How to get your kids into paddling?

[phreon]

My 13 year old son is up here with me for part of the summer (I'll spare you the sordid story, but let it suffice to say that his mom ran off to Memphis several years ago and the courts were most unhelpful).

We've done the Ohio River Way Paddlefest (7 miles on the wide, slow Ohio river in the baking summer sun) a few times and various lakes, but being an "X-box" generation kid, he's getting bored with that. I'd love to just charge headlong and run our "fun" section of the Great Miami, but actual strainer avoidance, etc. is necessary at times and the waves, were we to run them, would surely swamp my Mohawk Blazer 16 RX (reminiscent of a Penobscot 16).

I didn't have a chance to "raise him on the water", so I'm wondering how some of you folks would handle it. I'm not going to push him if he really hates paddling, but I'd like to foster him along if I can. He can get frustrated easily at times, so I'm thinking it might be better to put him in my solo rec. yak and do livery sections of our local rivers along side him, rather than have him "stuck with dad" in the tandem.

Suggestions are greatly appreciated,

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[craig]

I have 4 boys (men now), and I started them with me tandem at ~8yrs. Started with some Quickwater and 1-2 whitewater. We did a few races too. They liked that! The competition, the chance to win a medal and winning a couple! By the time they were 10-11 yrs they wanted to defect to the "Dark Side", it's cool!, except for my youngest he loves the open boat and wants to stay with it (YES !!!!). They all still like to boat and I'm glad we can get out together every once in a while now. So I guess if your son is ready to paddle his own boat a kayak is easy to learn in. But spending some time out there together and enjoying it is most important

[Sir Adam]

If he has even a little athletic talent, and can pay attention, pick up a couple single ducks (yes, as in inflatable kayak). They are A BLAST in the summer time, and I've yet to see someone of any age not have a smile paddling them (unless of course they are hard core WW paddlers, and even then...).

I have a Tomcat in the fleet (2 person), and last year got AdkSara a solo Bandit (which is more expensive, but is a really sweet beginner duck, and LIGHT (17lbs).

One day I hope to have a ThrillSeeker:)

But first, a Shredder:)

If you can only afford one, and he isn't that athletic, and you just want to introduce him, get or rent a double-duck. If it's hot again tomorrow I'll be introducing someone to WW that way while Sara and Mckenna run shuttle.....

Or go the crash and burn route with the canoe. A good adventure does tend to be memorable... just be safe.

[mattm]

Aaron and I started off together 10 years ago in a tandem canoe. He was 5, I was 40. Started with lakes and slow rivers, then quickly got into cl.1-2 rivers which got him hooked. No need to scare the kid, but flatwater IS boring. I think I'm lucky in that Aaron is now a hardcore singleblader, except for the handpaddles in the squirtboat,or the 12' poles when going that route, but it was the cl.1-2 tandem canoe stuff that got us both hooked. A couple chutes and drops are still firmly esconced in our memory banks, stuff we do standing up now, but which were the features that got us both hooked.

Oh yeah, re: that swamping issue; our first downriver run was temp. in the 40's, water in the 40's, 2 capsizings (no bad effects from these, fortunately), ducking under strainers, basic inept beginner paddling. End of the day on the way home, windows fogged up, Aaron announced he "had a blast." Kids need excitement.

[playboater06]

As a fellow cincinnatian have you tried teh boat house rapids on the little miami. What about the whitewater river in harrison ohio. The Thursday night paddles of the cincypaddlers on the GM are a "safe" place for new paddlers because generally there is 15+ paddlers there. The strainers in the wavetrain is now pretty easily avoidable. If you dont want to go with the Cincy Paddlers, I would be more than willing to be an extra spotter in my Viper.

[ezwater]

From my experience in child clinical psychology, I say paddle them inconsistently, sometimes without discernible relationship to what they did, and call them all sorts of unjustified names while paddling them.

Eventually you will have kids who are really into a good paddling, as their way of affirming that the old man or the old lady does not know what they are doing.

[Craig Smerda]

How about a "kid's boat" ?

[Longboatin]

Get goin soon as possible I think. The ducky idea somebody floated I think is good, the kid get to feel theyre really doin' somethin, and theyll have less a tendency to pick up ones bad habits and fears while in the same boat.
Lil' Longboatin just took his first Loop run in May. I thought about going w/ the gradual approach, but after the first time in a canoe on a lake, I just couldnt bear not boatin some white, so 3yrs old on the Loop... he loved it. All the better 4 me.

[tdaniel]

As far swampin' out tandem on the Little Miami, Great Miami, Mad, Caesars Creek, Licking, and Whitewater R. teach your son to backpaddle harder and dump the boat out when necessary. You could also have some good adventures on 4 mile creek, seven mile creek if you got the water. Get really good tandem on that stuff and build up to the Red between the bridges, rockcastle, and elkhorn. Plenty of adventure there.
My own son is 14 and for several years we took tandem trips together- teaching him the basics and providing confidence.
Next enroll him in a class- whitewater warehouse out of dayton (check out their website) and let him invite a friend- they can provide boats for both kids. See how that shakes out but don't be surprised when you have to break out the wallet to buy him a used boat. At least it beats sittin' through a ballgame.
Inflateables are great but slow on the flat water stretches, keep the mileage short if you go that route.

[phreon]

I think maybe we'll do the tandem first. Ultimately, I think he'd have more fun in control of his own boat, but I'll just have to feel it out; he's afraid he'll fall out. I think more time on the water will help him develop his "sea legs/hips" and allay that fear. No amount of explaining will convince him falling out is no big deal anyway....it just needs to happen.

I think some of our previous difficulties were because he didn't feel like he was contributing; no matter how hard you paddle, on a big river like the Ohio, you feel slow. I think if we get on water that *feels* faster and I let him take complete control (as far as you can from the bow) for a while, that'll go a long way. I can tell him he's doing a great job 'till I'm blue in the face, but he's stubborn (where'd he get it?) and experience needs to be the teacher.

In the long run, consistent practice is difficult with him jetting between my place and his mom's. I would have chosen things to work out differently, but she had different plans. In any case, we try make the best of the time we have. Paddling could be a great confidence boost for him, but I'm not going to be overbearing about it.

Keep the suggestions coming, I'll never claim I'm doing anything but making it up as I go.

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[Louie]

Take them

[John Coraor]

Phreon:

Tandem canoe is a great teaching/learning environment for younger kids, but, in my experience, by the time they turn 13 they are looking to be independent, at least in the form of paddling their own boat. (I actually started my four in solo boats at the age of 10, after some prior tandem canoe experience.)

Consequently, I agree with your observation (in the last paragraph of your initial post), that it might be better for the two of you to paddle separate solo boats on the same section of river together.

Regarding WW skills, it may be hard to come by in your region, but I found that beginner (Class I) slalom races made an excellent teaching/learning environment for my kids when it was time for them to venture into WW. The water wasn't too intimidating, the paddling was confined to the same section of river where I could easily keep an eye on them, there were lots of other boaters for safety, the gates provided a clear-cut challenge without increasing the danger, and being able to see other paddlers make the moves along with opportunities for repeated practice of those moves accelerated learning.

If there is one in your area, an easy Park and Play spot might offer some of the same safety benefits, although it would present a steeper learning curve in terms of the required balance and edge control skills.

John

[phreon]

We wound up doing a nice 7 mile section of the Little Miami (Scenic River Excursions run it). At the last moment, my son said he wanted to take the kayak. He even asked how hard the solo canoe would be, but I had to be honest and tell him it'd take more practice to get started in the canoe than the kayak and until he learned some strokes, he'd probably get stuck turning in circles. Still, the question gave me hope.

He did better in the first 15 minutes of paddling my old Dagger Blackwater 10.5 on the river than I did in my first one or two flatwater excursions. My friend noted how unfazed he was at the chutes and waves we went over. He got spun around once or twice, but overall he did great. Maybe the boy is a natural? If the rivers cooperate, I'll try a run that's a little bigger and faster with him before he has to go back.

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[PAC]

I agree with Louie - just "Take them"! Make it fun and stop for ice cream or wings afterwards! Sounds like you did well keep us posted! Maybe take him on self guided rafting trip - LY or LG - quality kid / dad time! (Hey a t-grip is involved there!)

Oh make sure you take pictures too!