Yak For Adventure Racing?

you’re not kidding
Watch the vids that Kocho linked. A little sport specific training and a session or two with someone that knows a proper forward stroke would have a paddler well ahead in the kayak legs of those races.

"offer your best advice "?
See my only reply so far to the OP. I’m withholding any recommendation until I have more info as that’s the only “wise” option at this point (in case you missed it, that’s a joke on your screen name).



As for the “drinking” comment, the reference to “tea” was a Brit boat thing, and had nothing to do with your personal alcohol consumption pattern (a little defensive are we?). Sorry, but it has absolutely nothing to do with you beyond your being a proponent of Brit style kayaks with skegs for “racing” on twisty rivers. A Capella to race? Yeah, whatever. Folks “race” rec boats too.



How your friends use or don’t use their rudders for casual touring is hardly relevant to OP, as is the usual lame silliness that goes on here about rudder vs skeg vs nothing that crops up regularly.



You are certainly free to discuss whatever you like. I’m not censoring, just exercising the same option to comment, and to question the logic of what to me are some rather illogical responses to the OP.



Bothered by your advice? Well, it’s hard to call any of this recommending of skegged Brit style sea kayaks as useful “advice” to the original question. A skegged sea kayak, designed primarily for coastal touring, is rather unlikely to be optimal for adventure racing on tight twisty rivers, and I’ve yet to see anything that supports their choice for this use, (no matter how wide afield of that context you want to go with your comments/advice/anecdotes and defenses thereof).



I don’t have enough info at this point to make specific recommendations, and find it pretty odd that others feel they do (and the recommendation they’ve made stranger still). I’d suggest a time out (at least for recommending stuff you like and paddle vs more targeted options) until we get a better picture of the OP’s actual needs, current level of skill/experience, and a better picture of the actual races, etc.

Hey Rob
I’m 205lbs and got a V10 sport this year. Onno made me a bracket for his P 41 kick-up rudder and I made a small understern for deeper river races. I do triathlons with the kayak, not the same as adventure races but still I’m tired when I get in the boat to start. I had a Thunderbolt X and I was swimming too much so I went to the sport, not only did I get way faster but it’s easier to jump in and out at transitons. Stable enough for a beginner and fast enought to still win races. I won a kayak race last week because the water was rough and the guy that usually wins was in an ICF boat and had to brace some. So get the fastest boat you can handle and like everyone else said use it often. Good luck. Chaz

…and after working on that…
… for a while the gear that offers the best tradeoffs for someone becomes much more ovbious.

q700x with rudder
turns plenty quick unless you are on VERY tight turns. I race mine, and play with it, and it works very well.

I don’t think it would be too bad of a choice if the paddling distances are fairly long.

Never had much of a problem with weeds in the rudder. If I get into weeds I either pull it up, or pull it halfway up, and they clear just fine.

Practice makes perfect, train hard and you will own them.

Me too
I was hanging back reading all the posts from people who probably have never raced a kayak in their life.



cheers,

Jackl

Plus they can take a beating better than
most light weight kayaks can which I think would be a plus for the quick in and out of an adventure race.

My only concern would be with the OP’s size, and would suggest if he can find someone with one to try the cockpit out for size.

I have raced mine for quite a few years, and it would be my choice for an adventure race -

The Epic 18 will beat it, but it is a more delicate critter.



Cheers,

JackL

Greyak, I base my findings on

– Last Updated: Jul-16-09 1:58 AM EST –

ruddered kayak from personal experience.
I used to own a couple and incidentally they were over stern type rudders.
I paddled them for a few years but found that my ruddered kayaks were not maneuverable.
Any other ruddered kayak I have paddled so far has NOT being maneuverable.
I am sure that there are plenty of maneuverable ruddered kayaks out there (short ones) but would they be fast enough for racing?
I still believe that since a non ruddered kayak is designed to be turned using your body will most times be faster to turn than a ruddered one.
Most ruddered ones are not designed to actually be aggressively edged (cockpit design, hull design).
In my experience nothing turns a kayak faster than an edged kayak (seriously showing hull).
A long skegged kayak (like Rockpool GT)would give you speed and maneuverability.
From what I understand most ruddered kayaks are not as maneuverable as most skegged ones.
The skeg is obviously deployed to aid tracking not maneuverability, but I assume you knew that.
From the original post I see the paddler asking for a kayak that must turn fast.
Please enlighten me on which ruddered kayaks are as maneuverable as skegged ones.

yakwise, I am not sure
if seriosly fast racing involves marshes.

There are adventure races and adventure races.

I have a feeling that the ones that involve marshes are more of the type where navigation would play a major role versus plain speed.

Therefore your supporting opinion of a skegged kayak still makes sense to me.

nice collection of links
displaying your typical ocean racing equipment.

I am still wondering if any would be suitable for marshes? and quick handling?

What happened to your Capella posts?
was kinda enjoying them. Wha happen?

Wow…
It amazes me how a question can turn into a battle of sorts and how so many assumptions are made.



I paddled (both canoes and kayaks) for much of my life. Other than a lack of the type of endurance to be truly competitive in races I my ability and technique are decent.



A year ago I entered my first adventure race and since have added a few more. If you use the provided gear for the paddling sections of these races it is just brutal and so thought having my own boat would be incredibly helpful to this end.



It is hard to saw anything specific with regards to distance and type of water in these events as the point is not knowing until you show up and changing it up every year. Races I’ve done have ranged from six miles to thirty miles and have been as wide open as lake Michigan and as small as a four foot wide creek leading off of a river (all in the same race).



The only other piece of info that may be helpful is that while I know what a more or less stable boat feels like, I am comfortable in anything and have never had any issues staying upright.

What happened was…

– Last Updated: Jul-15-09 11:33 PM EST –

I have really been getting in shape (lost 50lbs in the past few months), visited the local shop and talked with the owner numerous times before picking the boat up. I just got tired of the random "lose weight" and "impulse buy" comments and nuked the thread.

The owner at the shop wants me in the right boat and was happy to take the Capella back.

Prijon Barracuda?
May not be the fastest turner but with a rudder or leaning will handle creek turns just fine I would think. And will allow a competent paddler to smoke most other “sea kayak” types in the straighter lines, save for the racing-inspired and race boats and just a handful of very fast sea kayaks over 18 feet long…



Plastic. Tough. There’s one for sale at a very good price in the classified’s section too (not mine).

Have you paddled a Barracuda?

Kaskazi Skua ARX
Adventure Racing is right in the name



jim

Nope!

Me? Yes
Twice, both in flat water for a couple of hours each. But know the owner and what he can do with it. Except for steep surf, based on his impressions, it is fine with an experienced and especially a larger paddler. With the rudder, even more so.



I did not find it too tippy and that was at a time I was not as comfortable in a kayak as now am.



Not the first choice for a rough water boat, but for racing as the OP described it should be a fine choice, save for portage weight…

Ok.
The Barracuda doesn’t strike me as a first choice for adventure racing, which does sometimes include roughish conditions. You don’t know ahead of time what you’re getting into.



I’ve only paddled one a few times in pretty calm conditions and didn’t think of it as a boat I’d like to take on rivers where I might need to turn very quickly.



I agree that it is fast.

Surfski: V10 Sport or Mako XT
I would not go on the direction of a sea kayak for that particular purpose. A stable surfski like the v10sport or Mako XT would be the best of two worlds: pretty fast, like weight (even in the glass layups) around 32/34 pounds, re-mountable, and hatches can be added to any of them.



Even though I paddle 99% of the time a sprint k-1, for ultra long distance events (above 40/50 miles) I sometimes choose to paddle my customized surfski Mako Millennium, even if the race is held in a river. I feel it can handle much better the unexpected. However, I would never do some of those races in a sea kayak,…, that’s is pita!



Regards,