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

Things escalated quickly.

Was on Coniston today had great company. Though would’ve preferred more paddling and less pottering and chatting. We were out about 2.5hrs and only covered 3 miles.

Was happy and confident when the wind picked up which I was happy with. Just need more confidence moving around and getting used to the length. I got used to stepping back but being 14’ I really need 2 steps back to get the front up.

The lake was begging for a big tour too. Might head up again in the future on my own and do a bigger session.

The main issue is I think I’ve sold the carbon paddle my Gladiator came with. So with a bit of extra cash I’ve ended up buying a Red Compact 11’ board. Got a great deal on a display, never ridden board so whilst I still think it’s a lot of cash for what you get it fits everything I wanted from a second board and is the only board available that fits that niche.
 
Nice one, will be interested to know what it's like.

I am feeling it today. I popped out yesterday thinking I would do an hour solo but had a bit of forest gump moment and just kept going. Ended up doing over 10 miles. About 5 miles which got me into twickenham and then back. Windy and had some really hard head wind moments as well as some nice downind.

Also had a little social distanced evening potter with my family and my sister in laws. Tandem kayak, 3 paddle boards and a couple of kayaks. I had a bit fo a swim but I was rather merry at that point.
 
Sounds great. Living on the river must be amazing.

I was practising moving around a bit and step backs. It’s definitely an issue with board length. I seemed fine stepping back once but then I was still nowhere near the back of the board!

My plan is to head up in a few weeks really early on my own and do some more touring and playing.

My wife has a medical condition called ME so think she’d struggle paddling. Yesterday I saw a lot of people in inflatable kayaks though and it made me wonder if we could get out in one of those with the dogs.
 
I have a good friend with ME, I can see that. There are some drop stitch type inflatable kayaks that look quite interesting as well as all the intex ones and similar which do the job but are quite slow but that might be fine for what you want. My brother in law used to have a big tandem one and was incredibly stable. Dogs would be fine.

You'll get used to the 14 ft. I got my 14 foot board this time last year and having been very comfortable with step backs on the 10.6 it took me quite a while to be happy getting on the back. It feels like a really long way at first.
 
Yes, it was the Intex one i saw as it's only about £80 for the 2 man version. I'm not sure it's worth spending anymore than that and some reviews seem decent. Tried to Youtube it but it's full of annoying people reviewing it rather than someone competent!

Would be nice to hire/rent one though first before spending cash on one and dog pfd's (they're french bulldogs so not a hope in hell of swimming!)


I think my plan is to get this 11' and use that for practicing turns. Probably a better place to start! I'm still really unsteady moving around in any capacity. I need to get back to my parents place in Spain!
 
That is interesting. Surprised it has enough battery capacity in there to deliver that. eidt: looks like it expects you to use it for occasional thrust rather than run the whole time

I'm lurking on a home built e-foil forum at the mo but a bit scared of the complexity of those for the build.
 
One of my kids just managed to lose our basic JP alloy paddle (thankfully not my JP Carbon Pro!!) Also managed to blame his sister who had nothing to do with it but that is one for the dadsnet thread.

Have ordered a mconks 3 piece Carbon with bamboo veneer. Went for the largest teardrop as I figured the size will be good for me for hols and as I have a full on race paddle amd figured the teardrop would be more different. Will see how that is
 
Haha, we've recently been watching Everybody Hates Chris and that scene could've come straight out the show!

Sounds good, there's something about a bamboo paddle that i absolutely love. The Fanatic one looks amazing. The fact you can order different blades to switch around rather than having to buy new paddles is great too.
 
The Red Compact turned up yesterday. It's crazy how small the bag is, it's probably a little deeper than a normal bag but not too much. The inside is well thought out with pockets for fins etc and straps to hold the paddles in place. Although not sure how much i'll use the paddle. My plan to use this in a wheely bag for holidays and have space for clothes etc still seems sound.

Inflated it last night to check it out with the thinking i might go out this morning, but about 2.5 bottles of wine later i decided i don't need to leave the house today at all. Especially in this rain!
 
Had a paddle of the new board yet?

McConk paddle has arrived. It looks good.The measurements on the handle end aren't right due to the larger blade also being longer than standard which slightly irritated me out of the bag, better if it just had notches. Feels heavy if compared to 90 inch carbon pro but that, to be fair, is well over twice the price and only two piece. Weight feels similar to the carbon 35 fanatic 3 piece I guess. Overall very nice and good value. Will update when I've had a ride.
 
Not yet, had planned to go out this morning but i've been feeling a bit lousy. We've had a really unhealthy week with a few takeaways and i think it's had a big impact on my body. I went to bed last night about 10pm and didn't wake up till gone 8am this morning! It's all inflated in the shed waiting for me too!

I'm aiming for a ~22 mile run tomorrow so i'm aiming to do nothing today to rest my legs as my ankle and knees are a little achey. I spent quite a long time on my balance board the other day and that sometimes causes ankle pain. Plus i really need new running trainers!

That's disappointing about the measurements. I must admit i've usually just set mine by feel. I still can't get over the weight of the Gladiatior carbon paddle i got. It's lighter than my Starboard paddle, although i've not weighed it.
 
22 miles that's gnarly. Good job.

It's out by about 8 inches which is why it grabbed my attention. No biggy, they just shouldn't put them on there as gives a bit of a naff first impression.
 
It's me trying my best to ramp up mileage, i've got a run in October that's 45 miles and 8000ft of ascent and i've been pretty lazy for the last few months and not ran as much as i need to. This is a circular route around Preston and mostly flat so should be easy enough if i take it slow and eat well today. Not an easy task as the house is full of chocolates as it was my wifes birthday the other day.

This is the problem when you have multiple hobbies, it's hard to focus on one and excel at it!

Also where's everyone else in this thread. We might aswell just have our own private chat.
 
I know, fair weather paddlers ;) I guess people will come back now lock down is easing up

I get the multiple hobbies, I'm terrible for jack of all hobbies and sports, master of none.
 
One guy created a thread in GD, i directed him here and he's disappeared!

Yes, it's tricky. My wife has been talking about buying bikes, but i know it's something else i'll get obsessed with, end up spending thousands on upgrades and then it's another hobby to squeeze in. Although i do like the look of some of those SUP based Triathlons.
 
Finally got out on my Red today.

It's a weird feeling going back to 32" wide and i definitely wasn't paddling as well as on my 27", i do however like how low you sit as the board is only 4.75 thick. It's less stable than my other boards and i can sense some flex with the nose angling upwards but i think that's to be expected. The Max weight is 110kg and i'm ~100kg so quite close to the max. Whereas on the other boards i'm at around the 70% mark.

What was grim was the state of the canal, it's been a few weeks since i've got in here and gone in this direction, but there was oil covering the surface and my board looks pretty grim for it now. Normal washing up liquid doesn't seem to touch it so i'm about to look online for some cleaner as i'm conscious the chemicals could affect the material. Plus it looks rank!
 
h20 chucked in some isup cleaner with my RRD. haven't tried it yet, August Race Sup A Clean

Tried the mconks paddle today, bit of a beast with that surface area. Feels powerful, bit of flutter compared to JP and not quite so solid feeling.
 
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