Anyone have experience with kayak ergs, good or bad? Thinking of the “kayakpro compact” for a paddling club for off-water conditioning and forward stroke coaching during winter. Can’t tell from internet research if the catch, resistance, and dynamics make this kind of erg a useful tool… or an expensive meh. I know cheaper DIY home solutions exist but in an ideal world this is for heavy seasonal use.

A buddy of mine has the KayakPro compact and loves it so if you are going commercial I would suggest that one. He puts a ton of use on that thing. That said, I’m one of the people offering plans to a DIY solution and my personal erg is still going strong after 3 years of some fairly serious, seasonal use so don’t discount the possibility that you might be able to build your own robust ergometer for a fraction of the cost of a commercial unit.

I have the kayakpro Speedstroke and the kayakpro Catchforce ergs and recommend both of them. It’s my understanding that the “long nose” of the Speedstroke helps to produce an authentic catch (but does affect portability). I’d be curious if the compact version loses some of this authenticity, in the compromise to be more portable. Might be worth talking to Grayson Bourne from kayakpro.

For a club, where portability isn’t a big concern, I’d recommend the Speedstroke, but I have not used or seen the Compact model.

Greg