What kind of paddler are you? How hard do you paddle?

[Wendy]

At 57 after paddling for well over 50 years, 30 of which on WW I just love being in my boat, hitting some hard lines, doing some new rivers with calculated consequences. IN my new job I can't afford to have a broken bone or bad cut.

[Bill M]

I seem to be paddling easier things now than the first few years I paddled. I'm 62 and am quite comfortable and happy on class 3 with an occasional 4. I tend to play a lot surfing, catching eddys etcbut am a little more careful than before about what i jump in.
I paddle because it's on the water, it's exciting, the people I meet on the river, of all persuasions, are generally very nce and interesting so it's a social thing too. And it keeps me from cruising dirt roads while drinking beer.
Bill

[Cheeks]

I chose the third option. I'm 21, been boating since before I could walk. As a kid, canoeing was always a way to get to amazing places. Whitewater, for me, was originally only a skill to get to even more amazing places. Then it became amazing in its own right.

I am constantly trying to challenge myself to become better. I actually just wrote a whole blog post on whitewater progression, and why I feel that is one of the aspects of the sport I enjoy most.

What am I looking to get out of it? The thrill of challenge, the beauty around me? Or maybe it's better than work. I dunno...

[Larry Horne]

IMHO - Anything with a skirt is beyond easy. There's a whole new dimension when you add in the "open' factor in the boat. You can be as sloppy as you want in a kayak or c1, and have no consequences(that and rolling them r beyond easy). Where as in an open boat, you have no choice but to paddle dry.

I paddled open boats for 7 years with quite a few class five days in there before I switched to c1 12 years ago.

you have a lot of good enthusiasm, but I can say without a doubt that you have no clue what you are talking about.

[TheKrikkitWars]

Josh - Tell them that your grandma paddles class V in a kayak. And they are all a bunch of pansies. Don't let a butt boater pull that crap with you.

IMHO - Anything with a skirt is beyond easy. There's a whole new dimension when you add in the "open' factor in the boat. You can be as sloppy as you want in a kayak or c1, and have no consequences(that and rolling them r beyond easy). Where as in an open boat, you have no choice but to paddle dry.

Problematically, my grandma could be paddling class v every day and they'd still be paddling harder and better than her, there really is no fucking about.
It wouldn't bother me if it was just large steaming pile of dog doo, but it's reached a point where they're no longer willing to admit that anything I do in a canoe is good, only ever commenting on the fuckups, which feels pretty large steaming pile of dog doo after a time.

Anyways, you do need to remove that foot from your mouth when talking about boating, it's unbecoming to constantly talk about uber gnar, because there's so much more to boating than that.

Also you should definitely get in a decked boat some time, they're not neccesarily easier, and they're certainly different to both OC and K. If you really can't stand to do that, get a CU Fly or Blackfly and some good thighstraps... You'll learn a whole lot.

[jscottl67]

I don't get many days on the water, and ww has always been at least a 2 hour ordeal to get there (meeting up with others, driving, shuttling boats, etc.) and if I want anything really hard, more like 6 hours one way. Distance to hard whitewater affected my focus (I've swam class IV from a raft a few times - not afraid of it, just not any close enough to get that good on an OC1). I'm even further from WW now, so not sure if days on river, etc. will change in the next few years.

My solution has been to try harder boats to paddle on easier water. I think people further from the "gnar" will tend to hone their skills and techniques that way - though they can likely transfer those skills easily to bigger water on a more forgiving boat when the opportunity arrives.

[RodeoClown]

I'll go ahead and throw this out there. This discussion is ridiculous, as are the choices for the poll. Everyone has their own individual motivation, reasons, and style, and I think even that can change from one day to the next.
For me, some days paddling is a way to clear my head and relax.
Some days I'm looking to go somewhere intense and see how I deal with my fears.
Some days I'm looking simply for a physical workout, or figuring out a new move.
Some days I just want want to cruise and have fun and enjoy the scenery.
Some days I want to hang out with my friends in a beautiful spot.
Every day I want to have fun and enjoy the river.

I think that by and large, we all want to be better paddlers, even if that just means being a better class II paddler. My experience is that the people who pursue the goal of being the "best" most aggressively and paddle with only that in mind don't hang around the sport nearly as long as those who are there just to enjoy the ride.

As far as anything with a skirt being easy, lets go squirtboat the Gauley. I've done it a dozen times or so, and something about running big water rapids with consequences in a boat that barely floats that I have a hard time getting out of still terrifies me. Not quite sure what it is, but it's way harder than open boating it.

Jeremy

[Sir Adam]

Every craft, like every vehicle, has areas with limitations and where it excels. The OP will most likely learn that with time (though not all do).

At this point in my paddling career I don't really care what someone is paddling - as long as they are safely (within reason ) enjoying the river however they choose (challenge, scenery, what have you).

yes, some of my best friends (like a lot of us) are kayakers!

I challenge anyone who thinks C1ing is hard to hop in a Sith.

And I challenge anyone who thinks C1ing is easy to hop in an Oxygen (or Maven ) or Wildwater boat (especially my old Ace III....)

[RodeoClown]

or Wildwater boat )

The same could be said (though to a much lesser extent) of K-1.

[Sir Adam]

Jeremy - I've never been in a K1 WW boat... but a friend of mine is a WW Racer, and I think his boats are far less stable than mine. That just might be my perception though. One of these days I ought to hop in it an see if I can keep from swimming (WW boats are notoriously difficult to roll back up (over isn't a problem )

[gumpy]

but once you get used to the initial stability ( or lack of) you can run any wet line you want, with no consequences, and a brace on both sides. lets be real.

[Sir Adam]

I think it's time for the Maven Demo boat to reappear

Anyone know where it is?

[gumpy]

got a demo sissy-stick, too?

[FullGnarlzOC]

You know what would be harder than paddling a squirt boat on the gauely? Paddling a 2x4 strapped to your shins with 1 blade... who's in?

[FullGnarlzOC]

And my goal of this topic wasn't to find out peoples reasons for paddling...but more so 'how hard they paddle, and what their end goal is"

pretty much what the topic said. For instance... I paddle because it is 'relaxing', you do get to see some beautiful places, and its a way to challenge myself while no longer being a college athlete. Same reason why I play competitive tennis, I want to be challenged...and in tennis the challenge is beating your opponent.

In canoeing - the challenge for me is not only becoming the best possible OPEN BOATER I can be, but spreading the news on the river to Kayakers like a Mormon goes door to door.

Open Boating is where it is at. Most young kayakers, paddle for the challenge. It's my job to show them that OpenBoating is about as challenging as it gets. And I paddle very hard doing so.

And I think this poll is actually pretty interesting if you really think about it. What would you put for the options, given the topic?