beginner boats

So, I took a new paddler down to the water the other day to have a try at surfski.
He wanted to try some tippy boats as he is quite an accomplished athlete in other arenas, and thought that he may be able to jump straight in at the deep end.
I grabbed a mid sized blade at a moderate length for him to use, and waited for the giggles to begin.

When he first got in my old V10, my first thoughts were;
No way would he be able to paddle it and prepared myself to get wet to go get the boat as soon as he turned away from running along the shore and hit deeper water and fell out.

He didn't, but was very unsteady, but also very persistent.
I jumped in my other boat and we paddled around for a while, he improved very quickly and was soon comfortable in flat water.

He even got a bit of a decent looking stroke happening with a few words of advice.

He continued to get more comfortable, to the point that I decided to see what happened with a few bumps thrown in.

We paddled out into the Alley and messed around in the small waves between the retaining walls.

He finally fell in going crossways to the swell and managed to remount without instruction.

We stayed for a while, all the time he improved but did take 3 swims.

All in all a promising start considering the first few wobbly strokes he took.

I then offered him a go at my much shorter and slightly larger blade paddle.

WOW, his eyes lit up and he downright sprinted up the creek.
This is way better were his first words.


So, my question is:

Why is it not a normal procedure to give beginners a shorter paddle?
And why not a bigger one for more security, especially when hitting open water for the first time?

There is no need for a paddle long enough for a beginner to crank out 15 to 20 kmh when they first get in the boat, so why give them a paddle that is awkward because of it's length when they simply have no requirement to go that fast?

All the recommendations I hear are to get a beginner boat, I say, get a beginner paddle!

Much cheaper to upgrade paddles than boats, and they can always be part of your paddling arsenal in the future if you don't on sell it to a new beginner.

You can then learn to paddle without the support of a stable boat, but the support of a paddle that will lock up easier, be less blown around by the wind, and not be as awkward to use.

hey RAB, mate you are a prolific writer and a great embassador to the ever growing and addictive sport of surf skying. Let me tell you about a interesting story. I was once on my early dawn paddle and there was a chap trying to learn to paddle a surf ski for the first time... a Fenn Millenium, which I later found out was one of the fastest and most unstable skis ever made! Because I love the sport so much and I knew the guy in question, I offered to help him out. I taught him the leg synching with the catch, corrected the stroke and showed him hip rotation/ shoulder rotation. WIthin 4 lessons, he was up and going but was still falling off in cross chop/swell. SO I thought, I should teach him the side re-entry, we went back to shore and praticed that. Within a year, he became top 50 in the east coast Ocean Series. Folliwing the basic techniques which he was diligently practicing on his own persistently, he also took some lessons from a pro, but suffice to say that like you, I do not believ on those hybrid kayak/surf stable surf ski, this is just a marketing ploy to say to people "you can't possibly paddle a real surf ski, try this 'stable' ski, then with less than a year we have the upgrade ski for you waiting in the showroom...". EPIC were the first to market and now, all brands have a new class of skis, they call beginners ski. Well, I beg to differ and I have without knowing taught a novice how to paddle the most unstable ski in the world... Marketing will sell flat screen LCD TV's tp blind people! cheers, JDF

I forgot to add that the gentleman was tall, long limbs and legs not dissimilar to Tim Jacobs. He was also a touch chubby and he is now a slender athlete. There is hope!

What I have learnt over the years have convinced me that surf skiing and ocean paddling are very technical and with the ever changing conditions, you will always be challenged one way of the other. Great teachings don't come very often, and they are expensive. My biggest teacher is not a coach but rather is one of the greatest embassador to this sport, his name is Rambo... not the American mercenary, but a true blue Aussie gentleman who wears a mustache and has the most creative flare when it comes to filming any paddling competition. Do yourself a favour, if you want to learn how to paddle, go to RAMBO's Locker and watch this over and over until it's impregnated in your brain :

The Doctor 2009

Dean Gardiner often talks about 'looking for the holes", "joining the holes", well, you can see him in action in this video, chasing down the holes created by the chop, changing direction as the wave follows the contour of the ocean floor. This has to be one of the best he has created, the music is mesmerising, hence watching it several times is not an issue. Once you have mentally captured the key techniques, go and practice them one at a time, mix and match, eventually you will get something right. Get a coach for a couple of lessons for stroke correction. The pros can paddle any ski, so can you, but be patient and persistent, anything is possible. YOu can chose to start with a stable craft and its a personal choice, however, you have instantly slowed your motivation to learn, if your technique is bad to start with, you will carry it for quite a while until you realise after a year or two that it is now to 'upgrade'. There are a couple of real beginners skis around and they are the Fenn XT, EPIC V10S, Think EVO, the little known Honcho Guevara, to name a few. My advice to beginners is try all real beginners skis as your body shape and weight will determine what you should buy/ unfortunately lately, that decision has been a touch 'influenced' by the new range of 'beginners' skis.

W hatever your choice of ski is, you will become addicted to it as I have, as they say 'don't get between a man/woman and his/her kayak". Have fun out there are be safe, not macho, wear a life vest! JDF

I'm not saying that beginner boats are bunk, just that sometimes a paddle can be as big of a difference as a boat.

And it seems that the entire paddling community ignores the simple tactic of trying a paddle to give stability instead of jumping straight to a more stable boat.

Learning to trust the tripod created by the paddle is an important part of paddling a skinny craft.
Just as important as learning to trust the boat to be there as it leans.
Because as the boats get skinnier, the boat isn't there as much, and the paddle becomes the primary means of controlling balance, especially when the water throws up something unexpected.

So many paddlers are given a paddle and never even try another.

There is a whole world of suspicion and myth surrounding paddles, and so many people never even try and wade through it.

Maybe between your theory about the paddle length and mine regarding the theory that with a few basic technical tips, a beginner can paddle anything even the skinniest, we may well have demystified the art of paddling a surf ski...

Let's hear from the experts now because I am far from one... just a mid pack passionate paddler

I think you over simplify paddling. I think half the problem is between you ears. I hate falling in. The water is cold at the moment, everyone in the water gets eaten, getting back in gets harder as I get older, etc. This makes me tentative in choppy water.
I spent a winter on the gold coast surfing in boardies and a rash vest. There was bugger all wind. I would be a much more aggressive paddler in the warmer, calmer waters (and smaller sharks) on th GC. I would definitely have a tippier boat. The consequences of falling in are different. Technique and paddle help but there is so much more to it.

Exactly!

If you feel a solidness from the paddle, then you feel more comfortable and can then relax more.
As soon as you get tentative, any boat feels wobbly.

Friendlier paddle, less tentative, happy paddler!

There is a beginner post on here that says that he is paddling at 40rpm.
Surely this is a case for a much shorter, larger blade paddle.
Once you get the revs up a bit, stability is a much easier equation.

Shorter than what? I use both my mid and my small mid at the same length, there is no doubt the bigger blade provides more support but that is no reason to run it shorter. I like to sprint with my small mid, because my technique has to be much more precise than with my mid, so it is good training for me. The mid provides way more support for rough water and is the paddle I use for racing, but using the small mid for some training is useful. For me, use the small mid for technique, mid for strength and racing. You soon feel if you have a good catch or not with the small mid, the larger paddle masks some technique short comings.

Hello one and all trust this finds you all well.

I took RAB's advice and shortned my paddle.

I was advised at the time that a Fenn 3 was the right paddle for me to begin with, and good or bad, I bought it.

I had the settings on 4.5 (Fenn Markings) with 60 deg feather...overall length was some 213mm.

I have now shortned it to 1.5 (Fenn Markings), same feather and overall length 211mm.

I also used the formulation of measurement provided by a "Paddle Length" study posted here, and for my measurements, all three, the ideal length was about 211.

I have now been out on the water twice since.

Firstly, I have to agree, I find that just the little shorter has made me feel a lot more comfortable, to prove that I have only fallen out 7 times...5 on the first outing and twice today.

Always whilst turning into the wind in a choppy side on sea.

The interesting thing is that I have in these instances fallen out the "Starboard" side of the boat..don't know why?

Since I am very new to this, I am prepared to "Try" things to see how they work and hope that if I try enough things without any preconceived idea's that I will soon be able to Paddle as I should.

Any comment on my first choice of paddle will be welcomed and those that are familiar with the Fenn 3 can share their paddle settings, that would be good to.

Take care

Raymond.

Hi Raymond,

let me give you a few basic tips that will improve your stability, particularly when paddling in cross wind/chop as this was my first challenge when I started. I asked that questions to Guy Leech and it took me quite a while to decipher his answer. He obviously have me a honest answer, but to the uninitiated, it could be a while before they can work out what's really going on out there!
He said "push your bum into the seat". What this means is :

1. At the start of the catch (say on your right), you need to dig your right heel into the footrest. when you do that. The objective is to have your right leg almost straight and you will feel pressure on your right bottom cheek (call him Bill!)

2. At the beginning of the catch, lock your elbows, slight bend is OK , but do not bend it further during the stroke, until you start the exit

3. All the power you need for the stroke is in the first foot from the point of entry of the blade in the water

4. You want to start the exit from your knee

5. The stroke itself involves drawing power from your core muscles, NOT your arms and shoulders, there are mere implements in the process, but important ones! Squeeze bottom, abdominal muscles and start to pivot using heel, hip, shoulders until your left hand comes almost straight ahead of your nose. Like a boxer punching out forward. Slight push with left hand helps!

6. Core muscle power comes with hip and shoulder rotation like a coil that you wind up and let go. Core muscles are large and don't get tired quickly as do arms and shoulders

7. Exit should be clean and quick, you want the left blade in the water as quick as you can, they call it the stroke rate, rythmn

8. Now come the crucial part, relax the right leg and push your left heel into the footrest, straighten the left leg and lock left bum cheek into the seat (call him Ben!) as the blade hits the water for the catch on the left side. It is precisely this synchronization that keeps the craft stable, you may find that this may take a lot of practice. I would focus on just the synchronicity part first, the stroke can be corrected later once the craft is stable. Literally you are pumping your legs like a cyclist and punching forward like a boxer horizontally at head height.... AS you dd for the right stroke, tighten abdominal muscles, rotate hip, shoulders, lock elbows, punch right first to head level, start exiting blade as it reaches knee level, clean sharp, quick exit

9. Do yourself a favor, please look up re-entry techniques on the internet, as it is crucial, all it takes is for you to fall off more than 3 times and you will be so weak that re-entry becomes a struggle and you may find yourself in trouble, been there done that!

10. Wear a leg leash and a life vest with a marine whistle in the pocket and stick a day flare on your deck, you never know! it may look macho to paddle without a vest but it may save your life, there's plenty of stories out there of the internet about this topic

It may sound like much, try one thing at a time and add the various bits as you see fit and you will be flying down big swell offshore in a year's time, it is possible! I tought a tall overweight guy who started from scratch in one of the most unstable ski in the world, the Fenn Millenium and he is an accomplished slim and fit paddler now, came top 50 in the Ocean series not that long ago. All it takes is some will power and passion which you seem to have. Soon you will be catching runs and chasing wild conditions like I do now. Nothing beats paddling downwind in 25knot plus & 1m chop, I reached 18+kmph that day! you can do that too!

Have fun, just remember Bill & Ben! And let me know how you go mate.

JDF

ps. I did take 6 lessons at the very beginning, then practiced various techniques on my own in various conditions/ I also watched Rambo's professional videos of competitions around the world, you will learn heaps from Rambo's Locker (my favorite of all times, THE DOCTOR 2009)! Take care and have fun!

I had terrible trouble with stability as a beginner. I don't think there is any simple answer to how to teach stability, other than experience (yeah, not a quick method I know, but it's a bit like learning to walk, we usually get there in the end).
A stable boat is very important for a beginner. But the best advice I ever got was "get the blade in the water"! The less air time the more stability.