WW KAYAKS:
What is White Water Kayaking?
White water kayaking involves paddling in faster flowing, moving and broken water. This can include fast moving and steep descents down Alpine style rivers with rocks, boulders, drops and waterfalls also known as Creeking or River Running. White water kayaking can also involve Freestyle kayaking or Play boating which involves performing tricks and moves in the white water features.
Generally Whitewater kayaks are designed to have exceptional maneuverability to negotiate rapids, are shorter than more traditional kayaks, have more rocker (upturn in the ends) to deal with waves and can have rounded or flat planning hulls. For this reason whitewater kayaks are not very suitable for touring, due to the fact that they are difficult and slow to paddle in a straight line.
River rapids are graded according to the level of danger, difficulty and severity of the rapid. The levels range from grade 1 which is the easiest for example water with slight ripples, to grade 6 which is the most difficult and dangerous and is rarely paddled.
White Water Kayaks:
There is a vast range of white water kayaks on the market today and it can be hard to know exactly which boats to look at. The first thing to consider is what type of paddling you want to do, White water boats can be roughly split into 4 categories: Freestyle, River Play, River Running/General WW and Creeking. Each of these is explained in more detail below.
Other considerations will be:
- Your height and weight: Determines the size of kayak you will fit in. Being too heavy for a kayak will make it sit lower in the water reducing its ability to stay on the surface. Being too small will not let you control the kayak correctly.
- Your budget: As with every thing, the more you pay the more you get. This may be safety features, materials and construction methods and out fitting levels which allow easy adjustment.
- Your paddling experience: The more experience you have will allow you to use a more performance orientated boat.
White Water Freestyle:
White Water Freestyle is also commonly known as play boating. It is a much more gymnastic and artistic form of kayaking. Playboaters often stay in one spot of the river (usually a hole, pourover or on a wave), where they work with the forces of the river to perform a variety of maneuvers, these include surfing, spinning, and various vertical moves such as cartwheels, blunts and loops. Freestyle White Water Kayakers also perform aerial tricks, using the speed and bounce of the wave to give them air.
The boats used for play boating will be very short with a flat hull, low volume, aggressive rails, have more rocker and be highly maneuverable. They tend to be relatively unstable and are best suited to paddlers who have some white water experience, they are also generally not suitable for river running as they lack the speed and the volume needed to safely paddle complex white water and lack the safety features of river running and creek boats.
Playboats usually come in 2 or 3 different sizes for each model to allow you get the correct size for your weight and height. Playboats also come with a variety of outfitting, from fairly basic in boats like the Dagger G-forces for £549, up to the latest highly adjustable outfitting in boats like the Jackson Star Range and Pyranha Rev’s both £849.
Most playboats will do most of the moves however some will be better on a wave and some will be better in a hole.
