Perception gyramax for flat water

[SuSpence]

I just moved to an apartment next to a river and would like to pick up boating. I found an old perception gyramax on craigslist and am curious if this would be an appropriate boat for what I want to do. I enjoy cycling and running and would like to incorporate some paddling cardio. I plan on only going 10 miles max but probably shorter most days. I'm not really interested in touring or fishing and am more interested in something for speed/ cardio workout. Most flat water boats I can find are specifically for racing and out of my price range. Would this boat suit my needs or is there another boat that might work well. Any suggestions or advice are greatly appreciated!

[Bob P]

The Gyramax will work, but be aware that it lacks directional stability. It's not a Marathon boat. You'll have to develop a good J stroke or switch a lot.

[ohioboater]

Gyramax is an old school whitewater boat. It's fast compared to modern whitewater boats, but it's not appropriate for what you want to use it for. Oh, you could paddle it hard for 10 miles and get a workout, but it would be like doing a road ride on a mountain bike with soft tires and a loose headset.

The only whitewater design that would be any fun for flatwater cardio is a downriver racing hull - usually either called Wildwater C1 or K1, depending on whether it's designed to be used with a canoe paddle/kneeling or a kayak paddle/sitting. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find an obsolete but still usable wildwater boat for a couple hundred bucks. K1s outnumber C1s by a lot, so if you're set on canoe-style paddling, you may have to look for a while to find the C version.

Don't get a slalom boat unless you're interested in slalom style workouts - again, they are fast compared to most other whitewater boats, but 10 miles of flatwater in one would be mental torture. Now, if the river you have access to has actual eddies and such, you could get a pretty enjoyable workout in a slalom boat by learning to catch eddies and link moves at speed - basically creating your own slalom course. But just straight ahead speed work on slow water would be miserable in a slalom boat.

If you want an open canoe, look for a used Wenonah Advantage. It's a very fast solo canoe that isn't a dedicated race boat. Depending on where you live, that might be a fairly easy find, or it might be impossible. They're popular boats up north where flatwater tripping and racing is popular and accessible. Just about any other narrow flatwater solo would work, too. I get my flatwater exercise in a Wenonah Argosy, which is fast enough compared to my whitewater hulls to not drive me batty, but it doesn't really have that road bike sensation of speed. But it's what I have, so I use it.

[arhdc]

I feel that in order for this to be a complete answer it should also be added that some of the boats mentioned, most specifically but not limited to the wildwater type boats, are not particularly user friendly. Based on your initial post, you want to get into boating, which I am taking to mean that you have not done much boating. Many of the cboats that you will find used out there, including a Gyramax, are not going to offer the smoothest entry level performance and will require time and practice to use effectively.

Looking at what you want to accomplish it seems that you are not locked into a single blade on this one. If that is the case you may be best served by looking for a longer/faster rec kayak, something that is marketed as a "touring" kayak would work reasonably well and you can go from there if you feel so inclined.

[ohioboater]

Yes, very good point. If you just want something cheap that goes fast and straight enough to make flatwater exercise enjoyable, look for a 14' or longer used plastic day touring kayak or an old sea kayak. Longer and narrower will reward your effort with more speed but will feel less stable if you're a beginner.