Re: [Paddlewise] surf boat

On 9/19/07, Richard T. Magill <seakayaker32_at_wordandwater.us> wrote:
>
> I have been sea kayaking for about seven years now, but I am thinking
> about
> getting into White Water.  If I do, though, I want a WW boat that is also
> a
> good surfer.  Any body have any suggestions for a good beginner WW boat
> that
> is also good in the surf?
>

Jackson kayaks (www.jacksonkayaks.com) makes a beginner river-runner/surfer
kayak called Hero (and a larger version called "SuperHero") that might work
for your needs. My brother-in-law, who surfs near Westport, uses a Necky Zip
which might be a bit radical for you. I tend to really like the Jackson
boats.

One of the problems with white water kayaks, at least the modern ones, is
that they tend to be specialized into one of three categories (although
there is some cross-over): river runner; playboat; and, creek boat.

White water kayaks share few characteristics with sea kayaks. They.... um...
both float. Well, quite a few of the playboats just barely float. So that's
not entirely true. Let's see.... in both you sit in a cockpit... but you
don't sit in the w/w boat in same the way you would sit in a sea kayak. In a
w/w kayak you generally have your knees splayed out to the sides and your
backband cranked tight to keep you that way. Your toes may be pointed too.
Sounds comfy, huh?

Okay, so, while white water boats may not share many similarities with sea
kayaks they do share some characteristics with other w/w types. The major
point they share is that they are tend to be short and wide. Sometimes very
short and very wide. And they can be a handful to roll. Did I mention that
they are short?

Almost all the old style kayaks (over say, 7 to 10 years old) are river
runners. They are generally longer (8 to 11 feet long) and narrower and tend
to have more pointy ends. You can surf them but you pretty much can't cut
across a wave with them. They will slide equally well sideways down a wave
as frontways. There are lots of these for sale on craigslist. Of all the
older w/w river-runners probably the Perception Pirouette Supersport would
make the best ocean surfing boat. They are for sale all over at around $200
- $300. My son has one but I cannot sit in it comfortably for very long; too
small for me even though it's 8 feet long.

There are more modern river-runner kayaks out there now that combine some of
the characteristics of playboats with the flatter bottoms and an "edge" but
with a more forgiving nature (less of a tendency to submerge bow or stern
with a simple weight shift) and - at least so they say - easier to roll. The
Jackson "Hero" series would fit well here.

The creekboats are designed to do one thing: float on top in very turbulent
water. It's not uncommon for an 8-foot creekboat to have a volume over 90
gallons! They excel at taking idi.... er, very good paddlers down cataracts.
You probably don't want one of these.

Classic playboats (like the Necky Zip) tend to be short (we're talking under
7 feet here!) with flat bottoms and hard edges (the "chine") with low-volume
ends. The ends can actually look hollow. Playboaters like to do tricks on
waves and low-volulme ends help. You might find this a handicap on an ocean
break, however. There are popular playboats out there with ends that sink if
you lean forward or backwards so you can imagine what this would do on a 5'
ocean surf break when it gets into the trough.

One other thing that the white water boats have in common with each other is
that they don't go straight very well; in the hands of a novice they don't
go straight at all. And because they tend to be very short they don't go
forward very fast even if you don't include the occasional circle. This
means that paddling surf off the beach is no problem but paddling *to* the
surfing beach can be a big problem depending on how far away it is.

As always, what you want will be a compromise between all the various
characteristics of the available boats on the market (both new and used). I
would look for a boat with a flat bottom and at least a bit of an "edge",
slightly fuller ends, long enough to have a comfortable cockpit with enough
volume for your weight.

There ya go... ask an engineer what time it is and before you know it you
have the plans for a watch. :)


Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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