new to WW OC1, looking for folks in southern New England

jono · Post by **jono** » Mon May 02, 2011 2:08 am

done some tandem WW, never solo, and after several years- i want back in. moved to a spot with some decent water around- western Mass, and looking for any groups, clubs or folks who are into open boats as well.

looking around for a boat to buy on the cheap to just get wet in- there's not a lot out there at entry level, student budgets. anyone got any leads here? found a couple 14' WW solo boats outfitted for cheap ($300 or less) on Craigslist, but waiting to hear back. those probably go quick.

if anybody knows anywhere in the region that has meetups- spots to go to get in on some good river running- let me know. and anyone has an old beat up boat that still floats they'd loan/sell on the cheap- i'm all ears.

mattm · Post by **mattm** » Mon May 02, 2011 9:13 am

don't worry about what other folks are driving and you'll have a lot of partners. I'm down here in Ct., don't think I can sell any of my boats though. There's a real busy group on NPMB, I know most of them, good people for the most part, mostly yakkers but paddling a lot in Mass/Ct..I paddle local these days, Farmington/Shepaug/Bantam/Housatonic etc...Could probably loan you a boat, but my season is almost over except for after work stuff on the Farmington (Satans Kingdom or Crystal depending on level and whether it's downriver or park and play.)

Shep · Post by **Shep** » Mon May 02, 2011 12:01 pm

The people at Zoar are obviously in business, and aren't going to be selling boats for $300, but they are great people in general. I would definitely encourage you to get to know them. If you haven't found anything by the weekend of their demo-fest, you might see someone show up with a used boat for sale. Also, there are multiple good regional clubs. VT Paddlers club is a small but active group with their own message board. I don't know if there is a club in NH, but I believe there is a group of open boaters formed around the Boston Paddling committee in the AMC. Maine has a couple of different paddling groups too. Some more local people on here who can hopefully give you specific information.

Hope This Helps,
Shep

craig · Post by **craig** » Mon May 02, 2011 3:46 pm

try neriverrunners@yahoogroups.com for some locals. There's quite a few canoeists on there. nhamc paddlers has a new yahoo group I hear. I'll pm you with an email address from some one that had a few canoes for sale a few weeks ago. he had an instruction thing going a while back, but had to give it up for health reasons

Brewbeer · Post by **Brewbeer** » Mon May 02, 2011 4:25 pm

Definitely check out the Northeast Paddlers Message Board (NPMB.com).

Like Matt said, mostly kayakers, but there are a few open boaters, and the more the merrier !

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Mon May 02, 2011 5:28 pm

Wrong end of the state, but I've heard that there are lots of open boaters in the Boston group of the Appalachian Mountain Club. I've paddled with at least two of them when they were out in Oregon. They even have their own rental livery of whitewater canoes. I've also heard they can be kind of regimented about how they operate and that you have to be "certified" for each Class of water.

Bob P · Post by **Bob P** » Mon May 02, 2011 9:27 pm

Check out the Berkshire branch of the AMC. Most of the paddlers are around the Amherst area. 'Used to have a lot of open boaters. My first and best exposure to whitewater open boating.

TNbound · Post by **TNbound** » Mon May 02, 2011 10:08 pm

I may be down in the berkshire neighborhood this summer, and I'll definitely be looking for people to boat with!

If you ever make it up to maine, let me know. Always glad to get on the water with someone.

Jim Michaud · Post by **Jim Michaud** » Tue May 10, 2011 3:19 am

Jono,

Two weekends from now I'm going to start teaching my 13 year old grandson how to paddle a canoe. If you would like a little tutoring you’re more than welcome to join us on the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield.

jroneil · Post by **jroneil** » Tue May 10, 2011 10:51 am

NH AMC Paddler mostly open boaters, Merrimack Vally Paddlers mostly kayakers They paddle mostly in NH but also hit Northern Ma and Vt. NH AMC Paddlers this weekend is flying up instructors from NOC.
NH AMC Paddlers mostly organized trips posted on their web site
Merrimack valley paddler trips are organized through Yahoo group

hammerhead · Post by **hammerhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 6:04 pm

Hey, I am in a similar boat as Jim. My daughter is 14 & starting to paddle the white stuff, so we are taking to parts of the Farmington, Deerfield & Westfield. I would also recommend AMC as a great resource along with Northeast Paddler Blog. I do have access to a MR ME(solo) & a Dagger Legend(tandem) that you could use. Cheers...HH