Novice questions , be gentle.

[Alan H]

Hello folks,

I am a complete novice having only done a weekend introduction up the west coast which was great. I am interested in doing some sea touring ,exploring and learning progressively so am after some pointers .

There is so much information out there its almost overwhelming , have done newbie and beginner searches so maybe looking in the wrong place.

1. I live in Glasgow and there appears to be loads of West Coast of Scotland sea paddlers , what clubs are people in?

2. There are loads of commercial operations who offer courses and trips. The cost of that course buys lots of kit. What are peoples experiences of doing courses as opposed to just learning initially in the club environment? 

3. Lastly . Excluding bad luck , how likely  am I to damage my Kayak in the early days? My thinking being should I buy a good robust plastic Kayak or more advanced one that I may get longer use of.

More than happy to take any advice.

Thanks Alan H

[Graham T]

Hi Alan,
Welcome to a wonderful pastime from the photos shared on here you have a fantastic area to paddle.

I do not know your area so can not comment about clubs and it may be that there are clubs who offer tuition kind of free with membership, and perhaps even have kayaks which are available to loan, If that is the case great go paddle and learn. Remember though a good school will be providing a coach, the equipment, and are responsible for finding suitable locations/conditions for your ability level, so providing a safe environment, you pay them to do this.
With a club unless they have a good set up to do the same you are asking another club member to basically look after you and be responsible for you without knowing them initially, so may not be the best choice.
Paddlers from Scotland will be able to advise you better at least there seem to be a lot of them on here who are vastly experienced friendly and helpfull.
I do however have good memory of my own experiences, and have bought a lot of kit partly because I live a long way from the sea and having done some courses paddle mostly alone, not being a member of a club nor near water (big ah please)
I have raced a Dinghy from Largs so directly west of Glasgow during the height of summer. I found the water very cold and while I might be a Southern jessie now was tough enough then, you will need either a good wetsuit or preferrably a dry suit. I would think unless high summer really a dry suit. Much of the other kit you would need is obvious such as boots and PFD. A search on here will find lots of advise on dry suits, but perhaps it would be worth going to a shop with experienced honest help which I am sure there will be advise available of where the good places to go even if it involves some travel.

For what is I admit the cost of a good carbon paddle a weeks course with a good outfit can teach you a great deal perhaps paddling with other people in the same situation perhaps making new friends and gaining experience.
A composite kayak can be a substantial investment which is unlikely to get damaged unless you meet a hard object, so from hitting rocks. If you are out in conditions which are suitable then this is unlikely to be an issue, although not impossible if coming back onto a shore with rocks in deteriorating weather. Note if you learn progressively this is unlikely to happen. That said if you search here for advise on buying any kayak you are likely to be told to demo demo demo. As a newcomer what you may think is the right kayak for you may not be very soon and you could unless buying second hand certainly lose more than the cost of a weeks course. The same thing applies to paddles I have four expensive carbon paddles of which I primarily use two the others will likely be sold as more blade than I prefer, so perhaps think in terms of buying a middle of the road split paddle to have as a back up in future. a split comes apart into two pieces for stowing under deck elastic.

Just an initial thought or two for you, there will be specific advise for your area coming I have no doubt good luck happy paddling

[dpround]

My advice is to try out the local clubs before you buy anything. Most clubs will be able to get you kitted out, some with club kit and some just with the good will of the members. Once you settle into a club it will become far more obvious to you which kit you should buy to fit in with the club. You may well find that what you want to buy first is the personal gear like a dry suit because borrowing this will probably be most difficult, but even there have a good look at what everyone else in your chosen club is wearing and ask them what they think of it.

Most clubs will offer coaching to at least the same standard as commercial training at basic levels, but it may take a bit longer. It is far more difficult to get high level training in the clubs as the cost of the training and assessment for the coaches is frightening, so save your training money for later.

All the best

David

[Alan H]

Thanks for the comprehensive answers.

Buying personal kit first makes real sense. Having used a dry suit and ended up in the water I have to get one.

For once in my life will fight the temptation to flex my plastic pal.

Cheers Alan H

[Kayaks'N'Beer]

Drysuit & PFD - then join a club (SHCC are looking for members - PM me for details)

Then kick back for a while and try out as many different boats and paddles as possible

Then buy a paddle and keep trying more boats

Give it 6 months to a year. Depending on how much seat time you get and how fast you pick up the skills, you might be about ready to make an informed decision on which boat works for you by then.

If you buy the wrong boat too soon there's a risk that it might hold you back from developing your skills - imagine learning to walk, then jog, then ballet dance in hobnail boots that don't fit you properly.

[Chris Bolton]

If you do decide that you need to buy a boat, buy secondhand. The chances are you'll be able to sell for about what you paid if you decide you'd prefer a different design. I wouldn't buy a new boat for a year or more.

Chris

[WaterStillScaresMe]

Another vote from me for finding a club to join - for the reasons already given.

Don't discount the possibility of clubs which focus more on inland/rivers/whitewater - or even open canoes. Any good learning at your stage is a good thing. After several years paddling I'm still not planning to buy a boat because I don't need to - and while I'm sad not to have had more chance to do sea paddling (seemed harder to get into without a car, roof rack, and own boat) I've learned more than enough whitewater/flat-water stuff to keep me satisfied. And there's plenty of time for me to expand into sea stuff later.

[Ken_T]

Hi Allan,
I would also recomend joining a club.
Ken

[Jim]

Glasgow Kayak Club have some sea paddlers, I haven't been a member for about 10 years now but I am still in occasional touch with Robin Cole and/or others and I'm sure I heard the sea side had grown a bit.

There are many other clubs in the area, I should imagine that somewhere on Canoe Scotland (SCA) website there is a list of clubs and some kind of code for what types of paddling they do.

[Alan H]

Thanks again for the advice.

I am meeting up with some people from a local club tomorrow.

[Muir]

Hello Alan,
As Jim mentions, the Glasgow Kayak Club have an active sea section. See link:
http://glasgowkayakclub.com/smfforums/index.php

Our pool sessions will restart in the autumn, but in the meantime we run outdoor sessions for beginners on flatwater and sea plus regular club day trips and camping tours.
The forum page also includes a specific board for 'new members' enquiries'

If you need any help or advice just message me.
Muir