Hi,

I have a question about kajaks in Belgium, I'm going to sell my Wavesport Ace 4.7 because in belgium theres only fat water..
Now, What boat is good/usefull for flat,streaming water?
some parts are just grade 1/2 thats maximum..

What kajak should i use? or what would you prefer?
I'm 1m70 and im 16 years old.


Thanks,

Jim

From what I can gather you do not want a white water kayak. You should maybe have a look at the Fluid Buddy. It is short and light for easy transport and is perfect for flat water or streams. I have seen friends run grade 3 rapids with the Buddy no problem. If you want something bigger and longer with more room for example overnight gear, you should have a look at the Chumani or Bamba. And for a two seater check out the Synergy. My personal choice for touring would be the Bamba and for a day out the Buddy.

Jan (Fluid Kayaks)
www.fluidkayaks.com

Hi Jim,

May I ask where sort of about you live in Belgium? I'm from the Netherlands (south east, Eindhoven) myself, and I think mava (near Luik/Liege) is a pretty sweet spot, you might even call it a passage ww3 with the water up a bit (unfortunately that's all it is, a small passage, and the wave is usually quite trashy). The Rur, just over the eastern border, is a nice ride too, especially the higher bit, but only with enough water. And if you don't mind travelling into Germany a bit (less of an option if you live in the west or don't paddle with people who own cars and drivers licences) you can go playing a bit on the Erft near Neus or in Höhen Limburg, near Hagen. There's probably more I don't know of in Belgium itself though, especially if you're a member of a Belgian paddling club.
Even although a riverrunner would mean less rockriding on your everyday Ardennes river I'dd stick with my playboat if I were you, simply because it offers more ways of making things fun when you're on a boring river. If you're 16 you probably won't have a lot of budget, but you'll be pretty much full grown by now, so if you get bored of that ace you could even start looking for a slightly newer model, it will probably last you a while.

Greetings,

Weirdoinventor

Oh ok !
Thxx for the spots I'm going to check some of them.
Well, I don't have much experience in kajaking, i just started..

Thanks for information !

Jim

Hi,

Well i checked the buddy but it's not something for me.
I don't like sit on top kajaks actually.
I'd like something like the eskimo diablo 1.
something like that. any advice?

Jim

Keep the boat you have got. You do not need much current to pull flat water moves like this guy I found on You Tube:



Or if that did'nt work just type in: flat water kayak moves.



The WS Ace looks a bit long but it looks like you should be able do something with it.

Alright, that didnt work.

How about this:

Bugger. That did'nt work either.

Old school:

Copy and paste that.

Mmmmm. I was'nt expecting that. Worked pretty well in the end.

If you want a white water kayak have a look at the Fluid Detox or Spice. The Detox is new in the Fluid range and is a very good all round kayak. It is perfect for beginners and very easy to roll due to the deck profile and hull. With super forgiving sidewalls and generous kick rocker to create an exciting but very stable ride inspiring confidence. There is also enough space to take overnight gear.
If you want a kayak that is a bit more playful, the Spice would be a good choice. It has the same characteristics as the Detox but with the most volume distributed around the cockpit. Making the ends a bit more slicy then the Detox. It is super in the ocean and if you want to learn how to surf and play this will be the best choice.

But the Ace should surf pretty well too (although a shorter boat does mean working harder on the way out). It's not Hawaiï out there, but even the north sea coast can provide plenty of fun when the waves are up.

*Looks a bit better at specs and pics*
In fact, that ace is a lot like the spice, about the same volume as the small but a bit longer and slightly rounder underneath. So aside from playfull it should actually be a nice little riverboat than, assuming you're not too heavy for it (which you probably aren't at 16 years and 1.70 meters).

Cool video Jurgen, thanks. I'm going to try that for sure as I haven't seen it before.

I have never paddled the Ace, but I believe it to be slicier than the EZ series and I paddled a Big EZ for well over a year. You will be able to do a lot of flat water moves in that boat, if that's what you're after. But it won't have the pop the shorter boats do as their volume is more concentrated around the cockpit, making flat water loops a breeze.

The Spice is what one would call a 'river running play boat' but with definitely more emphasis on river running. With a huge effort I can flat water loop my Spice and cartwheel it, maybe doing 4 ends on flat water, whereas my Nemesis is easy to loop and 30 ends are possible if I don't get too dizzy. Read my review on the Spice here:
adrian.playak.com/index.php/articles-mai...-spice-medium-review

And on the Nemesis here:
adrian.playak.com/index.php/articles-mai...emesis-medium-review

PLEASE NOTE, that the outfitting has changed, making those photos of the inside of the boats on my website outdated. Hope that helps a bit

Hey Jim, where are you from. I'm living in Belgium to, near Antwerp.

It's true, flanders is almost flat. But if you like white water, the south is preddy good to learn. I did it when I was your age. And flat water is good for strenght and stability. Use a R1 or a K1. I did it both and canoepolo for about 15 years. Our younger players (your age) are doing it well on grade III in Belgium because of the combination and because they can paddle a whole year long. First learning how to paddle a boat and after a while you can go to white water. And when you are younger (???) travelling and searching white water is a real adventure. I've seen a lot of europe (polo whole europ, white water Italy, France etc., canoeing Sweden,...) and last winter we've been to Chile. I whish I had hawai sur Rhone in my backyard (for example). But I kayak for fun, and there are lots of possiblities to do (even for paddlers of flat flanders). And even in Belgium we have a lot of good rivers (Hoegne, upper Lesse, Vresse, ...) but damn it's only in the winter.

In my opinion the EZ is good boat for learning your first steps on low grade white water and playboating. Go to a club, learn paddling with another boat and try to make contact with others who like to paddle white water. I'm sure you'll find them.

My two clubs
www.akkc.be or for white water www.nirjhara.tk

My 5 boats (at the moment)
riverrunning / playing Jackson 4FUN
Creeking Mamba
R1: Prijon Shark (35 years old, just like me but still good on flat water and recreational grade II-III white water)
GATZ OHIO canadian
Prijon T slalom, I can't sell it because it's my first boat, and good for learning beginners.

cya on the water

BAS

Hey !

Thanks, and yes you're right there are some spots in belgium.
I think I'm going to stay at my wavesport ace 4.7 kajak till I'm a bit better.
I just started and i can handle the eskimo roll.

Well, i live in Limburg - Tongeren

Greets,

Jim