Kayak?

[Serpantine]

Rather than buying a push bike which will probably be used considerably less i've been thinking of buying a 1 person kayak for use on the river (nene).

Has anyone got any advise or ideas on the best brands / places to buy from?

 

[yak.h'cir]

UKRG, they've a forum which is an excellent place to pick up 2nd hand boats. If you're just wanting to go for an occasional bimble on the river any sit on top style kayak will be fine. If you'd like to get a closed cockpit style boat the best bet is to head down to a local paddle shop and they'll almost certainly have a host of free tester boats for you to try out.

 

[Serpantine]

So i bought a kayak (Teksport Xcess 240) and i've been using it on the river nene since Monday.

Interesting way of keeping fit, lugging the thing to the river is difficult enough! (300 - 500 meters)

 

[misterPK]

If you're just flatwater paddling for fitness maybe you should have got an inflatable one, they are much easier to lug around! That's what I did and how I got into the sport. However, I then joined a club, got hooked on whitewater paddling and soon realised I'd bought the wrong thing!

 

[Aero]

Decathlon have some normal and inflatable kayaks and I also saw one in a shop called Clas Ohlson in Cardiff at the weekend for £99 that looked very robust for an inflatable kayak.

 

[Nor]

You enjoying it so far?

 

[matt_fsr]

Are you paddling alone, or with someone?

What safety kid/procedures have you got?

I don't mean to sound like too much of a killjoy, but if you're a beginner paddler even on flat water you could be putting yourself at quite a risk!

 

[misterPK]

Are you paddling alone, or with someone?

What safety kid/procedures have you got?

I don't mean to sound like too much of a killjoy, but if you're a beginner paddler even on flat water you could be putting yourself at quite a risk!

How is it any more dangerous than say going jogging along a canal tow path?

 

[matt_fsr]

How is it any more dangerous than say going jogging along a canal tow path?

Well, firstly quite a few joggers jog with someone else, who can help out if any difficulty occurs.

However, more to the point is that the OP has a sealed-cockpit kayak. If he's using a spraydeck and is alone, then I hope he can roll, and roll proficiently. And that he wears a helmet.

If he's using a spraydeck, gets into trouble and capsizes he could hit his head, knock himself out for a few seconds. Or even just simply panic, and forget how to get out of the boat when upside down.

Basically, he's trapped underwater and could well drown, as there's no-one else to assist.

It's good safety to never paddle alone.

Also, no-one on a riverbank is likely to bat an eyelid at an upturned kayak, they'll probably think its' floated downstream from somewhere. Its near impossible to tell that there's a person still in it when its' upside down.

 

[misterPK]

Well, firstly quite a few joggers jog with someone else, who can help out if any difficulty occurs.

However, more to the point is that the OP has a sealed-cockpit kayak. If he's using a spraydeck and is alone, then I hope he can roll, and roll proficiently. And that he wears a helmet.

If he's using a spraydeck, gets into trouble and capsizes he could hit his head, knock himself out for a few seconds. Or even just simply panic, and forget how to get out of the boat when upside down.

Basically, he's trapped underwater and could well drown, as there's no-one else to assist.

It's good safety to never paddle alone.

Also, no-one on a riverbank is likely to bat an eyelid at an upturned kayak, they'll probably think its' floated downstream from somewhere. Its near impossible to tell that there's a person still in it when its' upside down.

OK, perhaps that isnt the most stable boat for going up and down on flat water, but provided he knows the basics, like how to get out properly if he does end up upside down, and doesnt take stupid risks like heading out at night or when the river is in full spate, then I dont see it is being as dangerous as you make out.

Yes there is a small amount of risk, but if you want a risk free life then stay in bed!

 

[cuki777]

exactly

 

[Glaucus]

That does sound like a good way of keeping fit, is there any rules. Or can you just get into any river/canal? Any good place in/nr Bristol.

 

[pumaz]

That does sound like a good way of keeping fit, is there any rules. Or can you just get into any river/canal? Any good place in/nr Bristol.

I would like to know this to, Saw an inflatable Kayak advertised at Decathlon for £99 and quite fancy buying it and just going up and down canals

 

[Glaucus]

I would like to know this to, Saw an inflatable Kayak advertised at Decathlon for £99 and quite fancy buying it and just going up and down canals

Yeah, saw similar. Sit on top seem very cheap and a good way to see if it's enjoyable.

 

[misterPK]

That does sound like a good way of keeping fit, is there any rules. Or can you just get into any river/canal? Any good place in/nr Bristol.

Technically, in England and Wales, a section of river is deemed to be owned by whoever owns the bank. If you paddle on a river without their permission then in law it's just the same as somebody deciding they wanted to go for a walk in your back garden.

There are of course, exceptions to this. Larger rivers and canals are managed by trusts, harbour authorities, British Waterways or the Environment Agency, and they usually require you to have some sort of license for your boat that costs a small amount. Most of them well let you on for free if you join the British Canoe Union (about £30).

Most tidal waters and esturies are deemed to be owned by the crown and therefore free to access, apart from obvious places like harbours and naval bases etc.

Of course most of this will only get you into trouble if you are actually caught, and on the small amount of canal paddling I've done the only thing I've been challenged by is territorial swans (which are surprisingly big and scary when they charge at you).

The best bet is to talk to your local club or shop and see what they say. It's probably a good idea to learn the basics somewhere first too.

 

[Jono]

See if a local club has any pool sessions going on... probably not, this time of year, but it's always a possibility.
The Nene whitewater course might know of a club.

 

[pumaz]

Spent a bit of time looking into inflatable Kayaks and from what I can make out the one to go for on a budget is the Sea Eagle 330 Pro Kayak Package.

http://www.seaeagle.com/SportKayaks.aspx

I've found the Sea Eagle 330 without the Pro Package which has the inferior seats in stock for about £135 but after reading lots of reviews which all seem very positive it's worth paying the extra for the better seats etc. But I can't find a UK supplier that sells the Pro version at a reasonable price.

 

[pcmedicni]

The thing you have to consider with a big inflatable is the wind,if your knocking around the coast line you will spend a lot of your energy fighting the wind,the kayak will turn like a weathervane.Your better with something like a Stearns Spree they sit low in the water and are easy on the arms.