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

Got out on the canal by work tonight. Was raining but still enjoyed it. The canal was much cleaner and less reedy compared to near my home which made it more enjoyable.

One thing I’m wondering. I know lots of sites talk about cleaning off the board because of saltwater. Does that also need doing after being in a canal?

Last 2 times I’ve just deflated, rolled it up and put it in the boot of my car. Not sure if I need to always take it out at home and clean properly or whether it’s ok to just do it once a month or so.
 
Seen a few places putting on the SUP sheltered water award. Might be something I'll be interested in if I find a cheap one somewhere
 
Is that so you have an accredited award to enable you to teach?

Otherwise I’d have thought a one to one lesson at SUP north would’ve been more beneficial from a learning point of view.

Well the inevitable happened. I went into the canal. It was nice knowing you all. I’m sure the diseases will take me soon.

Finished my paddle and thought I’d have a go at moving on the board at the end as I’m very rigid and feel like I’m clinging on with my feet/toes. Had seen a few videos suggest the best way was to “hop” backwards. Nope straight in the water!
 
Marvt74 said:
Is that so you have an accredited award to enable you to teach?

Otherwise I’d have thought a one to one lesson at SUP north would’ve been more beneficial from a learning point of view.

Well the inevitable happened. I went into the canal. It was nice knowing you all. I’m sure the diseases will take me soon.

Finished my paddle and thought I’d have a go at moving on the board at the end as I’m very rigid and feel like I’m clinging on with my feet/toes. Had seen a few videos suggest the best way was to “hop” backwards. Nope straight in the water!
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No, that's a personal award but, I'm sure there is now a sup coach award.

Did anyone watch "Expedition with Steve Backshall" he did a white kayak trip that was on some really pushy water.
 
I've picked up a Mcconcks 2 piece carbon fibre paddle after reading lots of great reviews. I certainly need to improve my technique as I get a lot of flutter when using it. Apparently the blade design I've gone with has the least amount of flutter! Hopefully get out again tonight with it. It is very stiff and only just fits in my car.

The best thing I bought however was a HF Synergy. It's a quick release waist leash with padding, I had forgotten it was on me it was that comfortable! Not having anything on my ankle was very freeing and having the advantage of quick release is a nice feeling.
 
Had my lesson tonight. Was well worth it. For the most part we just worked our way around the lake with the guy showing me different paddle techniques and turns.

Stopped off half way for a pint at a lakeside pub before heading back.

I could definitely feel the benefit of a little tuition and it was great to see what was possible from someone much better than me.

One thing that I did find was that using one of his paddles was a huge improvement over mine. I hadn’t really expected it to make much of a difference but I went much straighter and it felt much more effortless. It was a Starboard Tiki Tech paddle. The Mcconk above looks similar in shape and is a little cheaper but is more of an unknown.
 
Went out last night. I bought a new paddle and it's crazy how much easier and enjoyable it is.

Not sure if my pumps going faulty though. I'm sure when i first go it, when pumping, the gauge seemed to show the PSI fairly constantly. Now it jumps around all over the place during the pump motion and i have to guess where it's getting up to.
 
Marvt74 said:
Went out last night. I bought a new paddle and it's crazy how much easier and enjoyable it is.

Not sure if my pumps going faulty though. I'm sure when i first go it, when pumping, the gauge seemed to show the PSI fairly constantly. Now it jumps around all over the place during the pump motion and i have to guess where it's getting up to.
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Sounds like a faulty pressure gauge, is it screwed in fully could be worth checking, also remove it and put some plumbers ptfe tape around the thread then screw it back in to the pump.

My Titan pump gauge needle only rises up when pumping and when you stop it drops down again, my Starboard pumps gauges needle stays at the current pressure when you stop pumping.

Cheers all
 
Marvt74 said:
Went out last night. I bought a new paddle and it's crazy how much easier and enjoyable it is.

Not sure if my pumps going faulty though. I'm sure when i first go it, when pumping, the gauge seemed to show the PSI fairly constantly. Now it jumps around all over the place during the pump motion and i have to guess where it's getting up to.
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Which paddle did you get?
 
Yeah i definitely found that when i had the lesson and then again when i went out last week on my own.

One thing that has shocked me is how much this seems to ruin my legs. I was out for ~1hr on Thursday and went to run each day over the weekend and my legs felt destroyed. Mainly it seems to be my inner thighs and hamstrings. Presumably it's areas where i'm using muscles that haven't been used for ages or muscles i do in ways they're not used to. Particularly because i'm tall and heavy so my legs have to work quite hard to maintain balance.

Hopefully it goes with a bit of regularity as recently i've really struggled on longer runs and i don't want to have to choose between one and the other.

Was it like this for you guys when starting?
 
You may be a bit tense re your balance. The more you relax the less fatiguing I believe (and the easier it is).

I don't remember legs being an issue really and certainly not now. I'm sure when you've been doing it a little longer that will end.
 
That's a great point. I hadn't thought of that but i certainly do tense my legs whilst doing it. That'd explain it for the most part.

Last Thursday i did it barefoot and found it must more comfortable than in beach shoes and found i was a little more relaxed moving my feet around. Hopefully i can keep it up semi-regularly.
 
Does anyone have any experience of Decathlon SUP's? I might invest in them for the scout group if they are good. Are there any cheap alternatives?
 
MM-Seat said:
Does anyone have any experience of Decathlon SUP's? I might invest in them for the scout group if they are good. Are there any cheap alternatives?
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What you looking at the Itiwits? I haven't used em but there are some reviews.

If so have a look at the supboardermag review:

https://www.supboardermag.com/2019/06/28/itiwit-500-touring-inflatable-sups-comparison-review-video/

That's the touring they also review the surf

Sounds like they like them well enough at the price point. Pretty stiff for the price.

Here are the surf ones:

https://www.supboardermag.com/2019/03/12/itiwit-8-9-500-surf-inflatable-sup-comparison-review/


Superboardermag I trust a lot. I actually had a pretty long back and forth with the two reviewers there on my most recent board purchase as I wanted a pretty specific compromise and they were massively helpful and informed and i felt objective.
 
Thanks Skidder.

Bit of paddling for me tonight in Liverpool Docks doing a coaches session. Looking forward to being back on the water.
 
@MM-Seat How've you been getting on with paddling?


I went to visit my folks in Spain last week and took my board with me. Figured the cost of the bag in the hold would be similar to the hiring costs anyway. Plus my mum said she'd always fancied it so it gave her more chance to try it out (including practising in the pool with no-one watching!)


What i found amusing was just how bad some people are at it. There were lots of people trying it out in the bay (pic above in post 47), and loads just couldn't stand up for longer than a few seconds. Made me feel like a pro!

Depending on how often i head over there, i might leave my board there and pick up a longer board for over here. With hold costs being around £60 per trip then it pays for itself after about 5 times. Plus it's there for my parents/friends and with having the kayak seat it might be better for them.
 
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