Hey guys,
don’t you think it would be a good idea for p-net to have a section for kayak racing?
agree
I can’t count anymore how many times I’ve seen racers glide up to the dock in a k1 sprint boat and stand in it and step out onto the dock as if walking off a water taxi. While I doubt I would ever approach that kind of stability, I’ve seen guys go from swimming 7 times on a 4 miles course, to being quite competitive in a matter of a season or two. Yes, I agree, its a matter of goals and time in the boat.
How to paddle FAST
There are some good kayak choices for you to choose from on this thread. However, the real key to speed is a combination of fast kayak with FULL-TIME RUDDER and a WING PADDLE. Learn to use the rudder and wing paddle correctly and your average speed will almost double and your range will triple. Furthermore, the wing paddle when used properly will increase your balance allowing you to get into a narrower kayak and/or paddle faster in rougher conditions. Despite opposite opinions by many who have not committed to the wing and maybe your own first impressions after trying one, the wing paddle when used correctly will make you more stable in rough water. How do you think surfskiers are so proficient in rough water? Its the wing paddle, rudder and proper forward stroke technique.
If what you love about kayaking is actually the physical act of paddling, then you must learn the proper forward stroke with a wing paddle. It does not take long and the speed and range differences are truly dramatic. This is true for ocean paddling, not just flat water.
If more people understood how huge the difference was, more people would commit to wing paddles and full-time rudders. Its not unlike learning to ride a lightweight, narrow-tired road bicycle when everyone else is riding Huffys with training wheels. With the occasional exception, paddling instructors, conventional paddling shops, paddling magazines and even Paddling.net will overload you information that encourages a conventional slow paddling style. They will even tell you that rudders are a crutch for beginners. Don’t believe it.
For example, nothing drives me madder than often repeated fact that “the average paddler averages 3.5 mph.” I heard this from a Brit-style instructor my first year and have read it many times on Paddling.net. This is a self-fufilling prophecy and is only true if you keep following the advice of the people who say it. With a wing paddle, full-time rudder and a kayak narrower than 21" at the waterline you will soon be averaging speeds of 5.5 - 6.5 mph for 2 - 3 hour stretches in typical Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, etc… conditions. You will learn to steal energy from waves even when paddling straight into them. Down winwind you will have many long rides between 10 - 15 mph with kayak fully surfing and the white water flying. It is a blast and totally unbelievable to the masses of slow paddlers who have been told to expect to average 3.5 mph.
3.5mph
in a regular sea kayak, the speeds you describe are possible with a racing kayak and some training but 3.5mph is reasonable for the “average” paddler.
I’m “average"
I’m mid 40s - 40 lbs overweight - and 5’9”. Generally only get out a few times a month.
I typically hold 5 mph average for 2-3.5 hour stretches in a 21" wide sea kayak - skegged - with a Greenland paddle. Under 4.5 mph over distance feels slow - and has me out longer than I want to be for a given distance resulting in being more tired than if I’d kept my pace up a little more. 4mph or less I find it hard to keep a decent stroke going - and lily dipping for any length of time is killer on the back and legs.
If I dropped the weight and paddled just a bit more seriously 5.5 or 6 should be reasonable. On a narrower ruddered ski or race boat - with wing (and practice) a good bit more.
Johnathan’s right about expectations - though some of those pointy end boats can be a big sluggish. LOL
3 to 3.5mph range is also mostly mentioned as a group speed. The only time groups seem to move at a good pace in in races. Most group paddles seem to be arranged more as floating social hours with regular snack breaks.
I agree with you Lee
In my QCC-700 after a normal four to five hour paddling day, my average is just about that, (between 3 and 4)
If I am training for a race it will it will be between 5 and 6 for about ten miles
And in a six mile race if conditions are good, it will be right around 6MPH.
All of the above will be slower in harsher conditions, and very seldom faster.
cheers,
JackL
Might look into
the used Epic carbon fiber listed for sale under classifieds in South Florida
Brian
I know that boat - like new.
Careful owner.
wow
It is so fun to go fast with wing and eft. What a great adrenaline rush to blast thru waves and hold 6mph against the wind. Too many kayak instructors hate fast wing people so much they endanger students by never teaching forward stroke, Some racers only learn forward stroke. Open a brave new world of max adrenaline by GOING HARD. Paddle fast with wing and narrow boat and it is so fun to belong out on water with big boats. Each second is divided into many parts and time is slowed because so much is happening each second. Ted Williams said he could read writing on ball and count stitches. The racer is alive more. Born of water the racer was born to blast holes in the water as they blast along in the power of God Almighty! Paddle fast not hard.