sea kayaking - does it appeal to you
- Thread starter dylanwinter
- Start date
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
dgadee
Well-Known Member
Surfing is different from your usual sea kayaking, though - much more effort to get out there and I usually ended up rolling after pitch poling (I can never control my direction ...). I now prefer a downwind when it's windy or something more gentle. I think gentle is more appropriate for Dylan. You will be putting him off with these images.
Searush
Well-Known Member
surfing like that requires a sharp edge to the hull, like skiing, you need to ride the rail - it is really difficult in a round bottomed slalom boat or tourer.
ProDave
Well-Known Member
I'll just put another perspective on this.
Is it really a Kayak that interests you, or rowing at sea?
I personally would not go in a Kayak as I don't like going under water. Even at the swimming baths my head stays firmly above the water. A capsize in a kayak is inevitable and you need to practice it so it's just not for me.
On the other hand though, our sailing club is in the process of building a St Ayles Rowing Skiff. http://scottishcoastalrowing.org/about/
On a recent visit by another club, I had the chance to row in theirs, and it was a fantastic boat that rows well. You could row it for hours just cruising, though obviously racing is a different matter. It felt safe and sea worthy, and if it did go over you shouldn't have any worries. I hope I can get to row our clubs boar from time to time when it's completed.
Is it really a Kayak that interests you, or rowing at sea?
I personally would not go in a Kayak as I don't like going under water. Even at the swimming baths my head stays firmly above the water. A capsize in a kayak is inevitable and you need to practice it so it's just not for me.
On the other hand though, our sailing club is in the process of building a St Ayles Rowing Skiff. http://scottishcoastalrowing.org/about/
On a recent visit by another club, I had the chance to row in theirs, and it was a fantastic boat that rows well. You could row it for hours just cruising, though obviously racing is a different matter. It felt safe and sea worthy, and if it did go over you shouldn't have any worries. I hope I can get to row our clubs boar from time to time when it's completed.
dylanwinter
Well-Known Member
you are correct - it is the aspect of getting close up
I was playing with turning the Plastimo into a sailing inflatable
I ran out of time and also realised that finding somewhere to stow the rudder, mast, leeboards, would have been a challenge on a Centaur let alone Katie L
Searush
Well-Known Member
Capsize is not inevitable, any more than it is in a dinghy (sailing or rowing) but, yes it makes sense to understand how to rescue yourself or companions should the worst occur. I'd much rather right a kayak or sailing dinghy for self-rescue than try to recover a skiff or gig from a capsize or swamping. A kayak cannot swamp if you have a properly fitted cockpit cover. But fear of capsize or "being trapped" will stop you kayaking safely, which is why courses always start with capsize & exit drill. Staying in for rescue or rolling back up are even safer still.
The problem with sea rowing is that you usually need a full crew so just nipping off when the weather is good & you have a day off is not really practical, so you end up with scheduled practice days regardless of the weather or unexpected family commitments.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
This is Dennis Ball, in his day one of the top slalom boat surfers in UK. Slalom boats don't usually ride as high as a surf kayak but they are certainly capable of genuine surfing.