Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss whitewater kayaking any advice for a newbie

It's been bugging me for a long time now that we have some of the best white water on the east coast in our back yard and have never tried white water kayaking. so this summer I'd like to get into kayaking does anybody have some advice on what I need to get started?

the sit on top inflatable 'duckies' are great.
lots of fun, can handle class 3 water
much less injury risk that a standard sit-inside kayak with skirt

and when you get bored, standing up and paddling like its a gondola in Venice never gets old. especially with some whitewater to spice things up.

If I were looking to get started, I'd start with a helmet, life jacket, kayak and a paddle.

And don't go up Poop Creek until you buy that paddle.

I knew a guy who got killed at Ohio Pyle. He was an AAU swimmer & life guard. He got his foot wedged underwater in some rocks with the current pushing him over. His family was right there the whole time.

Be very careful...it's no joke, even if you're a good swimmer.

I would look into local canoe and kayak clubs. The members may let you try several different kinds before you buy. Test drive them. They may also know the best places to buy, or have some for sale. The wife and I do some lower level class canoeing.

I always hear the kayakers talking about wet exits, where you release yourself from the kayak when it has rolled over and you can't get it upright. This should be learned immediately. If you buy new they probably would go over this with you, but if you bought used - buyer beware. Actually do it, learn it, before needed. It may save your life.

I already have the paddle, kayak, and the lifejacket took awhile to save enough but I think it's money well spent. i'll try to learn how to wet exit before I go down the river considering some rapids are class 4. Will I need a splash skirt too go over the rapids or will I be fine with an open cockpit?

Skirt is required if running rapids. It dos not take much water to go over the top of a kayak. I second all the safety stuff you have seen here. Do not underestimate the power of moving water. Take a class - you are very close to Ohio Pyle where they have classes, camps and schools.

What's going to protect your head from rocks if you turn turtle and continue down the stream/river?

As far as what you need, I'd add "respect for the water" to that list. Water always wins.

Also, you need a good helmet as Scott said. I'd get one with full ear coverage. Besides, a full helmet will let you put more stickers on it.

Contact the Philadelphia Canoe Club. They might have members that live near you, or would suggest affiliates in your area. They do trips all over the area and states. Don't let the canoe part fool you, a lot of them are Kayakers.

Personally, I would not suggest class 4 rapids till you learn safety by doing lesser. You need to learn how to read the river and plan your route. With class 4 your boat will be swamped in no time without a skirt. In class 4 you don't want to end upside down, even with a helmet (which you better buy). In this scenario, it becomes crucial to know how to roll back up and/or wet exit. Easier said than done when it comes time. There are places in the river that will pull you down and keep you there, with or without a boat. You need to learn how to escape from these spots from smaller experiences, classes, and fellow kayakers.

DO NOT go alone!

And, to echo the advice of others, NEVER under estimate the power of moving water!

This is reminiscent of the first time my son took a jump over a car on his dirtbike at age 14. He's now 24 and somewhat surprising he still has all his limbs. Short of a few marbles but still has his limbs.

No question where my grays came from

PLEASE be safe!

thanks for all of the advice I'll be sure to get a helmet, and some lessons from an expert.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNL3_feUsqQ&feature=player_detailpage here's a video of the first rapid on the stony creek canyon. Down stream further the rapids get much bigger and nastier than this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBZc98uO55k&feature=player_detailpage heres one more

Advice: Wear life jacket, don't drown..!

Wife and I went white water rafting last week in N. Carolina. It was a blast. But I'm not ready to try a kayak even in a pond.

Why wouldn't you want to try a kayak? they are very stable when I bought my kayak my buddy who is 70 years old bought one to go with me.

Yeah, well I am also 70 and sat in one recently. I won't do that again with people watching. I'm a klutz. Every time I wiggled, I over compensated. It wasn't real pretty.

A couple of weeks ago my buddy was talking to some kayakers down at the river below the house and he mentioned how I wanted to go down the canyon 'a 4 mile long section of almost non stop class 3 and 4 white water below our house' and one guy offered to let me borrow a one person inflatable kayak that is very stable along with the wetsuit to keep me from freezing.

What a guy! It's very rare any more that you find someone that nice!
Except for here on pond boss...This website is something else everybody is very polite and when you look at comments on youtube then look at comments on here the difference in language is night and day.

any how here are some pics from the day.

So, how was the trip?? Great pics BTW.

Looks like a lot of fun. That's a nice looking river. You're lucky to live so close to it.

Small Pond, when I first started kayaking (not white water) I found a good online forum and became a member. It was just like Pond Boss with lots of expertise and advises. For my particular kind of kayaking I bought the book "Sea Kayker-Deep Trouble, by Matt Broze & George Groneth" that had nearly every kind of danger you could fine yourself in. This book wasn't for white water kayaking but I'm sure there is a book for it. I had a DVD on the Eskimo roll, it’s all technique and should be learned with a helper group. If your thinking about class 4 rapids, join a club. They will teach you how to read a river, the fit of your neoprene apron, not too loose or tight. Paddle technique. The right kind of life jacket, one that gives you freedom to paddle and doesn't bunch up in the back. If you were by yourself I would think you would want a paddle tether. If you lost your paddle in a rapid flowing river and miles from anyone, what are you going to do? What thickness wet suit? Etc.

It was great and now i'm hooked on white water. Unfortunately I recently learned that They do not make a spray skirt that will fit my kayak so I am going to have to sell the one i currently own and buy a used white water kayak. Oh I'm not thinking about class 4 white water those guys all ready took me down the river and were teaching me all of the stuff you just mentioned. But thanks for the advice I will definatly join a local canoe/kayak club.

BTW the rapids down stream were twice as big as the ones in the pictures above.

Small Pond if you have a rim on you kayak to hold a spray skirt I don't think you need to sell you kayak just for a skirt to fit. I built my sea kayak rim so you could say it was an oddball size rim. Snap Dragon is a good company for spray skirts and their service is excellent. I have two spray skirts from them. One I got off e-bay and the measurements given should have fit my kayak but didn't. I contacted snap dragon and ask how much to alter the skirt and they did it for free. But I would listen to the guys that are teaching you. Here are white water boat skirts of all sizes from snap dragon listing the rim sizes and the waist tube size. Good luck.
http://snapdragondesign.com/fit-lists/