Kayaking

[Active Monkey]

Really interested on kayaking as a hobby sport along side my running and Mtb trail riding. Any one here do kayaking and can give advise?

[tombeej]

what exactly do you want to know?

[Active Monkey]

What training is needed, equipment, cost, rivers and dams most suitable in gautwng etc....

[River Rat]

If it is canoeing you are enquiring about a boat would set you back about R5000 new (there are plenty 2nds available) paddle about R1500, life jacket R300, splashcover R400. As for access to water your best bet from a locality point of view would be to enquire at Dabulamanzi Canoe Club they're based at I think their time trials are on Thursdays nights. A fiberglass boat will last about 2 full racing seasons so it's quite e

Hard on equipment.

 

As for kayaking your boat costs are about R7-8k but your access to suitable rivers is a bit more complicated as our rivers are quite seasonal but fantastic when they are running full. Your best bet here would be to go on one of Robbie Herreveld's courses he operates out of Canoe & Kayak centre in Rivonia I think it's Wessel Road but look it up on the web.

[River Rat]

Forgot to add that training for Canoeing is well regulated as they are very strict on safety issues so you will need to do a number of proficiency tests, none to worry though most clubs will take you through it.

[dev null]

Welcome to the water.

 

I do Surfski paddling (3 years now), and has been doing time-trials on a loaner K1 (Assegaai) for a few months. Just got my own K1 (Lancer CX) this week. My plan is to do the Duzi in 2014, and maybe the Berg in 2013.

 

Paddling will augment your cycling well.

[Active Monkey]

Thanks rivier rat:). Jip been reading a bit and think kayak is what i want

[tombeej]

Jacques, get in touch with Dabs canoe club at Emmarentia dam. Call Michelle on 011 486 0979 and ask her about beginner courses to get you started. Her husband, Bill, used to run beginner courses on Saturday mornings (looking at their website, it looks like he still does). This is the perfect way to get started. They often run beginner paddles down the Klip river (beginner in the back of a stable K2).

 

There is no need to buy a boat for yourself at this stage. Rather get into the sport, get the right advice from Bill and others, and build up from there.

 

Robbie Herreveld specialises in whitewater kayaking and adventure tours to places like Mozambique. You will not find him running beginner courses at Emmarentia.

 

Go onto Dabs website (http://www.dabulamanzi.co.za) for all the info you need. They have a section called 'Getting Started'.

 

Getting into the sport takes a bit of time. The first hurdle to get past is just being able to balance in a beginner canoe. This is where a lot of people drop out because they get frustrated. That's why you need either an experienced buddy who'se willing to coax you through this phase, or hook up with a coach like Bill who has the patience to see you through. Once you are able to balance on flat water, you need to take the step up to balancing in moving water (the Klip river is a beginner river to learn on). During summer there are trips going down almost every day on the weekends. Once you join the club you will get opportunities to join a social group and go down the Klip.

 

The no.1 benefit paddling gives to your cycling is the development of your core muscles. This is the main reason for your frustrating lack of balance initially. You literally have to develop muscles in your core that you haven't really ever used before. Other benefits include a complete change in your posture - walking and sitting.

 

If you keep up with the sport, especially when you start running rivers, you'll find that paddling has a lot of similarities with mtb - it takes you to parts of the country that you'd never see otherwise, and you have to read the lines through rocks and trees - just as you do when riding your bike - the only difference is that your 'trail' has taken liquid form. But the skill of reading your lines correctly is similar.

 

Don't worry about training/technique for now - that comes later. For the next couple of months you'll have your hands full learning how to stay upright.

[tombeej]

A couple more things:

The quickest way to get into the sport is to learn in a very stable double (K2). So you might have a buddy who wants to join with you. A lot of people start this way, because you can be up and running almost right away.

 

Again, you don't need to buy a boat at this stage. Dabs will have a number of entry-level boats at the club that you can just use on a weekend whenever you feel like it.

 

What you will need to buy up-front:

1. Paddle

2. PFD (preferably with a built-in bladder for hydration)

3. 'Splashie' (splash cover).

 

Lastly, there are certain times at Emmarentia that are ideal and other times when it's best to stay away. Thursday nights are always a no-no for new people. This is when they run the weekly dice and the dam becomes a washing machine with a hundred boats tearing round the dam. You'll stand no chance. Also, a social dice happens every Sunday morning from 08h00 to 09h00. Another time to stay away.

 

The best times to go for a paddle are Saturdays (better from lunch onwards), Sundays from 09h30 onwards, and also Friday evenings (the generally accepted rest day for paddlers at Emmarentia after the Thursday time trial).

 

later

[River Rat]

Thanks rivier rat:). Jip been reading a bit and think kayak is what i want

 

Look, it is quite difficult to do in SA but if your mind is made up Robbie Herreveld is your answer try www.canoekayak.co.za. Good luck and if the bug bites you might not see your MTB on weekends.

[Mojoman]

A couple more things:

The quickest way to get into the sport is to learn in a very stable double (K2). So you might have a buddy who wants to join with you. A lot of people start this way, because you can be up and running almost right away.

 

Again, you don't need to buy a boat at this stage. Dabs will have a number of entry-level boats at the club that you can just use on a weekend whenever you feel like it.

 

What you will need to buy up-front:

1. Paddle

2. PFD (preferably with a built-in bladder for hydration)

3. 'Splashie' (splash cover).

 

Lastly, there are certain times at Emmarentia that are ideal and other times when it's best to stay away. Thursday nights are always a no-no for new people. This is when they run the weekly dice and the dam becomes a washing machine with a hundred boats tearing round the dam. You'll stand no chance. Also, a social dice happens every Sunday morning from 08h00 to 09h00. Another time to stay away.

 

The best times to go for a paddle are Saturdays (better from lunch onwards), Sundays from 09h30 onwards, and also Friday evenings (the generally accepted rest day for paddlers at Emmarentia after the Thursday time trial).

 

later

Can you paddle one of these K2's on your own or do you always have to have two in it?

[tombeej]

Can you paddle one of these K2's on your own or do you always have to have two in it?

This a serious question?!

[Mojoman]

It is a serious question! I don't know anything about kayaking. The vrou and I were thinking about getting started on this but don't know if its best to go with two kayaks or a double. I thought a 2 man kayak might be stable enough to be paddled by one person? I like the idea of a 2 man unit but what if I feel like going off on my own?

[tombeej]

It is a serious question! I don't know anything about kayaking. The vrou and I were thinking about getting started on this but don't know if its best to go with two kayaks or a double. I thought a 2 man kayak might be stable enough to be paddled by one person? I like the idea of a 2 man unit but what if I feel like going off on my own?

 

If you and your wife want to get into the sport then get a beginner K2 (most popular is the Accord). So many people have done it this way. It's much much easier to balance a double than a single and the fact that there's two of you in the boat means that there's extra motivation to get to the dam (you don't want to let the other person down). If your wife is not 100% determined to learn the sport she'll may give up pretty quickly if she's put into a K1 and asked to learn the hard way. Anyway, that's my experience over the years. Also, it's much more social to be in a double. And when your wife doesn't feel like going with you, you might find mates suddenly wanting you to take them down the river. If you get a double you'll be running rivers way sooner than if you start off in a K1.

 

The downside is that a K2 can become your comfort zone, keeping you from developing the skills that a K1 teaches you. I started the sport by buying an old second hand K1 and suffering through the endless swimming until I got the skills needed. That meant I left the others behind who had started at the same time as me, but never ventured outside of the comfort of their stable K2's.

 

But to start in a K1 you need to be committed/determined that you want to succeed. Get a K2 if you just want to have a social paddle every now and then, or maybe even to build up at your own pace to the adventure of a Dusi or Fish.

 

You can paddle a K2 on your own on flatwater for a short distance, but you won't like it. The front person is the driver so the weight will all be in the nose of the boat with the stern raised out of the water. If the water is flat the rudder might just get enough purchase to help you steer but as soon as there are any waves you'll start flapping in the wind. For the same reason you'll have no chance in flowing water.

 

If you are set on starting in a K1, again, no need to buy a boat. Just join your local club and make use of their equipment. Then, when you are ready, buy an intermediate boat with lots of volume that you can then 'grow into'. The social club trips down the local river will be where you can get a spot in the back of a K2 with a more experienced person doing the driving.

[fabes]

Tombeej have you done the fish and the Dusi. The vrou and myself are training for our 3 rd fish together in a K2

[dev null]

If you are set on starting in a K1, again, no need to buy a boat. Just join your local club and make use of their equipment. Then, when you are ready, buy an intermediate boat with lots of volume that you can then 'grow into'. The social club trips down the local river will be where you can get a spot in the back of a K2 with a more experienced person doing the driving.

 

You also might find that when you join a club that there will be someone with an old stable K1 like the Manta lying about in their yards doing nothing which they would be begging you to make use of. It is not unheard of to have an old Manta changing hands from beginner to beginner for generations until it gets written off against a tree or a rock in the rappids.