I’m excited to try surf kayaking–not surf skiing and not freestyle, just riding waves and trying to carve some turns. I can’t afford to buy a surf boat right now, but I can borrow a friend’s whitewater kayak, a Perception Mr. Clean. I’m worried about those low volume ends that are made for spinning just making my first time out miserable. What do you think?
wait a minute
– Last Updated: Jan-10-12 9:11 PM EST –
you're rated "advanced." lol.
There's some Rhode Island surf kayakers over on NPMB.com who can probably help you out. Look for Duke Wavewalker and Hawaii Rivers especially.
Maybe I'll just copy this over there, and see what happens.
http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?187405.last
Wait a minute -
“you’re rated “advanced.” lol.”
Guess I don’t get the joke?
“We grow old too soon, and too late…
…smart.” The older I get, the less inclined I am to call myself “advanced” and the more sure I am that I’m just an intermediate with a lot of inconclusive experience.
Probably “maine” would fall in the Intermediate class, too, a very honorable ranking. It’s understandable that once somebody has done a lot of paddling and has done a bunch of things, they might think it reasonable to call themselves “advanced.”
Kind of like Lake Wobegone, where all the children are above average.
Carving?
I don’t think so. I think you know the slicey ends are going to be unforgiving and the general boat shape will be hard to catch anything but steep waves. So go for the steep wave and learn to turn out of the pearl or else you will be a submarine. (Lean forward pull your knees up to your chest and rudder to turn so the bow turns to the side not strait into the water. ) Once you get it dialed in it should be fun but not optimal.
not a yakker but
I’m getting the feeling paddler weight has a lot to do with how th eboats going to react…just gave away a squirtboat that won’t squirt, until the new owner gains 80 pounds or more…
Not the best tool but…
I’ve played around with ww boats in the surf and had some fun with them. You can cut back and forth very quickly. The major drawback is they lack the speed to catch some waves. I didn’t find the slicey ends to be a problem as they work just fine in river holes and surf waves.
Thank you
Thanks everyone for you help and advice. I’ll check in over at NPMB too.
And, while I don’t spend a lot of time defending my resume, I will say this: I’m an experienced paddler from Maine, and have spent years tripping on rivers and along the coasts throughout the state, as well as Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, traveling solo, with friends or family, and guiding trips for at-risk teenagers. Currently, I am living in San Francisco for work and dreaming about spending some time on the waves of the Pacific. Since surf kayaking is a brand new endeavor for me, I thought I’d ask some advice of the paddlers here whose opinions and experience I have appreciated and admired for years.
West Coast?
IIRC “Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium” is just around the corner. Sean Morley, one of the folks at this symposium, is a bit of surf kayak enthusiast.
It might be worth your time trying to contact him, maybe get a lesson or two
From my limited experience surfing a river kayak vs surf kayak is night and day. Purpose built surf kayak will have features that make both taking off and maneuvering on the wave easier.
Surf kayak in whitewater boat?
Why not? ideally you can surf in or on anything. i’ve surfed ocean kayak barges in Hawaii, not fun, but it works. There’s still at ‘plastic’ division in the annual Santa Cruz Surf Kayaking Festival in March.
Most start out surf kayaking in ww boats - a cheap way to find out if you like it. Some upgrade to composite surf boats, others keep ripping in plastic. Google up Rusty Sage who surfed at the Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival in 3x overhead bouncing and ripping down the waves. Can be a lot of fun. You can do 360s, carve, bottom turns, etc. Sky’s the limit per your skills and wave type.
Just make sure you outfitting is solid if you’re using a friend’s boat.
cheers
Surf kayak in whitewater boat?
forgot to mention, this is the best forum for surf kayaking. all the pro’s, veterans and top paddlers from across the globe use this forum.
http://boatertalk.com/forum/SurfZone
Re advanced
– Last Updated: Jan-11-12 3:12 PM EST –
This comes around, not lately thank heavens. It is always contentious.
Many here figure that anyone who calls themselves an "advanced" paddler has already had some experience with surf, or enough WW, to know whether or not such a boat would be apt.
I don't know this boat and readily admit I am still far from talented in surf, so I get to stay out of that one as far as having a personal opinion.
If in the Bay Area …
Lots of surf kayakers /waveskiers nearby. Check out the kayak store in Sausilito or Kayak Connection at Moss Landing, Mark Pastick can get you set up with a surf kayak or waves ski most likely. I would look for a bit better surfer like a Necky Jive if you are sticking to whitewater boats. SF bay area is not a good place to be in popular surf zones in a whitewater boat. Bolinas is a pretty forgiving break for learning.
Riot
Look for a Riot Turbo … 47 or 52 depending on your weight… I picked up a 52 for a $100 in very good condition. The nice thing about the Turbo, you can add fins, a big performance boost.
As far as the Mr. Clean. I remember them to be notoriously hard to roll and very mediocre surf boats on the river. There are a few rotomolded surf boats out there. Check out Fluid and Valley. They all have slicey sterns.
Good luck.
i have
Tried to surf a Mr. Clean…it was crap…too little volume…and the edges gave me a thrashing in the soup…
Get a flat hulled river runner for great smooth surf…
He’s from the North Maine Woods
Most here grew up paddling wild waters so he is advanced maybe as he says just not in surfing.Anyone want to come here and see just how “advanced” they really are?
Necky Zip
The Necky Zip makes a great surfing boat. It’s the only WW kayak I’ve seen that has chines wider than the sidewalls, so it carves really well. Flat bottom also. They’re easy to find for $200-300.
Steve
Just a Friendly Suggestion
Just a friendly suggestion…Stay away from Ocean Beach and Fort Baker.
Even the board surfers are pretty agro with each other there. Locals v. non-locals, much less guys in WW boats in the lineup
Do call Mark Pasick at Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz. He may not turn you on to some of his spots, unless you pay for a lesson, but he will steer you clear of trouble.
Bolinas to the north is more mellow, or all the way down south to the jetty at Capitola.
Probably also want to avoid Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz.
Other Neckys
Rip, Jive, Gliss, Bliss, Switch, Witch…Rip is the best of the lot, but hard to find.