New to Kayaking...?

Question

Right, about two years ago I woke up one morning and decided to buy a mountain bike. I trained, got fit and now I race and love it...

I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to buy a kayak. I've never done it before, I really don't want to pay for lessons etc, just buy the kit and jump in a quiet river and work on now training my upper body.

Anyone out there like to give me some good advice please. I can see that it's not nearly as easy as it sounds. However if there's any real qualifications or courses you do actually need to complete, that would be nice to hear about. (I'm in the UK)

I've been looking at the playboats, but I think I'm taking a liking to the touring kayaks.

Thanks

Answer 1

Nonsense! You can spend a lifetime trying to master canoe or kayak technique on your own.  A weekend course at a sports center will teach you basics. You can also try different kinds of watercraft. We taught non-paddlers to function safely in a ten hour course. During river classes we rescued 'do-it-yourselfers'. They were always males.

Answer 2

I recently made the same sudden, out-of-the-blue decision and bought a Perception Prodigy 10 Foot Recreational Kayak for about $300 US, and I love it.  Its a great way to get your feet wet on flat or slow-moving water without spending a lot of money, and you really don't need much in the way of training to just paddle in a lake or slow river; though you should at least read up on how to not drown yourself, and wear a life jacket. Once you are hooked (as I am), you can upgrade to a whitewater kayak for rivers, or touring kayak for longer trips.  Here in the US there are a few retailers who provide free or cheap training sessions; partly in the hope they can sell you more gear.  I'm sure its the same in the UK, and when I was looking for reviews of my kayak on-line I noticed it is available in the UK also. I highly recommend it, since its 1/2 the price of most comparable kayaks. I also notice the going price for a used one is $200US, so if I decide to upgrade I can get 2/3 of my investment back.

P.S. To clarify per the comment below: I would never suggest taking any boat down a fast moving river without taking a course, lest you need to be pulled from the water by a man-hating self-appointed "safety czar"... but that's only common sense. Its also the reason I mentioned the cheap training usually available through retailers.

Answer 3

There are many forms of kayaking to suit different people and their specific interests. There is fresh/flat water kayaking, kayak camping, kayak hunting, kayak surfing, ocean kayaking, and whitewater boating. To learn more about each sport, and the type of gear involved, I'd recommend joining a local paddling club.

I started my kayaking hobby by joining a local club. I initially intended to start kayaking in order to do some camping (I love to camp), but I ended up getting into white water boating after I learned more about the people and the sport. Joining a club is a good way to network with other boaters, learn about local bodies of water, get free lessons, and is usually an excellent source for finding affordable boats and gear. Boating clubs typically have a newsletter or a website with good info if you are not up to joining.

Try some of these clubs/links. Some of them are probably in your area:

Thames Riverkeeper

London England UNITED KINGDOM

Phone: [phone]

London Canalkeeper

London England UNITED KINGDOM Phone: [phone]

University of Warwick Canoe & Kayak Club

http://www.sunion.warwick.ac.uk/canoe

England - email: [e-mail]

International Sea Kayaklng Association

5 Osprey Avenue

The Hoskers, Westhoughton Bolton,

Lancashire, England BI5 2SL

Jersey Canoe Club

c/o Kevin Mansell 177 Quennejais Park,

St. Brelade, Jersey, JE38JU

British Isles

Paddlers International

8 Wilstshire Avenue Hornchurch

Essex, England RMll 3DX

Sea Kayak Group UK

c/o John Fiszman 54 St. Clare's Close Littleover

Derby, England DE22 3JF

Shetland Canoe Club

c/o Bridge-end Outdoor Centre Bridge-end, Burra Isle,

Shetland ZE2 9LE

Also, hit up your local library, and check out a couple of kayaking books. It'll really help.

I hope that helps. Good luck, and happy boating.