Kayak ergometer

Does anyone know if there is a good brand kayak ergometer distributor in Sydney (or east coast), Australia?

Last time I looked into it the only way you could get hold of a decent one here was to import from the US.

Are there any opinions regarding the off-water training benefits of kayak ergometer versus rowing ergometer for surfski cross training?

I have done about 1/3 of my lifetime paddling hours on a kayak ergometer, and still do so at that rate - no choice in the matter, really, as water freezes solid where I live for about 5 months of the year. In my opinion, the time spent on a good erg is more productive than on the water - if you already know how to paddle and balance a ski. The only trouble with the erg is that they're a bit boring once you get past the hour mark so you're limited to shorter workouts.

There are good ergs and bad ergs - or more precisely, some ergs don't simulate the stroke very well at all. If you can spring for the new KayakPro Gym, that's the one to get. It's smooth like butta' and has an impeccable catch and stroke simulation. Other less expensive models that work well exist, though. They need to be long machines (3-4 m long or so), have a fan/flywheel resistance combo, a continuous rope - and pretty much look like the older KayakPro Speedstroke. The K1trainer.com might be worth looking at since it's an Aussie unit. But, try to demo a Gym if you can. Erik

Hi Alex. I recently bought myself a PaddleOne Kayak Ergo and I am really happy with it. The price was good and the build quality of the unit is excellent. What I really like about it is it's size. It is a lot smaller than a lot of other ergos on the market.

I own one brand of kayak ergometer and I use it regularly and it suits my needs. However, if you really want an erg that is close to the on-water experience, I confess that the KayakPro Speedstroke GYM is beyond comparison. I know that it's a drag to have it shipped, but you won't regret the decision. It is a large machine, no doubt. If you don't have the room, then an alternative is needed. But, if you want something that really simulates on-water training, the GYM is the machine for you.

I recently competed on these machines in an indoor championship and can attest to the difference between my less costly erg and the GYM. Simply, no comparison.

Erik Borgnes wrote a review of the GYM somewhere. You should search that.

Hope that's helpful.

Hi Alex,
The K1 Trainer which have been made in Oz for over 10 and they are a excellent Ergo.My kayak club has had one for over 10 years and it is still going strong. They are easy to use and is what all other kayak Ergos are based on.
Give Dave Lawler who is in North Narrabeen a call on 0415 211 955 or Haydn at K1 Trainer as he has them in stock and can ship via TNT.
You could get it in a few days.
www.k1trainer.com.

Erik wrote a great review of the SpeedStroke Gym for Surfski.info during the recent site upgrade, so Rob and team let us post the review without delay since middle of our winter training here in the Northern part of US.

Erik Borgnes SpeedStroke Gym Review

I also own one and love it!

Chris
www.surfskiracing.com

Chris,

I also have a Speedstroke Gym and I’ve been making good use of it since purchasing last year. I read the review of the SpeedStroke Gym by Erik Borgnes that was posted on surfskiracing.com. I noticed in Erik’s review that the SpeedStroke Gym he was using had a seat height adjustment feature. For some reason my version of the SpeedStroke Gym does not have this height adjustment feature. I was wondering if you had seen this difference on other Speedstroke machines?

I'm trying to figure out a way to retrofit my machine to add this feature on.

I just got myself a Paddlelite Pro. I was researching a couple of different models and tried out a few of the gym type ones but I like the feel of the paddlelite pro and had a really comfortable seating position.

The paddlelite is out of Germany but there is an Australian distributor. www.paddlelite.com.au

Haz.

I don’t know much about the kayak ergomter distributer but I saw a brief description of a kayak exercise device made by the Lifecycle folks. From my experience with ROWING kayak ergometers, I suspect it's very easy for ergometers designers to get the gross mechanics. Or for more information you should visit web portals.

As far as i know about that ...Brand new product which simulates the motion stereotype of paddle sport for test and training.

Full manual on how to convert a used nordic track ski machine to a fully functional kayak erg

The erg works great and is just as fluid and water like as any commercial unit.

nordickayakerg.blogspot.com/2015/12/buil...-canoe-erg-from.html

I have heard that KayakFirst ergometers are pretty good and affordable. They said it has a different system, something about the pulleys that makes them more like a real water stroke.

Hi Alex, 
I lead my comment by saying I actually sell the KayakFirst ergometers and the reason I do is that they provide a better feel than any other ergo I have owned or tried. I owned the Aus K1 Ergo for 20 years and was reluctant to change as it felt as good as any newer machines on the market, they had basically just replicated the K1 ergo and made it a bit more modern. But by doing so they all fell into the same trap when positioning the pulleys. The KayakFirst replicates the on-water feel better due to the design of the pulley system and position of the pulley wheels. It is designed and made in Hungary. It is compact but as mentioned its true advantage lies in its feel. Many of the older designed ergos have the pulleys located lower, almost in line with the feet and this creates a late feel for the catch. KayakFirst positioned their last pulley leading to the shaft high on the machine which provides for a more realistic feel and timing on the catch and remainder of the stroke. I actually was helping a paddler with their technique today at a club and jumped on one of the frequently mentioned ergos in the forum and was reminded again of how big the difference in feel is. Put it this way, if you could paddle the KayakFirst and then jump on another ergo then you would certainly appreciate how good the design and setup is of the KayakFirst model.
Obviously the off-water benefit for paddling depends on how accurately it replicates your stroke. The disadvantage of ergometers is that they can't easily provide the stability component of paddling but a well designed ergo will mimic the paddling technique and force production well. 
The ergos I can have to most locations in Australia within 7-10days. $3395
Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more or have any questions: 0411394277

Just curious, anyone tried using a kiddie swimming pool. For $30, you can get a 103"x69"x22" deep. Should be plenty deep and wide to simulate a paddle stroke. Put a stool in it or build a seat in it to sit in. As you stroke, is going to push the water to the back of the pool. You may want a divider on both sides so water can flow back to the front of the pool. Then it becomes like a water treadmill. 
Sounds like a crazy idea, but then it would be the most realistic paddle simulation you can have

Wombat661 wrote: Just curious, anyone tried using a kiddie swimming pool. For $30, you can get a 103"x69"x22" deep. Should be plenty deep and wide to simulate a paddle stroke. Put a stool in it or build a seat in it to sit in. As you stroke, is going to push the water to the back of the pool. You may want a divider on both sides so water can flow back to the front of the pool. Then it becomes like a water treadmill. 
Sounds like a crazy idea, but then it would be the most realistic paddle simulation you can have

When I was a teenager, there used to be a paddling-pool at the rowing-stadium in Helsinki (I suspect it's gone now), were we did our winter training.  It was more or less like what you propose, except it wasn't a kiddie swimming pool, but a pool specifically built for this purpose.

The paddles we used there were not our normal paddles, however, but ones that had (IIRC) about 5 cm wide blades.  Even though the water was circulating, it would still have required too much effort to paddle with a normal paddle.  Because of this, it wasn't quite the real deal, but still pretty close.