exactly
what i have been doing…i have only been able to go 4 times in the 1 week that i have owned it. i work until 7:30 ish pm and go only on my days off. so maybe i am expecting to much to soon. but i usually spend and hour working at it. maybe this isn’t long enough.the lake is small though and i’m sure these guys fishing think i’m a wack job out there doing the same thing over and over again. i even have meditation music on my ipod playing while i’m BREATHING! he he!!!
i have high expectation for myself i think. but my goal is to paddle where i’m comfortable for the majority of the summer- then late in the summer head to harbours and bays on the coast. i also signed up for an aca kayaking class later in june.
paddle close
yep, i do that…must just be taking it out a lil’ to late i’m guessing. this is where the friend will come in handy.i think i’m doing this correct, but i could be way off base.i do fine turning , going backwards…i love turning it around. way easier then a lil’ rec. boat. practice makes perfect they say.
Don’t think about it too much.
Just get in the boat and paddle and all will become clear in time. Like balancing on a bicycle, there is an aspect to this that just has to be felt.
A lot of people first learning to drive a car on the highway find themselves weaving all over the road because they wait until the car starts to veer off course, and then overreact. In time, you will feel when the bow of the boat is about to turn off line and will do something preemptively to prevent it. The “something” might be a subtle boat lean, a little stronger forward stroke on the side the boat is wanting to turn towards, or “adding a little sweep” to your forward stroke.
Ken Kastorff (a well-known whitewater kayak instructor) told me “going straight is all about turning”. What he meant was that you are almost always doing something subtle to keep the boat on line. After a while, you develop a feel for this and it becomes virtually automatic.
good starter tips
well said as it keeps things simple. Since the instructor will add more I think the best thing to do before hand is just play around and experiment. Wiggle the boat from side to side to see how the balance is and gain confidence. In shallow water fall out and play around with getting in even if you don’t know the ‘correct’ way. See what happens if you sweep wide compared to keeping the paddle close. The idea is to get comfortable in the boat, remove fears and get a ‘feel’ (more so than thinking) of how you, the boat and paddle fit. Then when the instructor says what is correct you can relate better and so learn quicker.
Tim Taylor Syndrome
long shot, but if the kayak is swinging noticably on every stroke, is there any chance you are just putting too much power into the strokes??
As mentioned above, give it time, it’ll come on it’s own and you may not even notice yourself getting better until it’s too late.
good luck and have fun
Using the skeg
I come from a WW paddling background. I can make any WW boat go straight on flatwater. But I also know that many sea kayaks paddled empty tend to require corrective strokes. I can do that. But why? Just drop the skep down a small amount (say, 10 degees). You will find that your boat will track better, will respond better to leans, and will be a whole lot more fun. Don’t pay any attention to the purists who insist that you only should use the skeg when you absolutely need to. Granted you should be able to deal with situations where your skeg is stuck up or down (as with a rudder) but that does not mean you should not use your skeg to make paddling easier for the conditions you are in, including an empty boat on calm water.
kayak videos
For anyone looking to learn more about kayaking through a video, you do necessarily need to purchase the video. There are several sources online available for free.
www.monkeysee.com has multiple videos on a variety of topics. Once you access the site, click on “Sports & Leisure”, next click on “Outdoor Recreation” you will see a box for kayak rescues, click on this - then click on"all videos from this expert".
Happy Paddling
kayak videos w/correction
For anyone looking to learn more about kayaking through a video, you do not necessarily need to purchase the video. There are several sources online available for free.
www.monkeysee.com has multiple videos on a variety of topics. Once you access the site, click on “Sports & Leisure”, next click on “Outdoor Recreation” you will see a box for kayak rescues, click on this - then click on"all videos from this expert".
Happy Paddling
your doing fine
"i love turning it around. way easier then a lil’ rec. boat"
IMO that’s what you want, a boat that turns well, then add or subtract the skeg for tracking, not a boat that tracks on rails with no skeg.
Good technique will help a lot, you will have more power from the torso and use the edge for tracking…
Paddle?
Are you using the same paddle you used with your Pungo? that could be part of the problem. A shorter paddle will let you get the strokes in closer to the boat. A paddle that’s too long makes every stroke a turning stroke.
Butt TIme
Learn to paddle without use of the skeg (cross winds excluded) and your paddling will benefit from it. As you learn though, also paddle some stronger tracking sea kayaks and use those opportunities to make sure your sweeps and other turning strokes are really strong. “Turny” boats can make our turning strokes lazy - ask me how I know.
my 2 cents worth…
– Last Updated: May-21-09 9:13 AM EST –
hi turtle ....1st give yourself and the boat time to get used to each other. also one thing people overlook and therefore , don't understand, is that new paddlers don't realize that they are putting more "force" into one side of the stroke as they paddle , therefore , the boat wiggles it's way down the lake, which they are going to do to some extent anyways. try to concentrate on using the same amount of paddle force on each side as you paddle. if a person is right -handed, that is the stronger side (usually). Make note which way the boat turns most of the time, if it's left, then your are too strong on the right side, and vice versa for the left. Keep experimenting till you notice a even balance in your stroke. are your strokes of even length to each side? Toe to hip is the accepted standard. I have used colored tape to mark my paddle, so my hands are always in sync, as far as distance from the center, on each side of the paddle. 1 color for the exact center of the shaft. then other colors at various distances out from there. this may help you as a new paddler..good luck and enjoy
boat is an inanimate object in the water
Turtle,
Nice…but a canoe/kayak is simply a floating inanimate(sp?) object. It’s the paddler with the aid of the paddle/spoons that has to develop the skills to make the object work with the water.
paddle type
no i bought a werner camano 210cm.
i’m a little confused though…it’s says on the tag for a lower angle paddler…but i thought the whole idea was to paddle at a higher angle? hmmm
tape trick
thanks i will try the tape trick. i try to be aware of my dominant side…i feel better with everyone saying the same thing…hours on the water. as far as i can see that is NEVER a bad thing now is it?
auto pilot
that’s what i want NOW is to be on auto pilot. can’t come soon enough.guess i’m just impatient.
thanks for the tips.
all good advice
thanks everyone, i feel more comfortable knowing that everyone is on the same wavelength…just more hours on the water…really focusing …paddle technique etc…
i guess i just want the auto pilot thing now!
and i guess this is why i made the jump up…i wanted to challenge myself. so here i am. woo hoo!!!
can’t wait for the weekend! watch out people!
low angle vs high angle stroke
There are those kayakers who favor a low angle touring stroke as being more relaxed and efficient in the long run.
Racers, except those using Greenland style paddles almost always favor a high angle stroke.
The high angle stroke does have less turning effect on the boat, but requires lifting the opposite hand and paddle blade much higher. Proponents of the low angle stroke consider this a needless expenditure of energy.
Paddles designed for a low angle stroke are often a bit longer than those designed for a high angle stroke.
Camano
is designed as a low angle paddle, not a high angle one. I don’t know if using it with a real high angle stroke will cause any problems. Using it with a low angle stroke without compensating somehow will cause the boat to “wiggle”.
add water