Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Tell me about canoeing…
  • wolfenstein
    Free Member

    Where do i start? I live in the west midlands …

    …and, i don’t know how to swim 😐

    piemonster
    Full Member

    I’d start with swimming.

    khani
    Free Member

    That ^^^ you will fall in…

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    piemonster
    Full Member

    I’m more or less at the same point btw.

    Apart from I can swim.

    There seems to be 3 routes.

    1) Clubs (which usually have coaches for skills training)

    2) Independently working through the relevant BCU awards and buying a canoe.

    3) buying a canoe with kit and winging it.

    I’d guess it depends on what your planning on doing. Mooching about on a canal is one thing, sea kayaking on the west coast with fast tides and difficult weather is something else.

    I’m looking at 1) with maybe some 2)

    And there’s always a week(end/day) away at a kayak/canoe holiday outfit.

    piemonster
    Full Member
    jonba
    Free Member

    find a club through the British Canoe Union go along say hello.

    You’ll be wearing a buoyancy aid so the ability to swim like a fish isn’t essential but an ability to kick your legs, move your arms in a coordinated manner and keep your head out of the water will improve your chances of survival.

    I used to find staying in my boat better than swimming – just hang on in there trying to roll until it works.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    It is addictive.
    It is total relaxation.
    You will meet lots of people with beards, collies and sandals.

    As above, get some swimming lessons asap. It is a sport where not if but when you swim.

    Find a local club – see if they have some coaching going on.
    I would also recommend Ray Goodwins book – http://www.raygoodwin.com/RayGoodwin.com/The_Book.html – and he is also a great, great coach should you want to go down that route. He is the chap that did a Ray Meers series canoeing in Canada. (Clicky here for vid)
    Register on http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk (Like STW, but straight-laced and with a penchant for knives, stoves, cool paddles and bannock)
    Buy a canoe.
    Enjoy.

    Then you get to do all sorts of fun…
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/6UFQq2]Cantle Canoe Trip[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/8xxBMf]P1040196[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/c6ufGJ]IMGP3270[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/cHRaZW]River Tay Canoe[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/cqVKn3]Loch Voil canoe pootle[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/dp9DT4]Canoe river Spey[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/9vCCNn]River Orchy, Easan Dubh[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/9yMJzD]R0011587[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/9yMrop]R0011537[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/dYNufk]Instructor Training Course[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/dYNHua]Instructor Training Course[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

    wolfenstein
    Free Member

    Thanks guys, lovely photos by the way, . I knew somebody gonna tell me to start with swimming 😕

    Umm.. Kinda made mistake about thread title by the way, sorry about that….I actually meant rowing after googling..like this:
    Does this helps..upper body strength and core?

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    ^lovely kayak 😉

    cbike
    Free Member

    Go for it! (Mine has Pedals!)

    Better Drowned than Duffers.
    If not Duffers, Won’t drown.

    project
    Free Member

    Good life jacket and a mate to teach you, also learn to swim, i couldnt swim but had 3 different canoes, a slalom one, reasonably stable, a river racer, like siting on a razor blade steered with your feet acting on a rear rudder, and a sea kayak, great fun great for arms and chest, and you need just a t shirt on in mid winter.

    Join a club and they will lend you the ger and train you, also stuff for sale cheap

    d42dom
    Full Member

    We bought some and pretty much winged it. Started on the local river (join the BCU, gives you insurance etc) have been out on the sea a few times, go up the coast with a picnic and pull into another bay/cove great in the good weather!

    Take a look on
    http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk
    Loads of info on there

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    Wolfenstein, technically that’s sculling (two oars per person), not rowing (one oar per person). Obviously you can’t row on your own as you’d just go around in circles (that works for both meanings of ‘row’ 😉 )

    Canoeisters – any thoughts on trying to navigate the small rivers that run through Dorset down to Poole harbour? We have access via a house that backs onto one and it looks like a fun (if somewhat unconventional) trip!

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    wolf. If you get straight onto one of those, you will be going swimming!

    They make it look easy, but the volume of the boat is front and back, rather than side to side, and your centre of gravity is high compared to the pivot point, which is below your bum. All designed around minimum drag and directional stability at speed, so at low speeds, they’re very compromised.

    d42dom
    Full Member

    Canoeisters – any thoughts on trying to navigate the small rivers that run through Dorset down to Poole harbour? We have access via a house that backs onto one and it looks like a fun (if somewhat unconventional) trip!

    We use the Stour, mother in law’s house backs on to it. It pretty good but does get full of weeds later in the year. If you want Poole harbour then park up at the pier car park in Hammworthy really busy with canoes/kayaks on the weekends and summers evenings. From there you can go all over including up river to Wareham for a pint! There is a canoe club that meet there as well, think its Poole CC. Lulworth Cove is also worth a trip if you can afford the parking. From there go along the coast to Durdle Door and beyond, not to effected by the tide and that coast line is sheltered from Portland though tide and wave heights are always worth a check first!

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