Re: Kayaking
 

ive been fishing there:)

Re: Kayaking
 

Yeah padlled a mates a few times. another of the tail-squirters.... I reckon that could be quite a lot of fun in the surf. I had a Deggar Medievel then and a Pyranha Creek 380 for serious paddling. My son killed the Creek with a mint boof off a rock when he was 11 - that boat did some hard creeking and was paper thin by the time he had it :p

After the Creek came the Prijon Spud and now I paddle a Wavesport Stubby. Really like my son's Bliss-stick Mystique now for creeking and his super Rad is suitable for my weight for playing. Unfortunately they are in France with him.

Re: Kayaking
 

oh yeah, I even surfed a Spud. Its like surfing a cork.
One thing thats very funny in it, if you mistime paddling up a wave face, and it breaks on you, it can actually just flip end over end straight around back up.
That was my biggest surprise of the day.
Hold on. What? Aren't I supposed to be under water... on the other side of the wave?

Although, if I could do that on purpose now, I would be cool. :cool:

Spuds are basically bullet proof as far as I can see.

edit... just looking at the Wavesport Stubby, not a million miles actually from a Whip it.... kind of. A bit shorter. A bit higher volume by the looks of things.
Hmm. I would take one of them out... heh heh heh....

I loved my Whip it man. It was the first, or only boat I really loved and get to know. You could carve the crap out of turns on that thing. I would surf it backwards, and do crazy carving. Sigh. :heart:

My mate had an Eskimo Kendo. And was a bit of a fat bloke. Ha ha ha. He was basically up to the spray deck all the time, and would be going through waves like the Hunt For Red October. Funny stuff. He loved that boat too though.


"Mind the gap."

http://www.eskimo-kayaks.com/img_kayaks/02_kendo10.jpg

Re: Kayaking
 

Hmmm only bullet proof on little creeks, which is why they were so popular in the UK. You really don't want one on big water. I paddled the Dora Baltea with a guy in a Spud and he spent the whole time rolling, since any wave over 6 foot flipped him - was plain dangerous on the grade V bit. I also know of a guy who basically drowned in his boat paddling the Ogwen in flood.... just couldn't keep it upright and eventually was too tired to roll :(

A lot more volume, especially in the tail. edges are a lot more forgiving. I can't tail squirt the stubby, nor can my more gifted paddler friends. Works well as a UK whitewater boat or on big water. Still want a Blisstick Mystique for creeking.
That you fella? Nice boof :cool: shame about the paddle placement :rolleyes:

Re: Kayaking
 

Ha Trent trots thats and old wifes tale. I have never been ill there. I caught and nearly died of weils disease after paddling in salisbury on a rat infested river.

It also has some play weirs to rival the thames such as newark which is a monster at this level and probably shouldnt be played in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...IM001249-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...n/100_1804.jpg

Granted wales is OK though. The Dee in spate is awsome, I always prayed it would flood out the Town Falls October slaloms so I could spend the week running the river from horseshoe falls

Re: Kayaking
 

Trent trots is not an old wive's tale. You do build up an immunity, so if you paddle there regular you tend not to suffer. My daughters boyfriend is the latest victim I know of, 3 days in bed just before heading off to Norway - not ideal prep.

Have only ever paddled Sawley(?) near the M1 and HPP on the Trent. Sawley was fun at high levels. Dee in major spate is good, although debris makes it 'interesting'. There is a massive wave forms by the campsite above Mile End mill in big flows. But TBH, if the Dee is that high, you should be out running the streams of Snowdonia, the Berwyns and Rhinogs. :D

Haven't seen a Kingpin for a while, looking good there fella.

Re: Kayaking
 

The Kingpin is awsome, I seem to get on with it really well bar the inflatable hip pads :(

Another on on the Dee is the hole that forms next to the chainbridge hotel at silly high level. I seem to remember it being the size of a house although i was mall myself at the time.

I need to do more river running and have never tried creeking, would bloody love to, but 90% of the people I paddle with are slalomist and therefore nancys.

My worst experience in wales was stanley embankment, some complete amatures turned up while we were there, and one swam and was swiftly taken about a mile out to sea in winter. Helicopter was called out for that one.

Re: Kayaking
 

we wondered about them when we were hiking that direction... they looked fairly monstrous in full spate was the general opinion.