Getting Started With Your Canoe or Kayak

There certainly is a lot to the sports known collectively as paddling. The sheer volume of boat and gear options is more than enough to confuse the uninitiated. This page will give you a taste of the different flavors of paddling canoes and kayaks in an effort to make your breaking in period just a little bit easier.

The best way of starting to canoe is by contacting your local canoe or kayak club. There are hundreds all over the country, for the one nearest you try contacting the British Canoe Union in the UK or in North America contact the Canadian Canoe Association.

A club will provide you with the help and advice you need to get going, many canoeing & kayaking clubs run training courses for everybody from beginners to experts. They will advise you how to paddle, where to paddle, what to paddle, and most importantly of all, provide friends for you to paddle with.

Once you've mastered the basics, which won't take too long, you can then quickly progress to paddling on lakes, rivers and maybe the sea.

Learning to canoe or kayak!

All right, so you've decided that you want to learn how to paddle a kayak or canoe, but you're not sure where to start. Should you takelessons, learn from an experienced friend, or wing it on your own?

[ learn to kayak or canoe ]

Kayak Paddling Basics

There is a lot to paddling a kayak that people just don't think about or realize. Seasoned paddlers know all to well the trials that one goes through while learning to kayak. These resources will help you learn all of those things you've always wondered about paddling a kayak but were too shy or embarrassed to ask.

Canoe Paddling Basics

Who doesn't like to canoe? Whether a person wants a relaxing day on the water or an exhilarating experience in the outdoors, canoeing has something to offer everyone. Many people assume they know everything there is about paddling a canoe. Unfortunately this attitude leads to a lot of details simply getting overlooked. These resources will help you learn all of those things you never knew you didn't know about paddling a canoe.

What next?

The range of canoe sports is very large. Once you've decided canoeing is for you it's quite possible to specialise in one or more disciplines in addition to general recreational paddling.

There are 3 basic types of canoe:

• Kayak - this is what most people think of when considering canoeing. It's a closed cockpit boat in which the paddler sits and uses a double ended paddle
• Canoe - this is similar to the kayak except the paddler kneels and uses a single ended paddle
• Open canoe - is what you think of American Indians using. An open boat, usually larger than a kayak, the paddlers (there are usually more than 1) kneel and use single ended paddles.

Variety of disciplines:

• Slalom - an Olympic sport. Paddlers are timed over a course of 20 - 25 numbered gates, collecting penalties for any missed or touched. Entry level is division 4 for beginners, paddlers moving up through the divisions to Premier by via the promotion system.
• Sprint - as it names suggests, paddlers covering comparatively short distances in as short a time as possible. The course itself is on flat water, closely resembling the sort used for rowing.
• Marathon - similar to Sprint racing, but obviously over much longer distances. Courses commonly follow flattish rivers and contain portages past obstacles.
• White Water Racing - Along the same lines as Sprint and Marathon, a WWR course is along a big river with numerous rapids, paddlers start at intervals, and the fastest time time to the finish wins.
• Rodeo - competitions are held on specific rapids or waves where paddlers take it in turns to perform tricks like cartwheels, pirouettes, surfing with and without paddles. Displays are scored by a panel of judges. Polo - 5 boats to team, a flat stretch of water - often a swimming pool, with goals at each end end, and 1 ball. Players need the ability to roll upright after capsizing since tackling opponents by trying to push them in is permitted.
• Sea Kayaking - is paddling on the sea. This can range from comparatively calm coastal waters to paddling on the open ocean, and can call for a great deal of commitment and experience from the paddler.
• Touring & recreational - not a competitive sport as such, and the most popular form of canoeing. A group of paddlers out canoeing just for fun.

What canoeing or kayaking equipment should I get?

For that you should decide the type of paddling you are going to enjoy, then check out these canoeing and kayaking equipment & accessories review pages!