Paddlesports (Kayaking, Canoe, Stand-Up Paddle boards)

[Dave85]

Been out with a local adventure sports company a few times now and really enjoying it. I cannot store even a 10ft Kayak though and lug it onto the roof etc. Anyone any experience of Oru Kayaks. Been looking at the Lake and Inlet and seen lots of good reviews. Cant afford the longer models but its mainly just for non windy calm lochs and smooth rivers up here in Scotland.

 

[pepp77]

Went Kayaking yesterday for the first time in my life (I'm 46). It was me, my mate of the same age and his 18 year old son. We had two guides with us and Went from wonbridge Swimming Pool to Yalding. It was just under 9 miles and we were on the water for just under 3 and a half hours.

My wrists, forearms and shoulders have never ached as much.

Really enjoyed it and didn't capsize once, even doing the shoot things, although my mate, managed to get down the steepest one without issue and then was gliding to where his son was and just capsized (only one into the water).

Contemplating seeing what clubs I might be able to find that don't require you to have any kit to get involved.

 

[Martynt74]

Been out with a local adventure sports company a few times now and really enjoying it. I cannot store even a 10ft Kayak though and lug it onto the roof etc. Anyone any experience of Oru Kayaks. Been looking at the Lake and Inlet and seen lots of good reviews. Cant afford the longer models but its mainly just for non windy calm lochs and smooth rivers up here in Scotland.

They look decent.

Personally i've been looking at these in the last few days

Explorer Single Seater Kayak

The Explorer is a flat bottom, open top kayak designed to effortlessly carve through calm, flat water. Although it is less stable than the Optimal on the sea, it is ideal for people who are looking for fun on rivers, lakes and flat waters and is suitable for beginners and experienced paddlers...

www.sandbanksstyle.com

Not sure how they compare though.

 

[MM-Seat]

I’ve not really got much experience of inflatable kayaks unfortunately.

Went Kayaking yesterday for the first time in my life (I'm 46). It was me, my mate of the same age and his 18 year old son. We had two guides with us and Went from wonbridge Swimming Pool to Yalding. It was just under 9 miles and we were on the water for just under 3 and a half hours.

My wrists, forearms and shoulders have never ached as much.

Really enjoyed it and didn't capsize once, even doing the shoot things, although my mate, managed to get down the steepest one without issue and then was gliding to where his son was and just capsized (only one into the water).

Contemplating seeing what clubs I might be able to find that don't require you to have any kit to get involved.

Most canoe clubs will have kit to get you started. My local club has 200 boats to try for example.

British canoeing website has a club finder.

 

[Dave85]

@Martynt74 You wanted a review of both.

The inlet is fantastic. Well built and with really good build quality. internal bulk heads add structure to it and the seat is comfortable and easily adjustable. Setup first time takes about 15 minutes and is stiff so best to do it in the house. Once its broken in it feels super easy and takes 5 minutes tops. On the water it tracks well and straight and handles amazingly well as its very light. I was in winds at 10mph with 17mph gusts and that was about the max I would take it into. Ideally i would have a skeg like you can add to the lake but not that I can see so far. The foot rest is fantastic and nicely adjustable bar its easy to get comfy in and after several hours no numb bum.

The lake. Is a mixed bag. Feels super cheap and flimsy. You can tell where they cut budget corners. Unfinished edges and the design overall I was not a fan of. It feels unfinished and flimsy with the floor being removable and yet part of the structure. It has no bulk heads and in the base model has no foot rest so not going to be great for any more than 30 to 45 minutes at a push. It tracks a little worse than the inlet and is lighter so again was the same day I would say if you go the skeg add on it might work well. I feel by the time you buy the footrest and skeg and a decent padded seat your only a little of a inlet price and its superior in every way.

 

[Martynt74]

@Martynt74 You wanted a review of both.

Brilliant. Thanks for the detailed write up. The inlet sounds good, as does the Beach one i've just been looking at.

Will see where i actually end up i think. If we go down south then we might end up near(ish) the sea in which case this makes sense, if we're further away i may just stick with the sup for the rare beach trips.

 

[Dave85]

I missed out on a beach on ebay for less than the inlet. If you can get a beach its a better all rounder than the inlet as you can take it on a little choppier water. The more expensive orus like the coast are something you would really grow into once you get into sea kayaking big time.

 

[413x]

Brilliant. Thanks for the detailed write up. The inlet sounds good, as does the Beach one i've just been looking at.

Will see where i actually end up i think. If we go down south then we might end up near(ish) the sea in which case this makes sense, if we're further away i may just stick with the sup for the rare beach trips.

Is this the Oru inlet/beach?

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah, those were the ones based on @Dave85's post.

Might still go with a drop stitch style, or more likely neither as my want list for Spain is growing by the day and my wife is getting annoyed! I think the Kayak will generally depend on how close we are to the coast. If we're where we expect to be and it's ~40 minutes then the chances of me going are slim. Although i think i'd prefer it to my SUP for solo trips.

On your Sea Kayak, what kind of pace can you hold? I always find Kayaking to feel faster that SUP'ing, but on a canal i tend to average around 17min/miles and looking around Google, a few people suggest that's a decent pace for Kayaking. Part of the appeal for me was to be able to do longer distances over shorter time vs standing.


In other news because i've not bought anything for a while. I picked up a great deal on a 3 piece Black Project Ohana paddle complete with bag. I previously had the higher model "Lava", but didn't want a 2 piece and sold it with my board. In Spain i have a fairly cheap Nylon Aztron paddle which always feels heavy and unpleasant so wanted something a bit better.


Am off to Coniston this weekend for a final paddle with a mate before i move over there. Been ages since i've been in the Lakes so looking forward to that. Even better because i'm using his spare board and being picked up so no organisation needed. He's even bringing cake

 

[MM-Seat]

Yeah, those were the ones based on @Dave85's post.

Might still go with a drop stitch style, or more likely neither as my want list for Spain is growing by the day and my wife is getting annoyed! I think the Kayak will generally depend on how close we are to the coast. If we're where we expect to be and it's ~40 minutes then the chances of me going are slim. Although i think i'd prefer it to my SUP for solo trips.

On your Sea Kayak, what kind of pace can you hold? I always find Kayaking to feel faster that SUP'ing, but on a canal i tend to average around 17min/miles and looking around Google, a few people suggest that's a decent pace for Kayaking. Part of the appeal for me was to be able to do longer distances over shorter time vs standing.


In other news because i've not bought anything for a while. I picked up a great deal on a 3 piece Black Project Ohana paddle complete with bag. I previously had the higher model "Lava", but didn't want a 2 piece and sold it with my board. In Spain i have a fairly cheap Nylon Aztron paddle which always feels heavy and unpleasant so wanted something a bit better.


Am off to Coniston this weekend for a final paddle with a mate before i move over there. Been ages since i've been in the Lakes so looking forward to that. Even better because i'm using his spare board and being picked up so no organisation needed. He's even bringing cake

How was coniston? I did the perimeter of it earlier in the summer.

 

[Martynt74]

How was coniston? I did the perimeter of it earlier in the summer.

Brilliant as always. We just started from Brown Howe and went to the top and back rather than tackling the small bit south of Brown Howe. Mainly because my foot was causing me a lot of issues from having a cortisone injection earlier in the week.

It's easily my favourite place to paddle. Just the right balance between distance and scenery. Weather was weird, when i left my house it was torrential rain, yet in the Lakes it was just cloudy for the most part. Rare for there to be better conditions over there!

In sad news, i didn't get my cake as we stopped off at the Bluebird cafe on the return section for a full english and we were stuffed!

 

[MM-Seat]

May as well update this thread now that I’m officially a SUP coach. Was assessed last week at fell foot on Windermere.

 

[Martynt74]

May as well update this thread now that I’m officially a SUP coach. Was assessed last week at fell foot on Windermere.

Awesome, a great achievement.

 

[Skidder]

May as well update this thread now that I’m officially a SUP coach. Was assessed last week at fell foot on Windermere.

nice congrats

 

[Martynt74]

How's everyone getting on?

I think i'm nearing the point of accepting i'm just not a huge fan of SUPing in the sea. I've been house sitting for my parents for 3 weeks and went for a final paddle this morning. I just never seem to time it to get that beautiful glass like sea, and so this morning, whilst it wasn't too bad, just had that annoying chop around 1 to 2 ft, coming from all directions.
I'm very much of a long distance paddler rather than splashing around in circles, and it just makes it difficult to find any kind of rhythm as i'm just fighting to stay upright half the time.

The other day the wind was brutal blowing offshore and the return leg i had to drop to my knees as the wind was just blowing me further out to sea. I actually found kneeling more enjoyable, and so i definitely think a Kayak as i've mused about before would be better for me. I've thought about seeing if i can find someone to swap my SUP for a Kayak. My main problem is i'd likely want to end up buying an inflatable SUP "just in case" and i know what i'd buy would be nowhere near the quality of my current Hard Board. The stability is just immense.

 

[ci_newman]

As the new season approaches (well, it never really ended but paddling in the Winter is very different to Spring / Summer) I've decided its time to buy my own kayak rather than using the club gear. It would give me more flexibility for trips away or last minute paddles, and maybe find something a bit more comfortable for longer paddles.

But what a minefield trying to decide what style of boat to buy! I think I'm edging towards a crossover that has a drop down skeg for the longer / lazier paddles but still capable of doing some moving water and mild white.

On the plus side, I live so far away from the coast that I have no need to consider sea kayaking.

 

[MM-Seat]

As the new season approaches (well, it never really ended but paddling in the Winter is very different to Spring / Summer) I've decided its time to buy my own kayak rather than using the club gear. It would give me more flexibility for trips away or last minute paddles, and maybe find something a bit more comfortable for longer paddles.

But what a minefield trying to decide what style of boat to buy! I think I'm edging towards a crossover that has a drop down skeg for the longer / lazier paddles but still capable of doing some moving water and mild white.

On the plus side, I live so far away from the coast that I have no need to consider sea kayaking.

I’m not the biggest fan of crossovers as I find they have the potential to not keep up when you are touring and imagine for WW they can be absolutely massive.

If you can only have one boat though, it is probably the best choice.

 

[Buckster]

has anyone experience of the Cambridge Kayaks please ?

we are looking for a double Kayak to take out into our 2 local estuaries

I was looking at the Sunfish and Orca - preference to the Orca

they seem very good value compared to some of their competitors