I've moved!

Another quick post. I've now moved to a new and updated site! I'm now going to be posting my material on http://adamhusekayak.weebly.com/. This new site is hopefully a lot easier to navigate around and I can add more content than I was able to on here. I hope you will like it.

All the content that was on here has been moved over to the new site so it will still be available.

Thanks for stopping by here :)

Shepperton Weir. More than just a playspot?

Over the past couple of weekends I have been reunited with the beautiful beast that is Shepperton weir running at a good level. When this weir is running at an optimal level, it is fantastic fun for playing around in.

Now there are plenty of descriptions of this weir and its legendary status as a playspot on websites such as the UK Rivers Guidebook and Thames Valley Freestylers, I want to look at a different aspect of this weir that perhaps some people may overlook. The fact that the mess of water that follows the main wave may be one of the best places to practice core skills without you actually realising that you are doing it.

Before I continue I must mention that if you have never visited this weir before, especially in high levels to consult either of the above mentioned websites or preferably someone who knows the area. This is not a weir for beginners. There are a series of major hazards that can be present at various levels so this weir must be approached with caution at all times.

Now first off, you can’t ignore the fact that the wave produced here between 6-10 gates at the right pool level is amazing. But the trade-off for this is some uniquely messy water that immediately follows the wave. Now most people would think that this was a bad thing. Extra work to get back to the top, going over, having a tough time of rolling back up again and so on. However I don’t see this as the case, and neither do many of the people that I regularly paddle it with.

Once you get used to the unpredictable nature of the water and don’t mind the occasional spontaneous trashing, its actually really fun! You can never just ease off your once your off the wave, comfortable in the knowledge of what is to come. 

One minute there may be a clean route, the next minute there’s a surge of water downstream at the same time as a boil rising and out of nowhere a hole or whirlpool will appear and try to swallow you and your boat whole. There have been a number of occasions that I have seen entire boats and paddler completely disappear in this way, and its actually hilarious!

Once you are in the main flow of the weir there are actually very few hazards other than the usual risks of weir paddling (no pining rocks, siphons, super retentive holes etc.). This means that providing you and the people that you are with know what they are doing, the worst case scenario here should only be a swim at most. With this in mind you can afford to be a little more relaxed about the whole experience, be it weathering the beating or laughing from the bank.

But this weir also offers other benefits to this.  There are not many other play spots that can offer this level of unpredictability, forcing you to constantly think on the spot no matter how many times you run it. Instinctive reactions are honed through this process as the constantly changing water gives you little time to plan ahead. Boat positioning, paddle strokes, body movement all become second nature the more you run down from the wave at the front along what is quite technically challenging water.

Even when you do end up going over the flow of the water allows you to practice having to roll up in alternative ways other than you strong side and what it feels like to be upside down in the middle of a whirlpool or boil, and in some cases how you can even use these situations to your benefit. 

Again, the more you end up running this feature, the more all of this becomes second nature and the less you have to think about what you are doing. These valuable skills can then be transferred into a number of different situations in all aspects of whitewater kayaking.

Providing that you already have good paddling technique, paddling at Shepperton will ingrain these strokes and movements into your head, making them second nature to you very quickly. And the best thing about it is that it is all a lot of fun! The constantly changing water and the fun of the front wave means that you’ll not even really notice the hard work that you are putting in on these other aspects of your kayaking.

This isn’t to say that you only have to paddle Shepperton to become amazing paddler. There is plenty that cannot be practiced here but it does offer a real core workout which will be of great benefit for whatever you go onto next.

New video!!!

Well this is a bit new for me. This is my first attempt at making a kayaking related video using my new Go Pro Hero camera. This trip on the East Lyn was only my second outing with it so I'm still learning how to use it all but its definitely a great piece of kit, and for a reasonable price too. At some point I'll get around to doing a full post on it. Hopefully I'll be able to put up some more content with it in the future!

Anyway, here is the final product! Enjoy!

Peak UK River Guide PFD

The new Peak UK River Guide Vest really looks the part as a full whitewater rescue PFD. With plenty of storage space, a solid fit and sturdy fixings it will more than likely meet the demands of most situations for a variety of paddlers without damaging the bank account too much.

Firstly, this PFD feels very solid and well built. A 600D ripstop PU coated cordura outer shell and a 200D ripstop nylon inner shell along with 60-80N of Gaia foam make up this design and it feels like it will last a good amount of time.

The design itself is really well thought out, especially in terms of straps. Through the use of three way harness systems on the shoulders and the waist the amount of strapping that is left loose has been minamised greatly. In all, the only loose strap that will be visible is the small strap at the base of the PFD. The rest are able to be concealed. This feature will appeal particularly to the paddler who hates having loose straps getting in the way.

The River Guide Vest also has a very comfortable fit. On the shoulder straps extra padding has been added on to provide a more comfortable fit. This padding helps to conceal the strapping here. This padding can also be removed if it isn’t too your liking or want to reposition it. The design also lends itself very nicely to raft guides and open boaters with its low profile. However this does come with the downside that it can feel like it rides quite high on the body which may not be to some peoples liking.

The other standout feature of this PFD is the amount of storage space that it has available. Following on with the rest of the designs in Peaks latest range, the River Guide Vest has a huge front pocket! Possibly the largest that is available on the market right now. Within this pocket there are a couple of pouches for separating out some of the stuff that you would put in there adding some organisation to it, otherwise with all that space it could get a little muddled.

There are also a further three pockets on the front on the larger pocket which would be good for items such as carabineers, knifes or other items that you would want quick and easy access to. 

Finally, one of the best features about this product is its price. At £135 it is on the cheaper end of the whitewater rescue buoyancy aids. Despite this, it doesn’t feel that Peak have cut any corners here so you are not sacrificing much, especially in terms of safety by going with this product.

Peak have really produced a great product here, especially for the paddler who doesn’t have the largest budget. The River Guide Vest is a solid, well made product and feels it would perform well on the river.

Just a quick one

Exciting news!

I'm now writing reviews and articles for Kent Canoes, one of the UK's leading canoe and kayaking shops! This means that some of the articles that you will see on here will also now be on their own blog. It also means that I'll be able to now regularly put up new reviews and articles as new kit comes in without me having to cripple myself financially. 

Here is the link to the blog http://kentcanoes.wordpress.com/ along with the shops website http://www.kentcanoes.co.uk/. Go check them out, its a great store with really helpful staff who know the sport inside out.

Wave Sport Recon Review

The Recon is Wave Sports current creek boat and is an absolute beast of a boat! Even at a glance you can tell that this boat means serious business, and it more than meets this image. With chunky displacement hull and plenty of rocker and well placed volume this boat requires some taming on smaller water, but in the big stuff the Recon is right at home.

Outfitting

One of the best features of this boat is that it comes with Wave Sports Core Whiteout outfitting. Not only is this outfitting possibly the most comfy on the market, but it is also well stocked with cool and practical features.

The seat provides a good solid fit while the thigh braces really secure your legs into position. It also comes with a ratchet in the middle which raises the front of the seat up to allow for adjustment depending on paddling style and comfort.

Underneath this raised sections are two storage areas with elastic cord, good for storing small water bottles and snacks, although not necessarily expensive or important items. In front of the seat the strapping across the middle of the deck brace has been designed to be able to cater for both a water bottle and throw line easily, without hindering the access to the latter. Alternatively, one larger throw bag can be strapped down. 

Meanwhile behind the seat there are four gear loops for attaching dry bags and other items too. In all, this outfitting accommodates for a wide range of storage setups.

The final feature of this impressive outfitting is the footplate. The plate itself is a solid piece, and can be adjusted to expend or contract depending on its positioning within the hull. Foam blocks are also provided for further tweaking.

Meanwhile on the outside, the Recon comes with seven points of rescue. These handles are well positioned across the boat very accessible on the water. The grab handles at the bow and stern come with soft grips which make carrying and dragging the boat a little more comfortable.

Performance

One thing that is noticeable about this boat is that it is significantly heavier than many other boats. This however is not noticeable on the water.

This boat really feels at home on big water. The continuous rocker means that it is really stable moving across the water and is very forgiving. There are also some carefully placed rails at the back of the boat that make carving across the water easier. These features also help getting the Recon into tight eddies. The rocker also means that it is super easy to roll!

The design also incorporates a large amount of volume in the bow and a displacement hull. This allows the boat to punch through holes with ease without losing much speed. While there may not be as much volume allocated to the stern of the boat, some clever designing means that the boat sheds water very quickly allowing for the boat the rise up very quickly when boofing.

Because of this design, the Recon will take some stopping on the water. Chunky holes and stoppers can be punched through with easy while it can also carry plenty of speed to get though mess water and eddy lines. All of this is achieved without compromising the manoeuvrability of the boat. It will require some assertive paddling to get the most out of it though, but this does not take like to get the hang of.

Initially I did find this boat a bit hard to control on lower grade water. Anything below grade 3+ will require you to boss this boat around a bit more than you would expect to but again this is easy to get used to. It will also make anything smaller than grade 3+ feel very small and easy as the boat on its own seems more than capable with dealing with that grade of water.

Conclusion

In all, the Recon is a great creek boat complete with a wide range of features that will quickly disperse all the moans and groans of lugging it up to the get in. It excels in grade 4-5 water which it was designed to do, though this does come at the cost of making everything else seem a little tame. If you don’t have any plans on paddling in big water then this may not be the right boat for you, but if you do, then the Recon will not disappoint. 

Check out the Recon here for more info on sizing and prices
http://www.kentcanoes.co.uk/item-wavesport_recon_70.html

Pyranha 9R review

I was very lucky the other day to be able to get my hands on Pyranha’s new 9R. This boat has been designed specifically to compete in the short boat class in creek racing. In other words, to get down a river as quickly as possible while remaining under 9 feet long. I have no doubts that it will fulfil this purpose very well but I’m not so convinced that it will perform quite as well as a river runner.

Outfitting

Comfy enough, but lacks features like ratchet leg lifters that
Dagger and Wave Sport have introduced

The first thing I thought about this boat was that it is very minimalistic and basic. This is probably due to the fact that I am more used to the Wave Sport Core Whiteout, but even with this considered, it’s very bare. This is partly due to the fact that it is designed as a race boat so the Connect outfitting has been trimmed down which is understandable. But if you would want to use it as an everyday boat, it could be quite limiting.

Wobbly foot plate

The biggest problem with the outfitting I had was the foot plate wobbling. Admittedly I was only using a demo boat and didn't really have the chance to play around with it. It was a little awkward however having the plate bouncing up and down every time I pushed my feet onto it. This was only a small problem though and could easily be fixed with little effort.

Apart from the two gear loops at the back, not much to clip dry bags onto

Performance

This boat is fast, very fast. In the short time that I was able to use it for I was able to get it up to quite high speed on grade 4 water unlike anything that I have paddled to date. The boat's design means that the 9R will go over most features with ease.

However I found that to achieve this it had to be handled with some finesse. This is not a boat that will plough through features with the right application of power, or move across the water easily. Yes the 9R will go over most features easily, but you cannot get away with just hitting large stoppers and expecting the boat to go through them. The bow has to be positioned so that it can get on top of the feature allowing the design to play to its strengths.

I also found it quite cumbersome and unwieldy at first. The boat is very narrow which makes it feel a little odd at first but once you adjust to it it’s not a problem. The problem that I had was turning the boat. It felt very long really making fine adjustments while in the flow was challenging and turning quite sluggish. Looking further into this since then I have seen that the boat has to be paddled in a specific way to achieve effective turning. 

Without going into too much detail, the hull has been primarily designed to go forward fast, but with a bit of clever design, the correct weight distribution and edge will apparently let this boat turn a lot better. So to get the best out of this boat would require some practice and paddle hours to learn how it moves best on the water.

Conclusion

As a race boat, I think Pyranha have made a very good boat and it will be very interesting to see how well it performs. As a recreational boat, I feel that the basic interior and the technical design mean that it is not really ideal. I would also say that it is not a boat for beginners or intermediate paddlers really as there would be much easier and more suitable boats on the market. As for river running? I get the feeling that it would be like a sports car. Really fast and technical, but not really practical for everyday use.  

**UPDATE**

Since posting this blog yesterday I have been in contact with Pyranha who provided some really helpful feedback which was great! They also pointed out one or two things that have answered some of the points that I raised.

On purchase of the kayak, it will come with a foam block in the fitting kit which can be cut to size and stuck onto the foot plate, thus eliminating any of the wobble that I mentioned. So the answer to my statement is yes, there is an easy fix for this!

The second point is a bit more interesting. What I failed to mention was that the 9R comes with the new 2014 Connect outfitting. Now the main feature that I want to focus on in this is the amount of customisation that is available to the seat position. Not only can you move it forwards and backwards, but raise it up and increase the rake.

This feature answers another of my points in regard to the absence of ratchet leg lifters. Not only this, but it looks like a better system than the ratchets! Instead of ratchets, the seat is bolted into the desired position and an appropriate power block is placed underneath to provide the correct support. Not only is this really simple to achieve but it also looks a lot more sturdy than ratchets, especially as ratchet strips have a tendency to wear out and require replacing.

It is also possible to raise the seat up by 10mm at the back and 30mm at the front, and more foam is supplied for any further adjustment. This means that with a pit of playing around with the outfitting it will be possible to find the optimum position to get the best out of this boat. However, as this boat would require a lot of fine tuning this again shows that this boat is best suited to the advanced paddler.

Once again, thanks to Pyranha for the help! I'm still getting the hang of doing reviews and their feedback has really helped.