C-Forum

Hi- saw Eric Jackson's son doing c1 in the garburator on the Ottawa
and felt like a bad parent for not getting my kids their own boats.

Any ideas or experiences for a good model OC or C1 for a 9 year old?

I know the Dagger dynamo was a kids k1, not many around, the Jackson fun maybe or possibly riot turbo 4.5 (?) or some of the K1s for really small female paddlers would work

Thx LJE

There's a new kid's OC-1 in production called the Splash. Read about it in a recent edition of Rapid Magazine.
Geoff

Put 'em in a MAVEN It would be a cruiser for a kid!

I looked at the Splash too and if I had the cash we would have one. Looks like a very good design and I have heard good things about it too thru the “paddle-vine”!

I started both my son and daughter in a C2 on class I and slowly moved to II-IIIs. The boy (older of the two) even has been to a couple Armadas. I had him mostly use a K paddle since the canoe paddle kept getting pulled away from him in flow.

As for C1 the boy (now age 11) is fixated on my Acrobat (Full Cut) and even claims that IT WILL BE his boat. I told him that is fine but that he has to go through the training wheel cycle first (kayak). Lets face it – C1 is not the easiest thing to do and K1 is more stable has a shorter learning curve.

I think paddling a K and R (I use a Shredder) first also provides less stress for them and the ability for them to safely enjoy the river and learn how to read and work water. It’s actually gotten to the point were I let the boy captain the shredder with be being the paddle dog (and insurance) which he really enjoys.

In that vain he has been actively working on it paddling skills and even ran the Loop in a K on the LY this Sat. without issue. More of a down river only run but flips or swims - I just took pictures as my kayaking buddies showed him the way - since he listens to them since they are not “dad”! LOL He is paddling a Pyranha 212 Ina-zone – and excellent river runner IMHO.

Anyway he has paddled the Acrobat (C1 squirt) in it in flat water and class I+ and did well in it. At his size it’s a full on race boat, even a bit large. He has not rolled it yet and when the edges catch when ferrying and hitting eddies its not pretty (but not traumatic in Class I).

The girl (8) gets mostly flatwater time right now. She is a bit more reserved as to water but that is okay too since when we go we have fun!

My thoughts are that almost any C1 you toss them into that works for you will work for them… if its small enough and a good design. There are some skill issues (particularly in bigger boats due to reach) but unless they are paddling with the frequency of Dane they wouldn’t think that was an issue.

For OC he is in Boy Scouts and is learning flat water there. In fact I’ll be spending the upcoming weekend teaching OC skills on a lake including safety and different strokes. And yes I’ll be bringing C1s for the kids to try and learn from too - wet exits and a roll if any of them want to try. They more paddle time the better!

Overall my plan has been just to take the kids (boy 11 and girl out and keep it fun and positive for them. All that other stuff will come in time!!! They both my kids their own boats but have had to earn them through developing skills - whick keeps their interest! The hard part is getting them gear since that (and keeping them warm, hydrated and feed) helps make the experience a positive one.

Best of fun with him and enjoy it! I know there are others out there with other experiences as well so I'm sure they will post.

PS: Mike – The boy has been in the Maven and likes it a LOT. I’m not sure if he can handle the edges in anything over flat water ...but he was more adapt at moving it around on at 80# than his father at 180#. Don’t laugh... it might be the boat for him…which scares me - a LOT!!

PAC, I thought the Maven's edge was very similar to the master cut Acrobat's edge...There is only one edge to be wary of on the boat. That edge goes ALL THE WAY AROUND

I agree with PAC; while my 2 year old son won't get out of my Spanish Fly when in the pool and won't even pick up a kayak paddle, when it comes to moving water, he'll be in a K.
As PAC said, easier and short learning curve.
Good luck everyone with grooming the next generation of C-boaters.
Geoff

Hi
I'm thinking of selling a JIB. It is a plastic kids ww kayak. and it's a lot cheaper than buying your kid a new boat. Email me directly if you're interested. pmp@magma.ca

LJE

Get a splash. I bought one in May when they were released. I believe I was the first sale. The boat is amazing, it is stable, light, tracks well. My 7 year old daughter has really taken to OC1 paddling.

She now paddles class 2 well, surfs, and has rolled it once on flat water. (We'll shore that up in the pool this winter)

Several times she has gotten into side surfs (unintentionally) and the boat was so stable she was able to work it around and get confortable with out window shading. She now looks for small holes.

If you want your child to really get into paddling you need a boat that will fit them, and the only OC1 is the Splash.

My other daughter (10 years) is in a Jackson Fun 1 which she absolutely loves. At the time the splash didn't exist and the Jackson was the only truely kid sized boat.

Both are fantastic for your child and would highly recommend either product.

Steward

So, who makes it and where can we see more info?

Splash junior OC1

I designed the Splash to be very forgiving, thus instilling confidence. The boat has taken our 12 year old daughter to the point where she is working class II/III with confidence. (Anyone at the Gull Open Canoe Slalom this past weekend can attest to that).The boat has a flat hull which allows her to handle class II plus surf waves. She has just started working her offside roll, WAY SWEET !!!!

The boat is made of carbon/kevlar, then vacuumed bagged and baked. Its weight range is between 60 & 110lbs, yet only weighs 39lbs with outfitting and tanks (not bags). It's just under 8'long, max beam 25", depth 13". The outfitting is stock Mike Yee, as the BOAT COMES READY TO PUT IN THE WATER. The boat builder is Composite Creations out of London. The graphic art stickers and T-shirts were done by Paul Mason.
For the amazing price of $1610.00CDN(plus shipping), you will receive a classic Paul Mason designed Splash t-shirt and sticker package, the boat is free
There are optional dry storage compartments, bow and stern $100.00 each CDN.

I`ll send some pics as soon as I figure out how to do it.

Canoe Water Adventuring
24650 Dodge Dr.
Strathroy On. Canada
N7G-3H5
519-246-1667
canoewater@netscape.ca

I´m also very interested because my younger daughter is starting to paddle also.

Thanks everybody for the info.

I think that starting in c1 for small kids is perhaps a little tough (i.e. popping the skirt).

However, as a good parent, I don't feel I can start them on K1 (for fear they stay on the dark side ;-). Maybe X1 (using kayak paddle in oc or c1) would be a good compromise, as it is easier to start.

Would like something easy for them to learn easy rapids solo, surfing and rolling. I know that some company used to make a 'kneel on top' version of those 'sit on top' kayaks but was probably adult sized. Could be something to try...

Saw the Splash on the Gatineau- looks like a wonderful boat. Where can they be purchased?

For used boats, I think doing a mini kids cut ocoee or recycling a wrapped OC with solid ends would be a good idea.

I'll try to do this soon and post pics and a kids review of a homemade OC if it works out. Let me know if you have any ideas or any dead OCs lying around near Mtl you'd like to sell...

LJE.

LJE don't fear the K - if your a good parent / teacher your kid will naturally want to paddle C after they learn the K. Kids are smart and given the right choices they make good decisions! LOL

I tried X1 with my son at age 7 and that worked pretty well based on his low center of gravity (and he enjoyed it - class I) but we never worked on the roll since I thought that it might be a bit confusing (not to mention hard to teach... "okay you sort of look like this but you need to do this instead of that!").

My bigest problem when we started paddling together was that I over thought "things" and all they want to do is have fun and be with dad. I figured out pretty quickly to chill and just keep it simple, safe and short in duration. Keep them warm and stopping for ice cream afterwards as a bribe also helped!

For used boats maybe a bigger K creeker cut to OC would work. There are always cracked creekers laying about that you could weld and kit out. I would thing you could get them for free (based on the cause) or a case of adult style beverages. Just a thought. Keep us posted!

Oh and I'm going to start the hunt for that creeker too. But I would like to see the Splash as well!

Enjoy Paul C.

Well, I am in the midst of answering my own "what will I start the kids off in solo" question - just bought a Dancer XS with two skirts and a paddle. I have a line on another Dancer XS in town. Already have another paddle or two, enough pfd's, and one kid size helmet. Only problem is that #3 will be asking where *his* boat is! He'll have to settle for riding with Dad in the big red boat for a while.

Didn't Seth start C-boating when he converted his Dancer XS? I can only hope!

Hey, I converted a Dancer to C1 back in the '80s, so there's still hope.