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The following question is aimed at locals in Southern Ontario.
Now that Inhave done both the pool course and lake course, I am looking for someplace close to home (Mississauga) to practice so I won’t forget what I have learned. At this point, I don’t feel comfortable going with a meetup group as I am not yet comfortable with self rescue and would not be able to keep up with a group. So far, I have come up with the following conservation areas that have rentals. However, I suspect those rentals are recreational kayaks and would not allow me to try/practice self rescue.
Kelso
Guelph Lake
Valens Lake
Christie Lake
Pinehurst Lake
I have also recently found the Halton Outdoor Club, which seems to be have some paddles aimed at beginners, with a rating syste, showing the skill level required.
Paddling clubs are one of the BEST ways to learn paddling and safety techniques so you should not avoid participating with them. All of them were beginners once and they are almost always welcoming and helpful to newbies. They usually have a range of abilities within the club – not all are endurance paddlers with mad skills. If you look at their event calendars they will specify if they are paced for beginners or not. And I have found that many clubs not only offer skills training days but will often practice self and assisted rescues at the end of the day when the outing is over. They are also a great resource for finding the best places to paddle. Good outfitters, like Frontenac Outfitters north of Kingston, also will be able to tell you good places to paddle and practice (though I realize you are some distance from the Kingston area).
@janetliz said:
Now that I have done both the pool course and lake course, I am looking for someplace close to home (Mississauga) to practice so I won’t forget what I have learned.
Renting a “real” boat can be a “real” challenge. I’ve met quite a few people from the GTA that complain about the lack of decent boat rentals in the city. I’m farther north than you, so I can only suggest that you may have to travel farther north in order to find boats that will let you use the skills you’ve learned.
Swift Canoe and Kayak in Waubashene has some rentals, though I’m not sure what they have for sea kayaks. They’re probably the closest.
You’ll often hear me sing the praises of White Squall, north of Parry Sound, as they rent and sell primarily “real” sea kayaks. Check out their web site, as they have some decent policies regarding credit toward purchase from rentals.
Suntrail Outfitters in Hepworth, not far from Sauble Beach, has a few half-decent boats to rent and sell.
Thorncrest Outfitters in Southampton is another place I’d check out. They have another location in Tobermory.
If renting isn’t necessary, there are far more places to go and you can do it on your own schedule. Start doing the math when it comes to rentals vs. purchasing. Make sure also to consider the essential accessories, any car-topping gear, and storage requirements.
I do agree with the recommendation for a paddling club, and this Halton Outdoor Club seems like a good fit in terms of location, and it is the first time I have seen a clear “rating system” for the skill level required (at least locally). However, I don’t want to go out with a meetup group until I can “take care of myself” on the water. As discussed earlier in the thread, some are presumably better than others in terms of safety concerns, and I won’t know about that until I go out with the group.
I’m not yet ready to commit to a purchase, and will want to do a lot of research if/when I do make a purchase. Storage may be my biggest challenge. Living in an apartment, I’m not sure that I could get a “real” kayak in/out of my storage locker (I would need to make a couple of turns which might be too tight). If not, I’ll have to compare the cost of external storage to the cost of renting boats.
You did list a couple of retailers that I had not yet found, but I went to White Squall for the lake course. I do want to get out of the city for kayaking, but in order to practice, it would be ideal to perhaps go to Kelso for an hour or 2 after work on a Saturday, or stop at Guelph Lake on my way home from a commitment in Shelburne in a couple of weeks.
Just get out there and paddle and don’t worry about being with a group. Stay within your comfort zone and don’t worry about your self rescue, etc. until the water is warm enough, or you feel you’re ready for it and practice close to shore in shallow water. There is no substitute for lots of time in the seat and working on your paddling form.
In all my years of paddling, if I had waited to go with a group, or even with one person, I might have been paddling about a half dozen times.
Meet Up…paddle clubs often use meet up for scheduling and picture posting. Do something unusual and actually READ what the organizers post. Use a PC. Look at trips they go on. Look at pictures. See what gear they use. On the PC look at “discussion board” see what they post. Look at “pages” see what documents they post. If it is a separate club as my two are they will likely charge dues and have release forms. … And skill level vs trip level ratings.
The phone app sucks. Use a PC.
@Overstreet said:
Meet Up…paddle clubs often use meet up for scheduling and picture posting.
Not recommended for new paddlers wishing to acquire good, safe habits around here. I’ve been a part of many, even started my own. I’ve since stopped going out with these groups and closed my own.
To someone inexperienced, there are people in these groups that seem like they have a lot of experience and knowledge. However, after you’ve been out with them a few times and do your own fact checking, you find out otherwise.
This is not to say that this is true everywhere, across the board. Just that I know the local groups to be this way.
@Sparky961 said:
@Overstreet said:
Meet Up…paddle clubs often use meet up for scheduling and picture posting.Not recommended for new paddlers wishing to acquire good, safe habits around here. I’ve been a part of many, even started my own. I’ve since stopped going out with these groups and closed my own.
To someone inexperienced, there are people in these groups that seem like they have a lot of experience and knowledge. However, after you’ve been out with them a few times and do your own fact checking, you find out otherwise.
This is not to say that this is true everywhere, across the board. Just that I know the local groups to be this way.
Just like around here. Sparky961’s advice applies to any internet based group of strangers.