recommend some good learner-friendly equipment, preferably for touring
Thanks, Matt.
(PS; It's nearly 3:00am and I'm knackered, so the above may or may not make sense!)
Edit: Speeling and gamma
Recent bid to get a bit fitter and have been looking at 'interesting' ways of doing it rather than hours at the gym... I was thinking of getting a kayak as I'm only about an hour away from the Lake District - I was at the outdoor show in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago and spotted some of those inflatable doodads that sort of convinced me to take a deeper look at this - I have done kayaking/canoeing in the past and enjoy being out on the water (Blame my granddad for that I guess!) but don't really know anyone knowledgeable on kayaking...
I was wondering if anyone could;
- Tell me if I'm mad or not, I don't know anyone else who would be interested in going with me, so would probably be solo most of the time - Is there much of a safety aspect to consider? I'm a fairly strong swimmer and have spent quite a lot of time on boats in the past.
- Recommend some decent reading (books/forums wherever to find out a bit more)
- Recommend some good learner-friendly equipment, preferably for touring
Thanks, Matt.
(PS; It's nearly 3:00am and I'm knackered, so the above may or may not make sense!)
Edit: Speeling and gamma
Edited by matty_doh on Friday 9th April 12:49
I can't really help a great deal, but this is something I've been thinking about for a while too. My only suggestion would be to search for a local club - mine does taster sessions every month (either free or a nominal fee I think) and I plan to go as soon as I get a free weekend.
Having splashed about a little in the past my completely unqualified opinion is that you're fine solo on lakes and resevoirs. Fast flowing rivers or sea cannoeing is going to introduce a little more risk and that's when it might be useful to have someone around perhaps.
Having splashed about a little in the past my completely unqualified opinion is that you're fine solo on lakes and resevoirs. Fast flowing rivers or sea cannoeing is going to introduce a little more risk and that's when it might be useful to have someone around perhaps.
What sort of kayaking do you want to do?
Flat lake/river type stuff?
Surfing?
White water?
Unless you are just wanting a "play thing" then an inflatable is not a good idea..
Get a proper boat...
Which boat will really depend on what you want to do with it!
I would strongly suggest going to one of the proper outdoor places and having a go... Plas-y-Brenin in North Wales do some really good kayaking courses/day trips.... out on lakes, rivers or the sea.. depends what you fancy...
Deffinatley try a few things before you buy some gear...
Flat lake/river type stuff?
Surfing?
White water?
Unless you are just wanting a "play thing" then an inflatable is not a good idea..
Get a proper boat...
Which boat will really depend on what you want to do with it!
I would strongly suggest going to one of the proper outdoor places and having a go... Plas-y-Brenin in North Wales do some really good kayaking courses/day trips.... out on lakes, rivers or the sea.. depends what you fancy...
Deffinatley try a few things before you buy some gear...
tegwin said:
What sort of kayaking do you want to do?
Flat lake/river type stuff?
Surfing?
White water?
Unless you are just wanting a "play thing" then an inflatable is not a good idea..
Get a proper boat...
Which boat will really depend on what you want to do with it!
I would strongly suggest going to one of the proper outdoor places and having a go... Plas-y-Brenin in North Wales do some really good kayaking courses/day trips.... out on lakes, rivers or the sea.. depends what you fancy...
Deffinatley try a few things before you buy some gear...
Cheers for the post Flat lake/river type stuff?
Surfing?
White water?
Unless you are just wanting a "play thing" then an inflatable is not a good idea..
Get a proper boat...
Which boat will really depend on what you want to do with it!
I would strongly suggest going to one of the proper outdoor places and having a go... Plas-y-Brenin in North Wales do some really good kayaking courses/day trips.... out on lakes, rivers or the sea.. depends what you fancy...
Deffinatley try a few things before you buy some gear...
Flat lake/river stuff, I've done kayaking a few times in the past, with both 'Outward bound' style centres and also on a few outdoors type trips I've been on - on both smooth rivers/canals and lakes/reservoirs to a bit of white water stuff - the idea of pottering up and down a lake as a hobby is quite appealing, as I've always enjoyed it each time I've been.
I was thinking of the inflatable for ease of use, and the one I was looking at (Sevylor Pointer K1) get's nothing but good reviews and having had a look at one, they seem like top quality bits of kit, though admittedly I would prefer a rigid one.. turns out roof bars for my car aren't too dear either.. Ahhh decisions decisions!
PS; to the guys above who were looking at doing the same, I'm currently watching http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PYRANHA-INAZONE-240-KAYAK-PA... on Fleabay to give a rough idea of cost (No I'm not bidding!), though to my untrained eye it could be utter tat!
Edited by matty_doh on Thursday 8th April 11:07
RDE said:
any recommended qualifications to obtain?
I did the BCU courses and completed 3 star white water when I was in the scouts 23 years ago, they are still running now and are a great introductionhttp://www.bcu.org.uk/tests-and-awards/personal-pe...
Sadly I've not been in one since then
The inflatable and the ebay boat are designed for quite different things it appears (the inflatable blurb talks about sea touring where as the innazone is a river touring boat). I'd hazard a guess of £2-300 for the inazone to finish on.
I've never actually been paddling in the lakes having always missed my clubs trips that way but there are some good clubs and coaches up there- have a look at the bcu website(england page) to find one and for info on where to paddle Rivers guide book.
If you've done some paddling before thats good but watch out for wind on lakes...one way it can be nice and easy and an utter pig going the other way (look for kayak sailing...one day i might try it).
As for costs of getting started thats anyones guess. You're probably best off finding a club and using their kit at first and then building up your own collection when you know what suits you. A new (plastic) boat will be £500 upwards and you can easily spend as much on clothing/paddles etc. A second hand boat can be any amount as ebay will show you. Don't do what a lot of ebay people seem to which is buy a load of brand new and expensive kit then lose interest and try to sell it for as much as you bought it.
I've never actually been paddling in the lakes having always missed my clubs trips that way but there are some good clubs and coaches up there- have a look at the bcu website(england page) to find one and for info on where to paddle Rivers guide book.
If you've done some paddling before thats good but watch out for wind on lakes...one way it can be nice and easy and an utter pig going the other way (look for kayak sailing...one day i might try it).
As for costs of getting started thats anyones guess. You're probably best off finding a club and using their kit at first and then building up your own collection when you know what suits you. A new (plastic) boat will be £500 upwards and you can easily spend as much on clothing/paddles etc. A second hand boat can be any amount as ebay will show you. Don't do what a lot of ebay people seem to which is buy a load of brand new and expensive kit then lose interest and try to sell it for as much as you bought it.
mcdjl said:
The inflatable and the ebay boat are designed for quite different things it appears (the inflatable blurb talks about sea touring where as the innazone is a river touring boat). I'd hazard a guess of £2-300 for the inazone to finish on.
I've never actually been paddling in the lakes having always missed my clubs trips that way but there are some good clubs and coaches up there- have a look at the bcu website(england page) to find one and for info on where to paddle Rivers guide book.
If you've done some paddling before thats good but watch out for wind on lakes...one way it can be nice and easy and an utter pig going the other way (look for kayak sailing...one day i might try it).
As for costs of getting started thats anyones guess. You're probably best off finding a club and using their kit at first and then building up your own collection when you know what suits you. A new (plastic) boat will be £500 upwards and you can easily spend as much on clothing/paddles etc. A second hand boat can be any amount as ebay will show you. Don't do what a lot of ebay people seem to which is buy a load of brand new and expensive kit then lose interest and try to sell it for as much as you bought it.
Thanks for the post, very helpful.I've never actually been paddling in the lakes having always missed my clubs trips that way but there are some good clubs and coaches up there- have a look at the bcu website(england page) to find one and for info on where to paddle Rivers guide book.
If you've done some paddling before thats good but watch out for wind on lakes...one way it can be nice and easy and an utter pig going the other way (look for kayak sailing...one day i might try it).
As for costs of getting started thats anyones guess. You're probably best off finding a club and using their kit at first and then building up your own collection when you know what suits you. A new (plastic) boat will be £500 upwards and you can easily spend as much on clothing/paddles etc. A second hand boat can be any amount as ebay will show you. Don't do what a lot of ebay people seem to which is buy a load of brand new and expensive kit then lose interest and try to sell it for as much as you bought it.
I'm not intending to buy the ebay one, it was just something to keep an eye on for a rough cost (as I don't imagine different types of kayak fetch much difference in price? Only guessing though). A lake/calm river boat is definitely what I'm looking for - I'll save white water stuff for holidays where it's warm!
It seems the best way to go about this is to sign up to a club - I'll have to have a look around - I'm not far from Fleetwood boating lake where I know a lot of clubs have meets, will have to pop down at some point and see if there is anyone there.
I wasn't intending to buy any new kit, as all the times I've been before I've used club's kit that has seen a lot of abuse and still seems to be holding up well. I'm trying not to go overboard (badum dum tishhh..) on spending, instead I'll just take my time and find some quality kit that suits me that I can pick up second hand.
More googling of local clubs I think!
Edited by matty_doh on Thursday 8th April 14:08
Different boats can go for quite different amounts of money- especially when you start getting into racing/competition boats. The inazones a comparatively old design but still in production so it might not be the best example to look at. Location also has an effect on the price they go for on ebay- they're too big really to post so quite often ones in further reaches on the country go for less than those in the midlands (the water national water sports centre at Notts) or other canoeing regions
mcdjl said:
Different boats can go for quite different amounts of money- especially when you start getting into racing/competition boats. The inazones a comparatively old design but still in production so it might not be the best example to look at. Location also has an effect on the price they go for on ebay- they're too big really to post so quite often ones in further reaches on the country go for less than those in the midlands (the water national water sports centre at Notts) or other canoeing regions
Ah ok, cheers!, guess I will have to wait and find a suitable kayak then to watch for price information. I can travel to pick one up as I do quite a bit of travelling as it is so I'll just have to keep an eye out for a bargain in that others aren't willing to travel for.Do you know of any canoeing/kayaking forums? I've looked on a couple but a lot seem to be dead.
mcdjl said:
The forum on rivers guide book (community) should be live....other than that I don't know sorry. Local clubs might have their own but I'm not sure if there is a pistonheads for kayaks type place.
Great, thanks - I will have a look around there and see what I can find. Cheers again for the helpful posts
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