C1 slalom info

[Craig-g]

Hello!

I want to get involved with C1 slalom, and wonder if anyone has any boat suggestions, I weigh 74kg (just over 11.5 stone) am 5'6" and am looking at somthing to get started in (I was a kayak polo player, but now I want to change)... maybe a design that is a generation or two out of date, and so reasonably priced, available in carbon kevlar and still paddles well...

Any info would be much appreciated, also if anyone knows of any links to sites that slalom canoeists frequent and sell their old equipment on, that would be most useful too!

Kind regards,

Craig

[davebrads]

I would say get a Vajda Martikan, but I am probably in a minority of one. Apart from mine, nearly all the others that came into this country were bought by young paddlers who were too light for it, and they soon changed to alternative boats. It is a very narrow boat for a C1, not much wider than a kayak, so it's initial stability is not what most C1 paddlers are used to so there aren't many paddlers that liked it. I would say the trade of for the lack of initial stability is greater predictability on big water, and you are just about the perfect weight and size for the boat.

Other than that, you are going to want a modern short boat, so to go a couple of generations back you will be looking at a Vajda Nereus or Galasport Macao from 2005-2006. I don't know of anything for sale at the moment, but I'll keep my eyes open.

Slalom boats are advertised on theUK Slalom Bulletin Board and the Slalom UK web site.

[Craig-g]

A Vajda Martikan sounds a brilliant boat, I am sure that lower initial stability will just make my ballance inprove more quickly, and if you are a minority of one it might well make the price reasonable!

Thanks for the other tips as well, all really useful info, hope to run into you on the water some day.