G'day

I have been into paddle sports for about 8 months now...mostly waveskiing but want to get into playboating...however i can foresee a few problems.

1. I am looking at a BS RAD 175 because it is the cheapest i have seen n my area>>However<< i have read a few reviews saying that the footrests are a little dangerous (if you hit a rock)what do you think.

2. Whitewater is kinda far away so qiute a bit of my time will be spent in flatwater or the ocean, I want a boat that can be thrown around easily...i'm 14 and 5'6\" at about 60kg (140lb i think)

3. i may have problems transporting a full size paddle so was thinking about a breakdown but think they are a bit weak...opinions?

a good breakdown shouldn't really be a problem in terms of weakness, so your ok there. In terms of boats, I don't know about the BS, but all the newer playboats should perform admirably in the surf in terms of wave moves. If your looking for speed specifically i know that dragorossi bills that as their sort of their thing so they might be worth checking out. Another interesting option would be the fluid element, which looks like a surf boat with very strong elements of a pretty sweet ww playboat, so that might be a good crossover.

As for a paddle, I guess there's no problem with a breakdown, but I don't see why you shouldn't be able to able to get a full sized paddle? What are your concerns with transporting a full sized paddle? Most cars if you can put down the back seats you can slide it in through the boot. Or in my sedan we store all of our paddles with one blade near the rear passenger window, the other slides down near the front passengers feet. If all that fails, you should be able to tie it on to roof racks or whatever you're using to secure your kayak.

Whitewater paddle's I'm guessing are shorter then waveskii paddles. For your height, you'd want around a 191cm long shaft (according to Werner's paddle choser )

A lot of playboats have your feet squashed up in odd positions. They aren't designed to go off big drops or anything. For the kind of whitewater kayaking you'll be doing while you learn, I don't think there'll be problem with damaging your feet. If you really are concerned, you could always take out the foot rests and just make your own foot blocks with minicell foam.

It's good to hear you are getting into paddling. Whitewater kayaking is loads of fun, it will take you to some of the greatest places on the planet, and you'll meet some truly awesome people!

Have a look at some of these links you may find helpful when getting into the sport:
www.rivergods.com.au/ - These guys are based in WA, you may be able to find some other second hand kayaks for sale if you contact them. They also offer rolling courses and also courses specific to whitewater.

www.mainpeak.com.au - These guys are also located in WA and sell a range of whitewater gear. If you contact them you may find some used boats.

www.adventurepro.com.au/paddleaustralia/ - Online river guides and community of paddlers for Australia. Theres a couple of used boats for sale on here too.


Cheers,
Allen.

I have a RAD 175… it's definitely an easy boat to throw around and at your weight should do well on a wave.

At 180cm long the boat would only be about 10cm shorter than your paddle… why would it be a problem to transport the paddle but not the boat?

Ross

thanks for the help...i was only talkin about transportation because i can't drive(legally) yet and would generally be using public transportation to get to the beach or elswhere and wanted a paddle that i could put inside the boat whislt transporting it(i.e.) carrying it on my back

Also...should i be looking into getting a throw rope???

Assuming the play features you'll be at are safe and the rest of your paddling will be flatwater or surf then you won't need a throwrope. If you do end up getting one, if you start river running, get someone knowledgable to show you how to use it.

Do you paddle with friends or a club? If not it would be definitely be worth hooking up with some other paddlers in your area…

hi...i have been just hookin up with friends and headin out to the beach every month or so once i get the kayak i will have to find a group of people to padlle with and thats where i think playak will help me the most, to find people.

don't know much about the features around my area but any that are good will have many people at them all year round so i will see what happens.

As I said in my earlier post, you're better off posting in the forums on www.adventurepro.com.au/paddleaustralia/ to find other paddlers. There are a few Aus paddlers on these forums, but you'll have much better luck on adventurepro. Also it would pay to get some lessons in whitewater too. This will help you learn the basics, and you'll meet some people who are at your skill level that you can go paddling with!