Hey guys,

couldnt find a newbie section so just thought I'd post in here!!

Im a total newbie to kayaking, but not really sure what to go for, been looking at loads of playboats and stuff, and that seems my sort of game.

Im a scuba diver, and love wakeboarding too and need a new hobby (hopefully Im not that abd at it I will need to take my tank with me!)

Although, not sure what I want?? I wanna do some stuff on white water, nothing totally crazy yet though obviously, but playboating sounds wicked, but If i get a playboat, can I still use it for out on flat water, if I wanna take the occasiaonl wee slow jaunt down a river or across a loch?? I think its gonna be mainly fast rivers I would be on and occasionally on the surf, and info or advive, or links or god damn anything, would be muchly appreciated!!

thanks,

brrrt_tsssh

If you're completely new to the sport then take a class, learn to paddle straight and maybe roll before you worry about what type of boat you need. Kayaking's a great hobby, glad you're joining the community.

the best thing a friend ever told me regarding this issue is "if you really want to get into playboating, get a playboat." i had a dilemma similar to yours when i got into kayaking early this spring so heres my advice....first learn to roll. most likely you will learn in some kind of riverrunning kayak which will make rolling a playboat effortless. if you are the kind of person who is willing to dedicate yourself to something and playboating is what you really want, go all out on a playboat. i made the mistake of getting a "river-running playboat" (jackson 2fun) which i ended up selling to buy my project 45. lost about $300. if you arent doing anything crazy you should be able to run most class III-IV in a playboat. just make sure you have a bombproof roll and some solid boat control. i made my first run down a class III+ (nolichucky) a few weekends ago with some friends. i definitely had way more fun punching holes and playing than they did in their creekers/riverrunners. i just had to work a little harder and be on my game when going through the big stuff. flatwater paddling ina playboat is murder though. the only flatwater paddling i do is when im bored and feel like getting out on a local pond/lake to practice rolling, bracing, bow stalls, etc. hope this helps!

join a club. they usually have boats there for you to use and I learnt how to roll and do other stuff by just asking people there. its much easier been taught than teaching yourself.

[quote:0a4d0e20cb="steyely"]the best thing a friend ever told me regarding this issue is "if you really want to get into playboating, get a playboat." i had a dilemma similar to yours when i got into kayaking early this spring so heres my advice....first learn to roll. most likely you will learn in some kind of riverrunning kayak which will make rolling a playboat effortless. if you are the kind of person who is willing to dedicate yourself to something and playboating is what you really want, go all out on a playboat. i made the mistake of getting a "river-running playboat" (jackson 2fun) which i ended up selling to buy my project 45. lost about $300. if you arent doing anything crazy you should be able to run most class III-IV in a playboat. just make sure you have a bombproof roll and some solid boat control. i made my first run down a class III+ (nolichucky) a few weekends ago with some friends. i definitely had way more fun punching holes and playing than they did in their creekers/riverrunners. i just had to work a little harder and be on my game when going through the big stuff. flatwater paddling ina playboat is murder though. the only flatwater paddling i do is when im bored and feel like getting out on a local pond/lake to practice rolling, bracing, bow stalls, etc. hope this helps![/quote:0a4d0e20cb]

this is exactly what i needed to hear, I doubt I would be doing anything above class iii anyways, and If i decided to get right into it after a little while I could always buy another, now all I need to do is decide on which playboat I wanna get and what I should be looking for really, and what to avoid, anymore great advice?

thanks again!

guys,

Just seen this boat on ebay,

cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320006497892

would that be a half decent playboat, I see it has small cracks on the thigh braces, but its mega a great baragin, at 150-200 quid for a method air?

Hey welcome to the sport. First off, DONT, buy that boat. It would be a nice river runner and surfer but you would quickly find it restricting your progression in the sport in terms of freestyle. i sudgest( as have the other guys) taking some classes and learning to roll. Playboating is a heck of a lot more fun when you have a roll down. Once you have the basics down start demoing a bunch of different boats to see which one you like, dont rush things, its important to have the right boat for your style. If your not going to be doing anything above class four a pure playboa should be fine. Hope you like the sport, it sthe best ive found so far.

Do not buy that boat. Forget that it is not the right boat. I work at a shop and some "small cracks" like that have caused us to warranty the boat. I cut up three this week that had small cracks or pock marks in the thigh braces and combing. You could crack the hull at any time. The reason it has not been trouble for this guy is that he has been lucky. For your own safety WAIT AND BUY SOMETHING ELSE!

On the other note take a class in ww and see how you like it and where exactly you want to take your paddling before you buy a boat. Some good instructors will offer a group paddling night after the course (for a nominal charge) and let you use there boats. If you can find one like this then paddle a few days in some of there different boats before you decide the type of boat you want.

As far as coaching goes, if you live anywhere near Acton me and one of my mates paddle there every saturday. Pool sessions are amaaazingly good for getting started. Best of all they DO have some playboats there (dagger G-Forces in all 3 sizes). Whats more, my friend is a certified level 2 coach and is offerring free coaching to any begginners...
If you don't live near Acton...I agree with everyone else, find a club and a swimming pool near you.
Good luck
H