Help out a kayak no-nothing

[jibij]

I don't even know enough to earn JONG status on this topic.

I'm interested in getting started in kayaking as an activity for me and my 13 yr. old daughter. She's very athletic and has expressed some interest. I'm planning to start us out in Cherry Creek reservoir and see how it goes from there. My plan is to find a couple boats on Craigslist (there's a ton of them in the denver list) but I don't have the SLIGHTEST idea what I'm looking at. I'm guessing it'll be easier to find something for me, than for her. I want to be sure I get something she'll fit in and be able to handle. She's strong, but pretty little.

I've done a small amount of research, but when you know nothing, you don't even know what you don't know. So... anybody wanna point a newbie in the right direction?

Anything on this link to denvers craigslist that looks like it'd fit the bill?

I'm looking to keep the boats to about $500 each or less. That looks like it'd be easy from what I see on craigslist, but I don't want to buy something that won't work out for us.

Thanks for any crumbs of knowledge.

edit: I just realized I typed "no-nothing" instead of "know-nothing". Dammit, I'm stupid.

[spindrift]

What makes sense depends on what you want to do. Play? River running? Creeks? In-between? Also, size and weight matters in terms of determining an appropriate boat. That info would help in the boat suggesting process.

If you are unsure about these things, some lessons or maybe club trips with borrowed boats could be a good idea.

If your vacation budget can sustain it, consider Otter Bar or something similar. The Otter Bar kids camp is excellent. And, unless it is Outside Magazine week you can sign up for the std adult beginner week during the same timeframe. The kids camp a few hundred yards away - & the kid camp teachers usually include some outstanding boaters.

Also, Huge Experiences in WV is running some Jr High camps this summer (as well as Mountain Camp in CO - but that's for kids with a bunch of experience). Great people with great river access in Fayetteville. I believe Class VI has adult instruction in the same neighborhood.

And there's always NOC...

Anyway, good instruction (commercial or club or Mag) & trying a few boats will save you time and maybe a few wasted bucks. Once you know what you want/need, should be able to find decent used boats in your price range...

[steved]

Seems as though lessons would be a good way to go when beginning anything new, whether it be kayak or [ww]canoe...

$.01...

[jibij]

Thanks a lot for the start. I'm looking at play to start. Cruising around the reservoir. It seems like a good way for us both to get acclimated to the boats before we decide if we want to do any river runs.

I'm about 5'10" and 170 lbs. My daughter is in the 5 ft., 85 lbs. range.

Should we be looking at a specific style of kayak knowing that we're beginners looking to tool around for a while before moving on to someting more aggressive?

In regards to the lessons... is learning how to do this that difficult? Is it too much to expect myself or a 13 yr. old to get in a kayak and figure out how to do it, or is the training more a safety necessity?

[XtrPickels]

jibij- I haven't kayaked, but I'm in the same boat as you. From what I've gathered, yeah you can just hop in and cruise around the reservoir. The lessons come in when you want to learn whitewater, river running, how to row etc. But to have a fun day out paddling and getting use to being in a boat, they aren't needed.

I've been looking at boats like a dagger RPM that seem like it will go between learning to run rivers and cruise open water with the girlfriend in her rec. kayak. Seems like some of the designs from a few years back arent as specialized as they are today.

[RootSkier]

Here is the problem. Paddling flatwater in a whitewater kayak sucks huge hairy horse nuts. They aren't designed for it. You have to work REALLY hard to paddle in a straight line.

And recreational kayaks are not at all suitable for any sort of whitewater.

So you have to decide what you want to do. In this case, maybe a lesson would be a good idea. I am sure there are all sorts of introduction to whitewater type classes in CO. Talk to any of the shops.

If you just want to tool around in a lake...well, you probably don't need a lesson. However, even whitewater courses begin on lakes or in a pool because you would get instantly worked upon entering the current if you have never paddled a kayak before.

[spindrift]

Here is the problem. Paddling flatwater in a whitewater kayak sucks huge hairy horse nuts. They aren't designed for it. You have to work REALLY hard to paddle in a straight line.

That kind of sums it up. All flavors of whitewater boat are designed to turn at the slightest suggestion - whether lean or paddle stroke. You can turn them 180 or even 360 degrees with a single stroke. And playboats are designed to be controlled in 3 dimensions...

Flatwater boats - recreational or higher end - are designed not to turn, but instead to track pretty straight. Even a sloppy stroke will propel them forward. And they are usually roomier and more comfortable.

It is pretty funny to watch a newb hop in a whitewater boat for the first time on flatwater and do uncontrollable circles...

A few rentals &/or lessons will go a long way toward helping you scope this out. But back to RootSkier's comment - try any amount of touring type paddling in a ww boat and you are really gonna be hating life.

As for your daughter - she's going to need a fairly small boat regardless of type.

[Yonder_River]

Adding to what Rootskier said, you definitely need to get your daughter and most importantly yourself some training on rolling, reading currents, etc. You won't want to go on Cherry Creek resevoir with anything but a sea kayak which you won't find for that price.

If you want to get a kayak for rivers then you'll need to be proficient before your daughter is. Last thing you want to do is yard sale (even in a very mellow river) with both of you swimming.

I'd recommend joining a local kayak club with tend to have lots of beginners mixed with experienced guys that don't mind helping out a newbie. Good luck and ask more questions when you figure out what you want to do.

[jibij]

This all helps a lot! Thanks for the info everybody. Probably just saved me some cash and a lot of flailing time. A touring boat of some sort is probably going to be the way we get this started. Maybe we'll stick to that this year and think about trying the rivers next year after we get some time to learn more, on and off the water.

[cmsummit]

imo, you're going to have alot more fun paddling even on class 1 rivers(no whitewater, but moving water) than paddling around a reservoir. Maybe think about getting an inflatable, 2-person kayak(IK). They are economical, stable, easy to paddle and you can run almost anything in them. I think RMOC(rocky mountain outdoor center) offers classes. You're not going to want to paddle around a reservoir in these, but you'll have a lot of fun on any river. I have several friends who started out paddling IK's and have since made the transition to hardshell, whitewater kayaks.

check out some IK's here:http://www.sevylor.com/canoes.html or here:http://www.nrsweb.com