Discussion
I'm keen on giving kayaking a go, and wanted to get a two man kayak so I can take one of the kids out with me.
Main concerns are how much use you can actually get (given the weather), whether there are a lot of lakes/rivers that allow it, and what sort of kit you'd need.
Ive done a bit of reading and a ride on top style would probably be best, so do you need a wetsuit or dry suit for colder weather? Also are inflatable ones any good, and do you need to do any training. Looks pretty simple to me in terms of rowing the thing, and with the ride on top style I'm guessing you don't need to learn all that roll back over skill that you do when you're sealed inside the other type (I'm a reasonably strong swimmer, and the kids are comfortable enough in the water if we did tip over, alongside wearing life jackets of course).
Just after some general pointers I suppose, also would ideally like a versatile craft I can take to the sea (perhaps Camber or similar). I'm going to initially hire one at Leybourne lakes to get the general gist of it, but any advise appreciated.
Main concerns are how much use you can actually get (given the weather), whether there are a lot of lakes/rivers that allow it, and what sort of kit you'd need.
Ive done a bit of reading and a ride on top style would probably be best, so do you need a wetsuit or dry suit for colder weather? Also are inflatable ones any good, and do you need to do any training. Looks pretty simple to me in terms of rowing the thing, and with the ride on top style I'm guessing you don't need to learn all that roll back over skill that you do when you're sealed inside the other type (I'm a reasonably strong swimmer, and the kids are comfortable enough in the water if we did tip over, alongside wearing life jackets of course).
Just after some general pointers I suppose, also would ideally like a versatile craft I can take to the sea (perhaps Camber or similar). I'm going to initially hire one at Leybourne lakes to get the general gist of it, but any advise appreciated.
I'm glad you've posted this up as I'm interested too. The Sevylor inflatables get a good report. I'm thinking of buying this kit from Go Outdoors, just reduced by £100 too.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/sevylor-madison-kayak-...
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/sevylor-madison-kayak-...
it really depends on what you want to do with it. Sit on are fine for messing around, as are inflatables. Neither are great of you want to go any distance.
Yes, I would recommend a wetsuit on sit on types, you are very exposed and will get wet.
Sit ons are very bulky and heavy so transport and storage can be a problem. Personally I would go with an inflatable for just messing around and a "proper" kayak if you get serious. You don't need a spray deck (ie be properly enclosed) or learn to roll a kayak, it is fun to try though.....
btw, you can roll a sit on or inflatable but it isn't easy as you tend of fall off.....
Training wise you can teach yourself but I have found a lot of people get fed up going nowhere fast as they have poor technique so if that happens to you then get some training
oh, and safety training is always a good idea!
Yes, I would recommend a wetsuit on sit on types, you are very exposed and will get wet.
Sit ons are very bulky and heavy so transport and storage can be a problem. Personally I would go with an inflatable for just messing around and a "proper" kayak if you get serious. You don't need a spray deck (ie be properly enclosed) or learn to roll a kayak, it is fun to try though.....
btw, you can roll a sit on or inflatable but it isn't easy as you tend of fall off.....
Training wise you can teach yourself but I have found a lot of people get fed up going nowhere fast as they have poor technique so if that happens to you then get some training
oh, and safety training is always a good idea!
I have had all three and can add my experiences.
Sit on kayaks are horrible in my opinion. My current Kayak has a skeg that can go up or down. The difference this makes is huge! You can paddle a bit and then rest and the Kayak carrys on going in the same direction. The sit on will probably spin round in a circle when you stop paddling.
Inflatables are fine for playing about near the bank of a river, but if you plan on going to a place and back for example, get yourself a proper one.
Another option is a Canadian, which is open rather than sitting in a hole.
My friend has a Canadian and if I am taking my kids out, thats what we use.
Our local swimming pool allow the local Canoe club to run courses. It covers turning your boat over and getting out. Getting back in, T-Rescue, rolls etc. I can honestly say, if you are going down the road of a proper kayak with a spray deck, look into this as my friend had a proper panic attack on a river after turning over and not being able to get out. He is fine, just seems he forgot how to get the spray deck off.
Lastly, I would suggest going into a shop and speaking to someone in more detail. My friends and I all have quite stable kayaks, they wont win any races, but that to us was more important. Obviously you need to know which models do what and I think thats quite difficult online.
Good luck, it's a lot of fun and very relaxing.
Sit on kayaks are horrible in my opinion. My current Kayak has a skeg that can go up or down. The difference this makes is huge! You can paddle a bit and then rest and the Kayak carrys on going in the same direction. The sit on will probably spin round in a circle when you stop paddling.
Inflatables are fine for playing about near the bank of a river, but if you plan on going to a place and back for example, get yourself a proper one.
Another option is a Canadian, which is open rather than sitting in a hole.
My friend has a Canadian and if I am taking my kids out, thats what we use.
Our local swimming pool allow the local Canoe club to run courses. It covers turning your boat over and getting out. Getting back in, T-Rescue, rolls etc. I can honestly say, if you are going down the road of a proper kayak with a spray deck, look into this as my friend had a proper panic attack on a river after turning over and not being able to get out. He is fine, just seems he forgot how to get the spray deck off.
Lastly, I would suggest going into a shop and speaking to someone in more detail. My friends and I all have quite stable kayaks, they wont win any races, but that to us was more important. Obviously you need to know which models do what and I think thats quite difficult online.
Good luck, it's a lot of fun and very relaxing.
I'm going down this path as well. Have a look around for your local clubs and consider doing their 1 star award. It covers safety / how to recover yourself or a colleague on the water and from the side of a bank. Useful stuff especially as decent touring kayaks aren't very steady inherently so take a day or so to get used to. I agree having a skeg makes life so much easier. Until I'm far better than I am now I'll definitely have one. Touring kayaks have foot operated rudders which are pretty useful as well
I'm pretty unfit but the most surprising thing for me was how much core strength was needed. Arms and shoulders were fine but my hip flexors were knackered after a day's paddling! Damn good fun although I think I'll hold off buying one until next summer now as I've just knackered myself playing cricket so won't be in the boats much over the coming weeks
I'm pretty unfit but the most surprising thing for me was how much core strength was needed. Arms and shoulders were fine but my hip flexors were knackered after a day's paddling! Damn good fun although I think I'll hold off buying one until next summer now as I've just knackered myself playing cricket so won't be in the boats much over the coming weeks
Some great info, thanks, sounds like I need to do a lot more homework and do a few hire sessions to figure out whether I want to do a bit of touring, sea, or just have a float about.
So is it a case of sit-in kayaks have a skeg, sit-on dont? Sit-in bothers me more than sit-on, as I would often have one of my kids joining me, and having to get a rollover right might be challenging.
I suppose I really want some versatility at this stage while I work out how I want to kayak, but can imagine anything other than a light paddle without a skeg would be very frustrating. What are sea kayaks like? Seen a few on ebay but am assuming they dont have a skeg either (eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kayak-Go-Sea-double-sit-... )
Appreciate all the advise so far, went to my local centre (Leybourne Lakes) and spoke to them and they mentioned a possible training session this coming weekend, otherwise would be September, so would look further afield to try it if that's the case as keen to make the most of the warmer months.
Interesting too about the weight and bulk of the solid kayaks, an inflatable would definitely be easier though I suppose as long as you have roof racks the solid kayak wouldnt be too much of a hassle. I didnt even realise you could get inflatable kayaks other than the toy ones you see at the beach, so will have to see one properly to see if it might be a good choice. Would certainly make life easier, though they are less shark proof so would be very nervous while bobbing off the coast of Weymouth
So is it a case of sit-in kayaks have a skeg, sit-on dont? Sit-in bothers me more than sit-on, as I would often have one of my kids joining me, and having to get a rollover right might be challenging.
I suppose I really want some versatility at this stage while I work out how I want to kayak, but can imagine anything other than a light paddle without a skeg would be very frustrating. What are sea kayaks like? Seen a few on ebay but am assuming they dont have a skeg either (eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kayak-Go-Sea-double-sit-... )
Appreciate all the advise so far, went to my local centre (Leybourne Lakes) and spoke to them and they mentioned a possible training session this coming weekend, otherwise would be September, so would look further afield to try it if that's the case as keen to make the most of the warmer months.
Interesting too about the weight and bulk of the solid kayaks, an inflatable would definitely be easier though I suppose as long as you have roof racks the solid kayak wouldnt be too much of a hassle. I didnt even realise you could get inflatable kayaks other than the toy ones you see at the beach, so will have to see one properly to see if it might be a good choice. Would certainly make life easier, though they are less shark proof so would be very nervous while bobbing off the coast of Weymouth
We use a Sevylor inflatable and it's surprisingly good. Even been across lakes and out to sea, just make sure you get decent life jackets too. It's a 10 min walk down to the canal so we can easily carry it once inflated in the garden.
Youtube vid here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5fTIoO6RJI
Youtube vid here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5fTIoO6RJI
If I go with purley light recreational use, this is what my shopping list is looking like:
Sevylor Adventure (thanks Ash73 and Dan, looks a decent inflatable)
2 x Bravo 2 Piece Kayak Paddles
Bravo 4 Stirrup Pump
Yak Kallista Junior Buoyancy Aid
Yak Blaze Buoyancy Aid
Will look for some of the hard seats that were mentioned as well as would want to be relatively comfortable while paddling.
This is through kayaksandpaddles.co.uk who seem to have decent prices.
Is there anything else that would be a necessity or nice-to-have?
Edit: Just thought, wetsuit/waterproofs would be a necessity.
Sevylor Adventure (thanks Ash73 and Dan, looks a decent inflatable)
2 x Bravo 2 Piece Kayak Paddles
Bravo 4 Stirrup Pump
Yak Kallista Junior Buoyancy Aid
Yak Blaze Buoyancy Aid
Will look for some of the hard seats that were mentioned as well as would want to be relatively comfortable while paddling.
This is through kayaksandpaddles.co.uk who seem to have decent prices.
Is there anything else that would be a necessity or nice-to-have?
Edit: Just thought, wetsuit/waterproofs would be a necessity.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 8th August 09:47
Thunderhead said:
I'm keen on giving kayaking a go,
Top tip, get some lessons so both you and your family are safe in whatever craft you gethttps://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/go-canoeing/clu... go and find a club or if you don't want to join a club get a qualified coach to take you out.
You may want to visit a shop such as this https://www.kentcanoes.co.uk/index.html to get some ideas
Mannginger said:
I'm going down this path as well. Have a look around for your local clubs
Definitely this, I paddle with a local club and every year we see people joining our club after spending hundreds (and occasionally thousands) of pounds on entirely inappropriate gear. There are so many different disciplines and levels within the sport that you need to find out what you want before splashing the cash. I'd recommend joining a club, using their equipment for a while till you are reasonably proficient and sure of what you want. If you compare it with motorcycling, you learn on a CB125 or similar, gain a little experience and confidence THEN start looking for a GSXR or Harley or Transalp depending on what direction you want to take, no point in spending a fortune on equipment you won't use after six months.brrapp said:
Definitely this, I paddle with a local club and every year we see people joining our club after spending hundreds (and occasionally thousands) of pounds on entirely inappropriate gear. There are so many different disciplines and levels within the sport that you need to find out what you want before splashing the cash. I'd recommend joining a club, using their equipment for a while till you are reasonably proficient and sure of what you want. If you compare it with motorcycling, you learn on a CB125 or similar, gain a little experience and confidence THEN start looking for a GSXR or Harley or Transalp depending on what direction you want to take, no point in spending a fortune on equipment you won't use after six months.
I'll take that on board, and speak to some of the local clubs as a start. Thunderhead said:
If I go with purley light recreational use, this is what my shopping list is looking like:
Sevylor Adventure (thanks Ash73 and Dan, looks a decent inflatable)
2 x Bravo 2 Piece Kayak Paddles
Bravo 4 Stirrup Pump
Yak Kallista Junior Buoyancy Aid
Yak Blaze Buoyancy Aid
Will look for some of the hard seats that were mentioned as well as would want to be relatively comfortable while paddling.
This is through kayaksandpaddles.co.uk who seem to have decent prices.
wetsuit, helmets, gloves, booties, Couple of dry bags, first aid kit with relevant water borne sports essentials (insect repellent bite cream etc), a boat or dive knife, some means of attracting attention (whistle, strobe, torch) should be attached to floatie devicesSevylor Adventure (thanks Ash73 and Dan, looks a decent inflatable)
2 x Bravo 2 Piece Kayak Paddles
Bravo 4 Stirrup Pump
Yak Kallista Junior Buoyancy Aid
Yak Blaze Buoyancy Aid
Will look for some of the hard seats that were mentioned as well as would want to be relatively comfortable while paddling.
This is through kayaksandpaddles.co.uk who seem to have decent prices.
If you planning on taking your kids, they need to be able to swim confidently, it would be worth putting them on a survival swimming course. You can still drowned while wearing a floatie device.
Foliage said:
wetsuit, helmets, gloves, booties, Couple of dry bags, first aid kit with relevant water borne sports essentials (insect repellent bite cream etc), a boat or dive knife, some means of attracting attention (whistle, strobe, torch) should be attached to floatie devices
If you planning on taking your kids, they need to be able to swim confidently, it would be worth putting them on a survival swimming course. You can still drowned while wearing a floatie device.
Excellent advise, thanks, will look at adding those.If you planning on taking your kids, they need to be able to swim confidently, it would be worth putting them on a survival swimming course. You can still drowned while wearing a floatie device.
Issi said:
A dive knife? Really?
well yeah, always worth having a knife that can be easily opened with wet hands and a serrated blade when messing around on the water. Just log it in a dry bag, don't need anything expensive, better to have it and not need it.TBH its always worth generally carrying a knife.
Foliage said:
well yeah, always worth having a knife that can be easily opened with wet hands and a serrated blade when messing around on the water. Just log it in a dry bag, don't need anything expensive, better to have it and not need it.
TBH its always worth generally carrying a knife.
Plus if any of the inflatable kayaks get too close you can pop them and row away quickly TBH its always worth generally carrying a knife.
So in terms of restrictions that apply to kayak use, is it simply a case of you can rock up to a canal or lake and potentially go kayaking? I know lakes with water centers have a charge for use (£6 near me), but as far as other restrictions, are there any?
Also for sea use, lets say for example I took it to Camber Sands, or Weymouth, could I go to Weymouth beach, stay on the left side of the beach across from the skate park, and launch my kayak without any requirement to have a launch permit or finding a launch area?
Like the idea of having a it of freedom to use it, especially since it doesnt (well, I guess it doesnt) require a proper launch area.
Also for sea use, lets say for example I took it to Camber Sands, or Weymouth, could I go to Weymouth beach, stay on the left side of the beach across from the skate park, and launch my kayak without any requirement to have a launch permit or finding a launch area?
Like the idea of having a it of freedom to use it, especially since it doesnt (well, I guess it doesnt) require a proper launch area.
Foliage said:
well yeah, always worth having a knife that can be easily opened with wet hands and a serrated blade when messing around on the water. Just log it in a dry bag, don't need anything expensive, better to have it and not need it.
TBH its always worth generally carrying a knife.
You should be able to open it with a single hand , http://shop.peakukshop.com/epages/es140809.sf/en_G... a blade like this you will see a slot in just put a small piece of webbing in you can then pull it open with teeth and one hand.TBH its always worth generally carrying a knife.
Thunderhead said:
So in terms of restrictions that apply to kayak use, is it simply a case of you can rock up to a canal or lake and potentially go kayaking? I know lakes with water centers have a charge for use (£6 near me), but as far as other restrictions, are there any?
Also for sea use, lets say for example I took it to Camber Sands, or Weymouth, could I go to Weymouth beach, stay on the left side of the beach across from the skate park, and launch my kayak without any requirement to have a launch permit or finding a launch area?
Like the idea of having a it of freedom to use it, especially since it doesnt (well, I guess it doesnt) require a proper launch area.
As Ash says you get some access with BC membership https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/membership/bene...Also for sea use, lets say for example I took it to Camber Sands, or Weymouth, could I go to Weymouth beach, stay on the left side of the beach across from the skate park, and launch my kayak without any requirement to have a launch permit or finding a launch area?
Like the idea of having a it of freedom to use it, especially since it doesnt (well, I guess it doesnt) require a proper launch area.
Most rivers you do have to have a licence of some description access can be an issue, beaches are tidal and "Free" unless you have to pay a launch fee but I guess its about local knowledge and again this is where a club or the BC area coaching representative will help
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