whats the average speed of a touring kayak?i used my gps and i only go 2.9 mph. so i got to thinking whats the average speed of a touring kayak
The average speed of a touring
kayak depends on the paddler.
from my observations:
If he is racing it is anywhere between 5 and 7 MPH.
If he is just out nature watching/exploring it is between 3 and 4 MPH
If he is wants to get from point A to point B without getting aerobic it is about 4 MPH
Jack L
Depends
on the hull design, cadence of the paddler, water conditions.
I’m guessing with my QCC 400x I average about 3mph but have been in the 4mph range when I kick it up a notch but that is not why I kayak.
am i am coredt
in then fact the sooedm on the kayqk isthats a fast kayakcins unstable:
kilometers
Faster than fast…for that good feeling on your rate of speed your travelling at 4.667 km per hour.
… there doesn’t that sound faster already…?
works for me :->
Not at all.
there again it depends on the paddler
When I first started kayaking, I was in a little wide recreation kayak, and anything longer and narrower felt tippier to me.
As time went by, and I gained confidence and skill, and then bought a longer and narrower kayak. I had absolutely no problem at all with that kayak, and eventually I wanted something faster so I bought one that was 21" wide.
In the years I have had it, I have been in some very rough seas, and have never felt unstable in it.
I am pretty sure if when I started kayaking I ran right out and bought a long skinny kayak I probably would have been capasizing on a daily basis.
I have often thought, and several times have posted it here; " kayaks and canoes don’t tip over. People tip them over"
Jack L
In my experience.
After a few seasons of racing, I have to say it is about 80% paddler, 20% the boat you are paddling.
Of course there are some limitations. But great paddlers can make almost anything fly. And less skilled paddlers will struggle to make anything keep up even a modest pace. My Heritage 9.5 travels 3.2 like it is on cruise control. You don’t even have to think about it. Bringing it up to 4 will get you concentrating and breathing. Past four is for Hercules.
Four is a good average for the average touring boat in the 14 foot range. Putsing along about 3 in that boat of your’s is about what you could expect. You will gain a little bit as your technique improves. You shouldn’t feel poorly about cruising around at 3 in that thing.
what’s the hurry?
don’t worry about your speed unless you’re going on a multi-day trip, or paddling with a group and you really can’t keep up. focus on developing your paddling form, and your speed will naturally come up a bit. on a 10-mile paddle the difference between averaging 3 mph and 3.5 mph is less than half an hour.
enjoy the scenery, keep an eye out for wildlife, explore the coves and marshes and tributaries, get out and take a little side hike.
lots of a1 advice
thank you
this is way better then biking
i spent 1 year saveing for a bike then it broke on me in like 3 months just as i was geting good dang rear casete just striped out it was a schwin bike i used to think they was good i like the kayaks way better less moveing parts unless i break lol
How much or how fast?
I am half deaf so I get a rush out of going fast. Expensive hearing aids not good ofr wet. I took me to 2hours and 25 minutes to do 14 miles in the lighthouse to lighthouse race. My eft was in touring class. PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPEED
7 km/hr
…or a bit less than 5mph is what I do in my Necky Looksha 17 on a fairly steady, going somewhere, paddle. If I paddle hard, probably about 9 or 10 Km/hr but not for very long. combination of getting old and not really wanting to go anywhere in a hurry anyway.
As mentioned above, if I paddled the same stroke in different boat, results would vary accordingly.
Zero
– Last Updated: Sep-15-10 2:08 PM EST –
Unless it's in a pretty good wind. Add in the speed that a person can paddle and it tends to get faster... :-)
I just did 5 miles on the Pawtucket
in SW Rhode Island, with almost no current helping me, in a 15’ whitewater boat, in exactly 2 hours. I was pressing a little at times.
Us whitewater types can easily get unrealistic when paddling with no current. On any moving ww river, 5 miles is nothing, but on that flatwater run (one class 2 through a broken dam), I got kinda whipped.
1 Like
Paddle Speed
Your age, physical condition, type of kayak, weather conditions, (and I’m sure there are other factors) can influence your speed.
For me, under normal conditions, between 2.5 and 5 MPH.
With a shark or alligator behind be, about 116.5 MPH !
2 Likes
speed
– Last Updated: Sep-16-10 3:33 PM EST –
so many thing come into this.
i did get around 6.3mph in a ultimate 14 and a pamlico 135t solo...sher there not suposeto be fast yak..but those were on gps and i was not alone..so true numbers.
but this was for sec ,,kllike a blast and that was it..but a 4 is pretty easy to keep in those two and even on my tarpon 140 and my trident 15.
again tons off stuff is playing in this.
padddler weight
paddler experience
the wind
the paddle you use
the water you are in..current and all.
the physiques off the paddler..heart and all.
but let say its not a huge deference...but one or 2 mph is still alot if you paddle for hours.at the end off the day that still gone to be a few mph less done.in a trip.
but for small few h trip..hey its all good...its not racing its enjoy time on water.
joco.
the most important thing ..is what you like as speed....if its 2mph gor for it if its more hey its the same.
enjoy.
joco
im still slow
at 2.9 mph and when im lazy even slower soon as i fix seat i think ill do beter plus i just use arms some reason i cant get used to usesing body to
start by pretending you’re a cat
– Last Updated: Sep-17-10 3:50 PM EST –
You know how cats do that massage thing with their front paws... Every stroke, just give a little massage push on the foot pedal of the stroke side. After some while, your torso will want to get in on the rhythm. Then you'll find yourself pushing a bit harder with your feet, and doing more work with you torso. If you have a GPS running, you'll see an uptick in speed.
Whenever you notice you're not doing it, start with the cat massage. At some point it should become automatic.
Wow!
5,6,7mph in rec boats! Some of you guys must be world class paddlers to get that kind of speed from a rec. boat. Ragz, do not believe half of what is written in this post. To paddle faster you need to increase your cadence plain and simple. However not at the expense of technique. To paddle faster you dont paddle harder your cadence gets faster. Surprised some of these pros didn`t tell you that.
1 Like
yep gps here
glad i bought this thing when it was on sale comes in handy for hikeing and kayaking im glad i got a yak with them feet rest