4.5
I don’t like to get my heart up to Kocho’s 150 beats per second…I would die. Just too old to handle 9000 beats per minute I guess…lol. In all seriousness though, I will usually run at 3 mph upriver on the Red, and around 5 downriver. I have run up to 7 mph for shorter distances, but prefer to keep a slower pace I can maintain
Depends on which boat
If I take my CD Caribou, I cruise around 4.3 mph solo. With my BBK Recluse, just over 4.5, and with my Anas Acuta, right around 4.1 if the GPS is to be believed.
I’ve had the Recluse and the Caribou up around 8 mph, but I collapse in a heap after about 100 yards of that. The Anas yells “Cut it out” around 6.4.
Of course, since I paddle mostly in salt water that’s usually moving, and preferably textured, speed varies day to day.
It’s good to know how fast you do go and can go (Esp for trip planning and navigation), but don’t obsess on it. If the speed you paddle at is fun, that’s all that really matters.
Oh no…
– Last Updated: Mar-15-09 9:14 AM EST –
I'm definetley not obsessed with speed...at all. I just find it curious, like a science project, to hear what others have experienced related to this topic. I'm generally a mid to high 3mph cruiser. I suppose I could go faster, maybe mid 4's for a good bit but that would be too much like exercise. Seems I saw this quote here and liked it, "I get enough exercise just pushing my luck."
Good stuff y'all, thanks.
-SP
Yesterday 6.3 mph
Paddling steady but easy. We had a heckuva push from the tide. When I tried to slow down by paddling really easy, I was still doing 5.3.
Sea kayaks of various brands. Mine is a WS Tempest 170 poly with three times the normal surface area on the bottom due to scratches and crevaces and gouges.
Seriously it was a heckuva push for 16 miles (except for Paul who was restless in the morning and decided to go both ways - 32 miles - starting out in the fog and dark) in the middle of a very wide river pushing out to sea.
That won’t happen again. As we spoke yesterday, in a few weeks that same river will be full of those that rely on motorized transportation and we won’t be able to paddle down the middle and we will lose the big push.
Bill
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Cruising about…
in a Placid RapidFire, 4-5.5 depending who I am paddling with. Have had my RapidFire to 6.3,but only short distances,and never all day long. YS solo usually 3.5-5 max. It’s more of a river poke boat.
billinpa
Oops!
Corrected the bps to bpm 
After the last trip a sea kayaker
commented “that boat is pretty fast, isn’t it”. The RF.
Torrent
"3 mph on my Torrent, but that’s with a 2 or 3 mph current. "
Thats with one foot pushing in the mud? Right?
Yep!
=)
jim
I don’t have a GPS but by distance
covered, I’d say 4-4.5 MPH.
I calculated
my distance of a trip on google earth- 6 miles. I did it in just over 2 hrs with a break in the middle. Not counting the break, it was 2 hours or maybe slighty less. And 6/2=3 miles in one hour- 3mph with my dad.
My cruising speed is 4-4.5 mph without my dad, but I slow down for him because he likes to take it easy. Hes almost 50, and getting old.
Almost 50!
The poor guy. Has he thought about any “final arrangements” yet?
Maybe Dad is slowing down for you?
Have you asked him? You are probably both slowing down for each other!
It seems the fastest paddlers in our club are the Dad paddlers because they have the best technique. Technique is more important that boat design. If anyone doubts that, ask yourself if someone like Greg Barton or Oscar Chupulsky could go faster than you in your boat.
If you answer ‘Yes’, then you get the point. If you answer ‘No’, then you are in denial.
Good lord…
“Hope I ddddie before I get old…”
4-5 mph
My gps is set to deactivate when below 1 mph, so it doesn’t calculate rest stops.
There is always a tide one way or the other so the average speed usually around 4.5.
I’m more focused on technique though. Just switched to a hard chined boat the requires constant edging.
Yesterday afternoon I went out in the ocean solo with 4-5 foot waves and swells that were interacting with tide and wind. So I was bracing a lot and just going real slow off shore waiting for the tide to change before coming back through the breakers.
Total trip was 4.0 mph but I’m just happy to make it back in one piece.
according to my GPS
A casual stroke tyhat I can keep upforever…
My 12’ Dirage = 3.5 mph
My 11’ Scrambler= 3 mph
I can sprint up to 8mph but not for long. So I assume between 3-3.5mph.
He says its not his passion-
so hes not so into going fast like me or mastering perfect technique. Its just a nice casual passtime for him, and that is what I treat it as when paddling with him too.
How fast do I cruise?
So far a lot faster than any geeks who obsess about cruising speed or hull design / speed! That is a fact… So much so that I will no longer paddle with anybody who brings this subject up because I know they will NOT keep up.
I’l paddle with anyone who doesn’t care…
Safe paddling all
I Don’t Rightly Know
Don’t have a GPS or a speedometer on my kayak. I usta stay out in front of the pack but found I could do loops or work on skills and stick with the herd. Besides, my girlfriend paddles like she is in molasses and if I leave her behind, no fun stuff for me later.
My whole life is fast and the reason I kayak is to slow down and unwind from the BS of the workweek.
That said, fast is still good
not too fast lately
– Last Updated: Mar-20-09 6:32 AM EST –
wicked out of shape. Speed has not been a priority at all. It's been a lot of effort just to want to paddle. Just getting outside and on the water has been the goal. Paddling less than 10 miles at a time once a month since the end of November until about two weeks ago when the ice started to go away. Last weekend I did a ten mile, round trip, upriver and back and it took me 2 hours to paddle up (5 miles) and 45 minutes to paddle back with time to take pictures and enjoy a smoke. (OK...maybe two smoke breaks) That felt great and at no time was I working hard at all wearing a drysuit to inhibit any further exertion. Typical effortless cruising speed for me in that boat this time of year.
Mariner Express Sea Cruiser
bad fat laden posture. lowish angle Werner Camano
omf it's spring today! Can you believe it! Made it through another winter.