Start with canoe or convert Lg. playboat
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Start with canoe or convert Lg. playboat
Pretty straight forward: want to get into an oc-1. Experience level is a just about zero. Been down the ocoee a couple times. Find a used canoe or convert a friends playboat thats too big for him into an oc-1? I'm 6'2"@240# but in pretty good shape...people assume I played college ball, which i find funny, but point being there's a lot of the weight in the upper body. That combined with inexperience make me wonder if a playboat may be too "lively" fir a beginner to have. Money is an object or I'd buy a l'edge and be done with it.
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Paddle Power
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Re: Start with canoe or convert Lg. playboat
Try to join in with some club event like a river run.
Try to take course.
Try to try out some boats (make friends here etc.).
Put up something cheap to get you out so that you can learn more and enough to make a more informed decision.
Try to take course.
Try to try out some boats (make friends here etc.).
Put up something cheap to get you out so that you can learn more and enough to make a more informed decision.
Brian
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Re: Start with canoe or convert Lg. playboat
Just find someone to help you pick the right size, get a cheap boat and go paddling. You'll soon see what you like about it and what would you change. Then wear it out and get one that fits you based on the experience with the first one.
This is how I found what boat would fit me the best: I started on traditional open canoe, then bought an old slalom C1 for urban fun and one-day ww trips. I found that my next open boat will have to be light, with lightly arched bottom shaped similar to older slalom boats (should slip sideways at will, no rails but some edges), quite long (I need speed and room for my guitar) and with enough rocker; tumblehome amidships, not too much volume in the ends (piercing waves and shedding them to sides rather than lifting the bow and jumping off them). I don't know if a boat like that exists but these are properties I like. The open boat I have used so far is fast enough for me, has the right amount of tumblehome, lifts the bow just the right way when piercing a wave, but it is heavy, the bottom is too flat, it has too little rocker and the ends are too low. The slalom C1 taught me what hull shape suits my needs, the open canoe showed me what I like or dislike further above the waterline. I haven't still outgrown the open boat I have used so far, I still can learn much more with it, but if I was to buy a new one, I already know what it would be like.
It's like cooking a new, unknown meal - the second attempt will be good but first you need to cook it and taste it to know how to do it really good or next time. Or like women - only those very lucky or very desperate marry the first girl they get interested in. The others try and learn.
As for the playboat, my roommate wanted to start kayaking. He got a used playboat, mostly because it was cheap and did fit inside his car. He successfully learned the basics, although it was a bit harder than in for example a slalom kayak, and now he enjoys playing on artificial slalom course in Prague. He also learned that this boat is too small and too slow for him (more so after he borrowed my 4-meter C1
) but he likes the edges and the shape of its bottom, so his next one will be a bigger playboat.
The moral of the story: Any boat will do, you will build experience and skills in any boat. By the time you learn enough to feel the limitations of the boat, you will have enough experience to choose a boat that fits all your needs.
This is how I found what boat would fit me the best: I started on traditional open canoe, then bought an old slalom C1 for urban fun and one-day ww trips. I found that my next open boat will have to be light, with lightly arched bottom shaped similar to older slalom boats (should slip sideways at will, no rails but some edges), quite long (I need speed and room for my guitar) and with enough rocker; tumblehome amidships, not too much volume in the ends (piercing waves and shedding them to sides rather than lifting the bow and jumping off them). I don't know if a boat like that exists but these are properties I like. The open boat I have used so far is fast enough for me, has the right amount of tumblehome, lifts the bow just the right way when piercing a wave, but it is heavy, the bottom is too flat, it has too little rocker and the ends are too low. The slalom C1 taught me what hull shape suits my needs, the open canoe showed me what I like or dislike further above the waterline. I haven't still outgrown the open boat I have used so far, I still can learn much more with it, but if I was to buy a new one, I already know what it would be like.
It's like cooking a new, unknown meal - the second attempt will be good but first you need to cook it and taste it to know how to do it really good or next time. Or like women - only those very lucky or very desperate marry the first girl they get interested in. The others try and learn.
As for the playboat, my roommate wanted to start kayaking. He got a used playboat, mostly because it was cheap and did fit inside his car. He successfully learned the basics, although it was a bit harder than in for example a slalom kayak, and now he enjoys playing on artificial slalom course in Prague. He also learned that this boat is too small and too slow for him (more so after he borrowed my 4-meter C1
) but he likes the edges and the shape of its bottom, so his next one will be a bigger playboat.The moral of the story: Any boat will do, you will build experience and skills in any boat. By the time you learn enough to feel the limitations of the boat, you will have enough experience to choose a boat that fits all your needs.
Paddle solo, sleep tandem.
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shooterav8
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Re: Start with canoe or convert Lg. playboat
I'm no expert, but I have recently been in your position. My advice, P/U a used XL13 you can find them for 3-400$, paddle it for a season and see if you want to stick with it, you will outgrow the boat in a season but you shud be able to resell for close to what you put into it or just hold on to it. I moved out of mine too quickly and got a good spanking in a Maxim, now i paddle an Option.