open boats and the washburn

[coley]

Hi I was trying to gage peoples opinion about trad open boats on the washburn?

[Martyn Hartley]

Our Club has a history of Open Boats and has taken them albeit a long while back.

My view is that it is usually too crowded, and the eddies too small for everyone to have fun and be safe.

So... I personally have never taken my Prospector

[peakfreak]

What difference does it make?
If you can handle an open on the grade of water safely then get on and paddle it.
I personally would have no issues with anyone in an open and wouldn't think twice about taking mine down there.
The river is there for everyone to enjoy.

[TheKrikkitWars]

The general line in advice is something along the lines of "If you can risk breaking your open canoe; then proceed with caution."

[jmmoxon]

Actual river isn't a problem - the tiny eddies full of kayakers is the problem ;-)

Seen a lot of slalom boats get snapped on Washburn when they failed to make it clean into the eddies.

Mike

[Paul S Jr]

Haha mike, I got stuck under a damn raft last time!

Paul.

[The Washburn Committee]

Simply apply the same common sense that any paddler would to the Washburn.

Can you handle your boat safely on the river?
Are you prepared for what happens if you and the boat become separated?
Can you paddle it in such a way that you get on with the other users and don't cause other people problems? (trad boats are big on the Washburn but that doesn't mean you are not good enough to make up for that fact)

If you can say yes to these common sense questions, have a ball! If not, probably think again. There are no hard and fast rules.

You don't tend to see many (any?) trad open boats on the Washburn for all the reasons listed and more. Small eddies, narrow continuous river, lots of other users in smaller nippier boats, etc. Up to you at the end of the day though.

[Ricks-Freestyle-Mind]

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

[peakfreak]

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

Rick, when I started reading this post I thought we were heading for another "Girl in the Green Boat" thread :-)

[Ricks-Freestyle-Mind]

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

Rick, when I started reading this post I thought we were heading for another "Girl in the Green Boat" thread :-)

Well, as you mention it. Would the girl in... ;-)

[Neptune]

Rick-Freestyle-Mind wrote:

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

That would be Heather. There are plently of others who regularly take open boats down Washburn and don't seen to have any problems, so make up your own mind.

Neptune

[TheKrikkitWars]

Rick-Freestyle-Mind wrote:

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

That would be Heather. There are plently of others who regularly take open boats down Washburn and don't seen to have any problems, so make up your own mind.

Neptune

If it was heather I'd suspect she was in her OC1 (purple), which isn't exactly the same as trad boating.

[Ricks-Freestyle-Mind]

Rick-Freestyle-Mind wrote:

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

That would be Heather. There are plently of others who regularly take open boats down Washburn and don't seen to have any problems, so make up your own mind.

Neptune

If it was heather I'd suspect she was in her OC1 (purple), which isn't exactly the same as trad boating.

My apologies for getting them mixed up :-(

[Ed Lefley]

I WAS thinking of taking my open down there on the last weekend release; however, after discussing with Gareth Fields the wisdom of the idea we decided against it.

Gareth's comment was that it is quite quick, and that there are many opportunities to break the boats!

Hope that helps; I know that the Spec Boaters do run it, but their boats have a fair bit more rocker and a lot less length than most trad boats which does help

[nickL]

Last time we went two of party took a traditional open down. It got swamped twice but finished unscathed.

[David Fairweather]

it would be the density of paddlers that would put me off rather than the paddling itself. It's bad enough taking a trad boat down the Tryweryn on a busy day and that has far more large easy eddies. Kayakers who have never been on a river with open boats before are prone to doing odd and unpredictable things.

[Dave Thomas]

Kayakers who have never been on a river with open boats before are prone to doing odd and unpredictable things.

They don't tend to do so a second time ;-)

[twopigs]

Kayakers who have never been on a river with open boats before are prone to doing odd and unpredictable things.

I'm not sure why you put "who have never been on a river with open boats before" into the sentence......

[TheKrikkitWars]

Kayakers who have never been on a river with open boats before are prone to doing odd and unpredictable things.

I'm not sure why you put "who have never been on a river with open boats before" into the sentence......

When the lesson is 17 feet long, green and has a quarter tonne of water in it, you learn extra quick!

[twopigs]

Kayakers who have never been on a river with open boats before are prone to doing odd and unpredictable things.

I'm not sure why you put "who have never been on a river with open boats before" into the sentence......

When the lesson is 17 feet long, green and has a quarter tonne of water in it, you learn extra quick!

Only a quarter of a tonne - you mean not fully swamped!

[TheKrikkitWars]

Exactly, just swamped enough to be a massive handful...

[coley]

it sounds like to best plan will be to launch swamp and then count how many kayak I have taken out at the bottom?

[kevc]

Yep

Called........

'Right of weight'

I do believe ;-)

Kev

[Andy H]

Go for it, I have seen opens on there before and if you can handle fast grade 2/3 then why not as another boater said its there to be enjoyed by everybody.

My advice is make sure you have swim lines as your boat will go along way if you take a swim as its hard enough to get a kayak out due to the speed of the river never mind a open boat.

By the way its realeaseing this sunday (3rd may)

Enjoy and I will say hello if you are there.

Cheers Andy

[Yorkshire Outdoors]

There have been quite a few Trad boats on the Washburn just lately, so if you can paddle a narrow fast moving river safely where is the problem? But don't expect to make all the eddies (if any as they are quite small in places)

There are quite a few SWWC/OC1/C1's paddling there at the moment Kelvin, Franka, Dave and Heather to name a few.

Just remember it is a fast flowing narrow river with overhanging trees, small eddies, and rocks, plus River Runners/Playboaters/Slalom paddlers of various abilities.

There are places where you could get a trad boat pinned if you were not careful as you would a kayak, last time we were there there was a pinned kayak which had to be rescued.

Cheers Graeme
SWWC the way forward

[Yorkshire Outdoors]

Rick-Freestyle-Mind wrote:

There was a girl I think from Yorkshire Canoe, or something like that in an Open boat a few months back on there...she made it look easy getting all the eddies, o I recon if you have the skill, then it can be done!

That would be Heather. There are plently of others who regularly take open boats down Washburn and don't seen to have any problems, so make up your own mind.

Neptune

Spot on there Pete, yes it was Heather.

Just bear in mind that Heather paddles slalom C1 in Prem division for the England Canoe Slalom Team and is used to doing bigger rivers than the Washburn in OC1, she has a great OC1 coach Ken Hughes (sorry for the plug, but if you want to learn how to paddle OC1 Ken is the man to do it)

Cheers Graeme
SWWC the way forward

[coley]

Paddle yesterday only 3 canoes there and they where SWWC but mind made up next time it the trad boat.

Only thing that might cause any problem is the big wear, will have to have a good look for a dry line

[TheKrikkitWars]

Paddle yesterday only 3 canoes there and they where SWWC but mind made up next time it the trad boat.

Only thing that might cause any problem is the big wear, will have to have a good look for a dry line

It used to be head right, from the middle left, so you rode *over* the splashiest part, Dunno if it still is.

[TomWardill]

Paddle yesterday only 3 canoes there and they where SWWC but mind made up next time it the trad boat.

Only thing that might cause any problem is the big wear, will have to have a good look for a dry line

It used to be head right, from the middle left, so you rode *over* the splashiest part, Dunno if it still is.

If it's not changed much since November, I'd reckon the driest line would to head centre and ride the kicker, otherwise you risk ending up in all sorts of spinny madness as the eddy is quite fast and strong.
Not seen it tried in a trad though, so your mileage may vary....

[David Fairweather]

On a drop like the one on the Washburn, if you point downstream in a trad boat you will inevitably swamp. The driest line will generally be to head across the face of the drop with a bit of speed and a slight upstream lean (to stop the wave filling the boat). This should send you carving into the eddy with style and grace. That said, I haven't paddled the Washburn in my trad boat, so that could all be nonsense. Certainly works on the Tryweryn though.