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Getting started Kayaking Racing 101 by Erik Borgnes Maybe you've seen photos, read articles or even checked out the results of paddling races (and if not, check out all the above at www.surfski.info) and now you're just dying to try it yourself. But you're not sure where to begin, right? Well, it is a great sport but it helps to have the right type of equipment: The right boat, a paddle and a personal flotation device (PFD) are the basics. If you already have a sea kayak, then you can get started now. If a friend has a racing boat, persuade him or her to let you try it and get a feel for where you are stabilitywise. Why focus on stability right away? Being stable in a boat means you're comfortable and comfort equates to less tension, more enjoyment and speed. If you feel unstable in a tippy boat, then you are neither fast nor having fun. Stability = speed As with skate skiing, speed is important to achieve in a kayak. There is a minimal speed you need to go to get into that comfortably aerobic high rpm zone. Think of skate skiing through slush without fluoro or on minus-10-degree snow. It's a lot of work. It takes too much strength and wears you out before you've gotten in a good workout. Low rpm paddling is also like pedaling a bike at 15 mph in a 53 by 12 gear. Not fun. So, you need to get into a faster boat if and when you can. Boat choice If you need a boat, then you have some choices to make. Forget about International Canoe Federation spec boats or Olympic-style boats unless you know that is specifically what you want. The other fast boats come in two types: decked racing boats and surfskis. There are good reasons for selecting one or the other. A boat's hull determines its speed, so whether you get a kayak with or without a deck makes no difference. A hull length of 18 to 22 feet with a beam of 17 to 20 inches is pretty standard for cruising or racing speeds of 5 to 8 mph. Boats longer than 22 feet are generally slower because the increased surface area creates more drag. Kayaks shorter than 17 feet also tend to be slower because they create a larger wake that acts as a drag. Boats usually weigh between 17 and 40 pounds depending on whether they are constructed with carbon, Kevlar or fiberglass. Lighter is nicer and more expensive but maybe only marginally faster. A lighter boat is also a bit twitchier in the water, too. Choose a vessel based on stability, whether you can lift it onto the roof of your car and how much you're willing to spend. You won't need all the bells and whistles - hatches, perimeter lines, end toggles, foot pumps, etc. - if all you want to do is focus on aerobic conditioning and speed. If you haven't done much paddling, start with a boat that feels just a bit unstable. Your balance should rapidly improve as you log your first 10 to 20 hours on the water. Seated balance ability has little to do with athletic ability or standing/sitting height. I have seen tremendous athletes unable to become comfortable in tippy boats and I have seen nonathletes do well within their first few minutes. On average, it seems that women tend to have better seated balance than men do, and people with larger abdominal girth tend to have a more difficult time balancing in boats. Dealing with water Decked boats may require a spray skirt, depending on conditions. You'll also want to consider how you'll empty the boat offshore and know how to perform a roll and recover from capsizing. Dressing for possible immersion is prudent since it can take several minutes to get back on top and empty the flooded cockpit if you do capsize. But if your paddling routes keep you close to shore, a decked boat might work for you. Surfskis are sit-on-tops that do not require spray skirts or the ability to perform a roll. Capsize recoveries simply involve pulling yourself up onto the surfski. Your body displaces the water from the seatwell and the footwell. Surfskis are the overwhelming choice of seasoned rough water and open-water racers because they are safer. There are some hybrid boats on the market, too, made by Van Dusen and Think Kayaks that are decked but have a small-volume cockpit and a drain. The U.S. Coast Guard exempts paddlers in racing kayaks from needing a PFD, or life vest, onboard. However, local laws may require them to be worn or at least on hand. Check your local kayak shop for PFDs that are lightweight, well-ventilated and allow good mobility. Other safety items will depend on local conditions. Paddling a surfski on open-water racer necessitates a leash from your ankle to the boat because, if you capsize, the boat can blow away from you faster than you can swim after it. With a decked kayak, you might need a paddle float, a boat pump, a good spray skirt or decide to stay close enough to shore that you can swim in if necessary. A VHF radio, cell phone in a watertight pouch or flares might be a good idea if you are out on open water. Clothing What you wear while paddling depends mostly on local conditions. For instance, a drysuit isn't needed in a 3-foot-deep stream and a Speedo isn't really appropriate on Lake Michigan in May. But if you're paddling a decked kayak, you really need to consider dressing to avoid hypothermia - the major threat in the event of a capsize. The flip side of dressing for immersion is that you risk overheating very quickly. If you dress lightly, then stay near shore. If you have a surfski you can remount easily, then try NRS Hydroskin long pants and neoprene socks below the waist and lighter polypro top. On warm water during mid-summer, shorts, a tank and a PFD may be all you need. Rudders Both boat styles offer under-stern or over-stern rudders. You will need a rudder because steering a 20-foot boat with only a paddle is not very fast or efficient. An over-stern rudder is best in shallow, unobstructed water. These do not work well going downwind when waves are higher than a foot. Under-stern rudders are best in rough water but are prone to damage from hitting underwater obstacles. Under-stern rudders come in several shapes and sizes designed to lessen the draft of the boat, to not catch weeds as readily and provide better steering control through big waves. Steering is done by either foot pedals or a tiller bar. The foot pedals are a better choice on rough water and the footboard with tiller is nicer on flat water where you are not continually turning right and left like you would on a winding stream. A boat that adjusts to fit different size paddlers is strongly recommended because after a few months of use, you may decide you'd prefer your legs to be either more bent or less bent. Decked kayaks almost adjust for leg length. Surfskis occasionally do not. Where do you find these boats? Besides Epic-brand kayaks and surfskis, it is unlikely you will find these styles at your local kayak shop. In the Midwest, try Fluid Fun in north Indiana or Superior Surf Systems near Duluth, Minnesota. Other popular sources of information for decked boats include kayakpro .com, WestsideBoatShop.com and VanDusen racingboats.com. For surfskis, try oceanpaddlesports.com, Epickayaks.com, Think kayaks.com and Huki.com. Paddles Wing paddles are favored for good reason. They are marginally more efficient in the forward stroke, and the wing paddle technique brings more muscle mass into use. Usually small or mid-size blades suit even the strongest paddlers, so forget the idea that a larger blade size means faster boat speed. Paddle weights are generally 18 to 24 ounces, and the lighter the better. Most all are carbon or a carbon hybrid. Paddle length should be in the range of 206 cm to 216 cm for most adults. Epic kayaks has a "Paddle Wizard" on their website to help you determine the length that's right for you. Other popular brands are Fenn and Bracsa. Training and technique Assuming you are now equipped, you can start performance paddle training. Speed in kayak racing is primarily dependent on strength, endurance and VO2. Body weight is less important than in other silent sports. The muscles of the abdomen, chest, back, shoulders and forearms are all utilized during the paddle stroke and need to be developed through resistance training and through sport-specific movements in and out of the boat. If you use a heart rate monitor to gauge workout intensity, expect to initially have a racing heart rate quite a bit lower than you're used to while running or bicycling. As you get more fit and your technique improves, you'll see your heart rate reach similarly high zones. In general, each week of performance paddle training should contain a long, slow distance workout, a short interval workout (one to four minutes per interval) and some type of tempo or threshold workout. But paddler speed is probably equal parts aerobic strength, endurance and technical efficiency. You really need to work on proper technique in order to get faster. Good forward stroke technique is difficult to learn on your own. You can, however, study technique on various Internet sites and DVDs. Brent Reitz makes a nice DVD (wildsprint.com) and so does Epic kayaks (epickayaks.com). But if you can, get a lesson from an experienced kayak racer. You might find an instructor in your area through the Midwest Performance Paddlers Yahoo Group. A wider audience can be reached via the "kayak" or "surfski" Yahoo e-groups. There is so much wonderful water in the Midwest to paddle. And, thankfully, we lack some of the problems paddlers elsewhere encounter. I recently corresponded with an enthusiastic beginning paddler in Australia who joked about paddling where he might be stung to death by Flecker's Chironex (a jellyfish) or "taken by one of the local salties" (saltwater crocodiles). He didn't mention sharks. We are lucky indeed. So get out and enjoy the water. Erik Borgnes is a physician in Door County, Wisconsin. He represented the U.S. at the 2001 International Canoe Federation World Championships in the kayak marathon and continues to compete in major open water and flatwater kayak races throughout the country. | |
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