asd
Don’t know whitewater boats for small people well enough to make a recommendation, but getting stuck in a hole and not getting out is likely not related to the size of the boat (unless the boat didn’t fit and that prevented you from making a move or stroke that would allow you to exit the hole). Boat not tracking is also not related to boat fit for women - that is something that happens with all whitewater boats. Solving either of this is best done with some professional instruction on white water kayaking. This instruction usually is at a place that has a fleet of boats, so that also will give you a chance to demo boats that fit someone your size.
Tracking is not high on the design criteria for whitewater boats. it is possible however to learn how to keep them reasonably straight on the flats. On the Remix - you need to check the size. You would need the 59 - or an XL9. that on is a crossover & has a skeg to make it less painful on the flats.
You need to understand types of boats better. Tracking for flatwater and maneuverability for serious WW are mutually exclusive, unless you are talking less serious WW and using a crossover boat. But they are compromise boats, will always be less than fully satisfactory in both environments.
Poke around this info on this site. https://paddling.com/learn/category/getting-started/understanding-watercraft/
Was the Hero you tried used from their first release? They actually were more like creekers, and originally came out in two sizes. Having tried the original pair, the bigger one for my husband and the smaller one for me, we both felt they were too big. I am your weight and a few inches taller.
But I should mention that, because it was a creeker. it tracked fairly well for a WW boat. And being a creeker it should be fairly good at getting out of holes. That issue was likely you not knowing how to paddle well yet, not the boat.
I am unclear on whether you have WW close around you, it sounds like you may. I am closer to what Peter said above - skip the WW until you can get some proper training. I am a little old school, really don’t think anyone should consider serious WW (nearing class 3 or above) unless they have a solid roll. On both sides.
I suggest skipping the WW concerns right now, get a used boat that will be decent on flatwater and stay there until you have some seat time and water time to learn some basics like self-rescue and get paddling straight. The self rescue stuff is easier to learn with others but can be You can learn a lot of the stuff via videos etc, and since it appears you are a solo paddler you should not skip that. You DO need a smaller volume boat, you have that part right. But moving water is a critter of its own and can get complicated.
For WW, IMO it is best to spend the bucks to go to a WW center for a two or three day class on the water. That will give you time in a properly fitted boat and a safe exposure for you to decide just how far you want to go in that direction.
First, my comments are based on reading the mfg’s propaganda. My ww paddling is/was done OC1 (hence my handle here) What I see is that the Hero is marketed as a creeker/river runner while the Remix is marketed as a river runner. Jackson brags about ‘Instant Maneuverability’. The Remix 59 may be a bit better for tracking but only in a WW world. Either will require careful attention to technique to travel is anything resembling a straight line.
I’m going to guess that in the hole the Hero wanted to stay there & play. It may have fit the hole just right & needed some rodeo moves to pop out.
Going upstream is great for learning good technique. Not just the paddle, but the relation of the hull to the current. There tends to be pretty instant feedback.
@stalrphlo
Year of manufacture is often in the long ID scratched into the boat. But I don’t know the format for Jackson boats, probably can find it digging around online.
As I tried to say above, “small one” does not necessarily mean small enough for you. You are tiny, and I doubt you had an easy time getting a good grab in the water with your paddle. .I believe before they were done with that model, Jackson found they had to issue a third, smaller one to properly reach paddlers your size. If that memory is right, perhaps you tripped over that one. FYI, both my husband and I found them crankier to roll than our sea kayaks or either of our Innazones. We did but it took a little more work than we thought it should.
Hero does not play - its talent as a new release was that it was fast and could help someone win races. It was also a good boat to put beginners into since, as a creeker, it did not have edges or a stern that could be caught as easily as a more playful boat. It sounds like you got that benefit - others capsized and you did not.
It appears from what you are saying that the water near is a mix of bubbly stuff and flat. If that is the case, I am going to strongly suggest that you find the funds to drive for a weekend of classes. Yes you can try and figure it out yourself, it does not sound like you have companions nearby who would be useful that way. But you will lose a lot of time that way and now is summer and warm water - it isn’t going to get easier to do this than the next few months. You will also be closer to somewhere that you can find a boat that will fit you.
That said, I just looked and it appears a Remix 59 would be a good choice for you as long as you want a WW boat rather than a crossover… The other sizes are too big. You are likely to find it harder to find a used boat properly sized for you, most out there are for more average sized paddlers. At least that was my experience. But you might do better.
@starphlo said:
As I mentioned above, there is nowhere around here to go try out boats. The only place to even look at boats is 3 hours away and they only do trials on water once a year.
Likely there is only 1 free demo day per year, but they probably have some sort of system where you an rent boats to try (and often where the rental fee can be put toward the price of a boat should you by one from them).
But it might be good to state where you are and perhaps people here would have suggestions on shops to visit, clubs to join, or the like. There are people from all over the world here who know a lot about local situations. Maybe we have info that can help your locale also.
I really don’t believe that the problem was merely due to my paddling but no doubt that was a part of it. When we first got on the water, everyone ( and they were ALL beginners ) paddled upstream but I absolutely could not do it even with paddling my heart out.
It is possible we aren’t thinking of the right thing when you said river and white water. Can you describe the boats the others were using? Or do you have photos that show the boats (and river conditions) from the outing? Maybe one showing the hole also? I am wondering if you were in a white water boat but everyone else was in a longer boat, then your problems making the boat go straight and keeping up would in part be due to boat style (and us recommending a different whitewater boat may not fix your problems).
There is a correct way to paddle that is more efficient, and it is not the obvious way that everyone does if they are given a paddle with no/limited instruction. As such, I still think getting a day or two of instruction under your belt would not be a bad thing.
The. LL Remix XP 9 is a good boat, if you want to get into whitewater. The Coupe is good if you want a sit-on-top. The XP has a drop-down skeg, so it tracks pretty well, but it’s designed to maneuver well on WW, too.
@spirit4earth said:
The. LL Remix XP 9 is a good boat, if you want to get into whitewater. The Coupe is good if you want a sit-on-top. The XP has a drop-down skeg, so it tracks pretty well, but it’s designed to maneuver well on WW, too.
I was just looking at the XP9. There are two on sale used I found online. That might work.Thanks!
You are not far from the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). A great place for classes and they can supply the kayaks.
Thanks rival51 that looks like an amazing place. I have decided to get a small zen after much reading and will be looking for a used one. A few folks said the remix 59 was difficult to track but have read all good things about the zen. I’m limited to local trips for a while now due to my dad’s deteriorating health.
Its been many years but the New River area near Blacksburg used to have a very large and active paddling community. I remember the river there as being flatwater, but Virginia has lots of beginner to advanced white water. I would say this forum does not have lot of paddlers in your area and especially not whitewater paddlers. You may have better luck at Boatertalk.com, they have been around for many years and the boards almost died out but I think Eric who runs the webpage has just moved to a new system and the boards seem to be active and most of the people who participate there are in the South East and are whitewater paddlers. Here is a link: https://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk