New to the board and whitewater kayaking

[PsychoZ]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone and introduce myself, I am new to whitewater kayaking, use to do alot of ocean kayaking but now I live in El Dorado Hills "for the last 6 years" and I am 10 minutes from the South Fork of the American, so I decided to get into whitewater. So far I have got a Jackson Super Fun and I have started taking roll classes. After that I plan on taking a few lessons, I wanna make sure that when I am on the water I do not cause harm to myself or anyone else. Took my first roll class last Tuesday and boy is that hard to perfect, I knew it would be but I am not giving up. So hopefully when I get better I can hook up with some fellow kayakers and do some whitewater. I'm a 37 year old professional that is very aggressive in whatever I do. Whether it be motorocyles, atv's, or off roading, and now back into the water sports. Oh yeah and if there are any fellow kayakers that golf, I do that usually twice a week and am always looking for more golf partners.

[SandM]

Is that a Playboat, "Super Fun". Sounds like one. If so you're makin' it harder on yourself right out of the box. Must have more info. to avoid unecessary removal of foot from mouth or even more dangerous cranial/rectal inversion.
And oh yea! Make sure you update us on your roll practice schedule at every opportunity. Couldn't let that go. I personally love takin' newbies down the river. Have guided newbies down S.F.A. many times. It's good practice for harder rivers. And luckily my season has been pretty clear of emergencies on the River. It's been a hell of season. So PM me.

As for golf........I need new camp gear.

[Garrett]

The Super Fun is Jackson's downriver playboat, kind of like an improved EZ. It should be a good boat to learn in, especially for a person with an agressive attitude.

[PsychoZ]

what so you mean by "downriver playboat"

[Garrett]

A downriver playboat means just as its pronounced, its a boat that is designed to play on waves and holes fairly well but also able to run rapids without the edge and end grabbing that can happen with full on play boats. My personal opinion (not everyones) is that these type of boats are great for someone to learn in as long as that person is not the timid sort.

[Anonymous]

word,

[Anonymous]

Don't worry about the roll being hard at first. It's pretty non-intuitive. But the good thing is that the more you practice it, the more you build muscle memory. So in a short time, instead of thinking about what to do, the movements will become ingrained in your muscles, and you won't have to think about them as much.

Sounds like you have a great attitude. I grew up in edh, and id I were stilll there, I'd take you ot boating. The Mokelumne river is a great place to work on your beginning skills. The run from electra powerhouse to hwy 49 is a pretty straitforward class II/II+ run. It is dam-released so it is pretty dependable in terms of water. And it's only 45 min from EDH. Go out latrobe road, north on hwy 16, then hwy 49 south all the way to the river.

Mike

[PsychoZ]

cool, thanks for all the helpful info, and no I am not the timid type, one of my favorite toys is my Hayabusa, and if you know motorcycles, you know its not exactly a slow bike.

as for practicing, I will be doing that alot since I have my own pool, so if anyone out there wants to help out a brother and do some teaching, you will be compensated

[Anonymous]

in golf they say," look up and see a bad shot", in a combat roll, look up and see the fish again. head down!

[SandM]

I know about the mok. run but would advise that there are some fairly shallow rapids even though they are only II-II+. The benefit of the S.F.A. is harder water, and typically deeper water within the main channels. No guarentees which is why you should go with a very good boater who is very familiar with the river, and can help you without stressing if/when you swim. Let us know when your ready I'm sure myself or somebody would be more than happy to intro. you to some whitewater. I have never taught somebody to roll not sure I'd be of help other than what your doing wrong and that's not what you need.
I do know that a bigger boat with little to no edge will be easier in theory to roll.

bone apetit

[Heather Z]

Agree with guest: if you're breathing or looking for possible hazards in front of you, you're not rolling. Head up = no hip snap = no roll. Keep that right ear on your right shoulder until you're fully up (assuming you're starting with the traditional onside roll).

Bonus of your own pool: you can also do a lot of drills to work on your braces, which will keep you from having to roll as much.

There's also a long and fairly recent thread on mt. buzz about roll advice...I think it was a poll about eyes open vs. shut.

[Heather Z]

Oh -- and rolling your knuckles towards your boat after you surface your paddle but before you sweep helps you get the blade angle correct while you're waiting on that muscle memory to develop.

[PsychoZ]

I was told to roll my hands like I was rolling of the gas on a motorcycle which is easy for me to remeber since I ride motorcycles alot, usually commute to work on one

[Anonymous]

I would correct what an earlier person said:

it is actually: head up= your knees pull you back toward the water on the side you are trying to roll up from.

When you lift your head, your knees want to help you lift your head and actually pull you back over to the side you are trying to roll up from.

Watch The Kayak Roll video and it will explain it better than me