Any kayakers here?

Lapsed kayaker but i could probably pick it up again. Used to do grade 4 max, kind of lost the 'buzz' a bit back in the day but still think about going out again. Problem is that it takes a while to build the right muscles again and rivers are so unpredictable when they will be up. What's your story?
 
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yes i've caught the bug this year, done a bit of training over in Stockport and went to the south of France this year to throw myself down the Durance :D

Just managed to get hold of a Nomad on ebay and my other half has a Liquid Logic Remix .. we're off to Llangollen actually at the weekend .. can't wait
 
Myself and a friend want to get a 2 man.

Both need a hobby and a way to escape family life for a few hours, seems great.

Could not think of anything better than an early morning paddle on the river/canal.

Just need to find the right kit at the right price.

Are the inflatables any good?
 
I have a perception carolina, just touring on the thames. As I live a minute walk from the river it's just nice to get out and use what's on the door step.
 
If you are novice kayaker and want to do something a bit crazy, check out spirit of the west adventures:
http://www.kayakingtours.com/desolation/kayaking-desolation-sound.html

Having basically no kayaking experience, I did a week long trip through Desolation sound marine park in Canada, absolutely incredible week! It's expensive, but worth every penny. Packed all our food and gear for the week into the kayaks, and off into the wilderness we went. Kayaked maybe a couple of miles a day, and set up camp each night on a different island no bigger than a football pitch. Probably the only humans around for hundreds of miles.
 
pretty sure I recognise your name from UKRGB, but yeah I started last year with uni club and now paddling grade 3 semi well (still some swims!) and the odd grade 4. Getting better though, also went to french alps in june (far too many swims!)

Currently paddling a LL hoss
 
yep, currently got a big dog kaos playboat :)
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I've been thinking about getting into this a bit more. I am an absolute novice, but I am looking to get on a 1 or 2 day beginners kayak course, maybe at Llangollen. Incidentally, I've just got back from white water rafting at Llangollen this weekend at thoroughly enjoyed it. It kick started my enthusiasm to get involved and made me think that I ought to get starting to kayak now.

Does anyone have any advice for a beginner starting out, in particular with the following points (I'm most interested in a mix of white water and just gentle river touring):


1. Does anyone have any recommendations on what would be the minimum tuition required to get to grips with most basic aspects of kayaking?

2. Once this has been completed, I would be interested in going out paddling with a couple of friends who are also interested in taking it up. So, are there any licenses/permissions/qualifications that are required before you can go out on your own?

3. I'd be interested in getting my own kayak. I would want to be able to at LEAST have a kayak that is capable of navigating all of the white water grades in the UK (including maybe having a day out to one of the white water centres). But, I'd also wish to use it on lakes and ordinary rivers, so needs to be suitable for covering a bit more distance. What is the type of kayak I should be on the look out for? (I literally don't know anything about kayaks or the types of kayaks and what is suitable)

4. What would be the total costs of owning a kayak? (i.e. how much are paddles, kayaks, other equipment costs) I realise this is a "how long is a piece of string" type question, but think along the lines of a middle of the road kayak that would be suitable for a beginner but also have longevity once I become better and more experienced.

Any help on any of the aspects above would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hey, if you're a total novice starting out, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you join a local club where more experienced members can give you advice once they see how you progress but to answer your questions:

1. You could probably have enough to "get in and go" with 10-15 hours' tuition. Once you have the basics of paddling forwards, backwards, turning, eddies, edging, draw strokes and swimming you could probably go out (with people) and do some simple stuff. Joining a club will take care of this

2. There are no "requirements" - no one will stop and ask you for a qualification on a river as this tends to be an activity we do in the middle of nowhere, far away from help. With this in mind, it's very useful if at least one person in your group has a working knowledge of first aid. A safety and rescue course like FSRT (Foundation Safety and Rescue Training) is the first step, followed by the WWSR (White Water Safety and Rescue) in rescue qualifications but these take second place to getting your own paddling skills up to scratch with a BCU star course in order to try and avoid needing WWSR knowledge in the first place. Again, going on a trip with a club means that there will be people who have this experience already.

3. If you join a club, you don't need to buy kit for a long time - basically until you decide for yourself exactly what you want as you can borrow almost everything. To run the mad stuff, you will need a big volume boat like the Pyranha Burn or Zet Raptor or something of that ilk but boats are expensive (£700+ usually). To be frankly honest though, it will likely take a while before you are ready to do grade 5 rivers like the Braan and your tastes might change by then so for a first boat I'd get something second hand (remember how I mentioned joining a club? There are often people selling kit on as they upgrade/move country/etc...)

4. Before you even think about getting a kayak, you need a decent paddle, life jacket is crucial to not drowning(we call them Buoyancy Aids or BA's on account of a small technical difference) and most importantly a cag (waterproof jacket) or drysuit to keep you warm and dry. Literally, the most important thing about going out on the water is being able to stay warm, comfortable and usually dry. There are few things worse in life than being cold, wet and sore on a river :). A decent BA will set you back £40-£100. Cags are about £80-£150 (Lomo make a very good drycag for £100 which represents a similar price/performance ratio as the HD5850 did way back then :D). Drysuits are double the price. You can also get a wetsuit for significantly less (£30-£100) as I did and eventually upgrade if you decide to stick with kayaking. I forgot to add a helmet to stop you getting brain damage; £25-£60

Moral of the story - join a club. Here's one that seems to be local - http://www.eycc.org/

Welcome, you're in for an amazing sport/hobby/life-stealer :)
 
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