Speed on flat water and also on the ocean

Hi guys,

Just wondering whether anyone can give me some feedback.

I know it probably differ from person to person and also boat to boat but on an average, can anyone tell me what is a good time on flat water and also the ocean to work to or try to achieve to be able to be fairly competitive in this sport?

I've got a Fenn XT and me and one of my mates with a Epic V10 sport did 5km in fairly rough conditions on flat water in 40min. I felt like we paddled pretty hard but it's hard to tell as both of us are new in the game and fairly unfit.

Appreciate any feedback! Thanks

Perhaps this road test in which another paddler was able to paddle the Fenn XT at around 11.5km/hr over 10km of some help

Don't try and compare your speed to others, beacause it isn't relevant. Every bit of water is different, every day.
I would think that 11.5 kmh in an xt was pretty fast.
When I was younger and fitter (45) and owned an xt I could sit on 10.5kmh over a 9k up and back course. A new boat saw that improve to 10.9 and the next boat closer to 11.7.
On my up and back course, the ocean was flat and in a sheltered bay, yet the trip back is usually .5 kmh faster because there is a very gentle current.
By my reckoning you averaged 7.5 kmh on your paddle. Wind, current, stability, boat weight, fatigue, age, fitness, ability etc, etc., play too big a role to compare speeds.....and besides everyone only gives you their best speeds when they reply on a forum. They never give you the times when they had a crap paddle, or spent the whole paddle chatting with their mates.

WORD ! ,good on ya for keepin it real dicko , times matter when you have to get back to work !

Just my guestimate.

7.5km/h - Alone at the back (Ask me how I know this;-))
9km/h - Back of the main pack
10km/h - Middle of the main pack
11km/h - Front of the main pack
12-13km/h - Lead pack

However, the distance, conditions (currents/wind) and other factors might affect it slightly. But I would think I am not far of for average flat conditions. A pure downwind will however be quite faster for the experienced paddlers.

I was at 7.5km/h around 2 months ago. I am now at around 8.2km/h. All it takes is time in the seat in as much a variety of conditions. If fact, I did a lot of paddling out into the wind and then back, and that seemed to help a lot with my improvement.

BTW, I am 44 now and started Feb this year without any previous paddling experience.

No need to ask rubberDuck - I'v been there too!

Although my GPS showed 9.2km/hr and I was definately alone well back from the pack over a 14km course.

Need to get around 10.5km.hr average to be in the back half of the pack in Australia.

rubberDuck wrote:

Just my guestimate.

7.5km/h - Alone at the back (Ask me how I know this;-))
9km/h - Back of the main pack
10km/h - Middle of the main pack
11km/h - Front of the main pack
12-13km/h - Lead pack

Quite a bit off I would suggest. 12km will get you nowhere in a big race. The top guys are paddling well over 13kmph. Jeremy Cotter holds the record on a ski for a course on the Gold Coast canals, holding 15km over 6 kms or so. The top guys are all hammering at 14 and hitting 15.

Thanks everyone for your inputs!! That is exactly the type of answers I were after. As you've all confirmed, all conditions is different and a lot has to be considered but as a paddler just entering the sport, it's always good to have a goal to try and achieve and see where one is at.

The main thing for me is to train and get fit first before thinking about entering competitions and such forth so that was the reason for my question.

I really appreciate the effort you guys have put in trying to answer my question accurately!

Cheers

As mentioned before, actual speed is VERY much determined by conditions.

For interests sake:

Ben Fouhys world record K1 1000m time of 3:24 corresponds to an average speed over 1000m of 17.6km/hr.

Cstoff wrote:

Thanks everyone for your inputs!! That is exactly the type of answers I were after. As you've all confirmed, all conditions is different and a lot has to be considered but as a paddler just entering the sport, it's always good to have a goal to try and achieve and see where one is at.

The main thing for me is to train and get fit first before thinking about entering competitions and such forth so that was the reason for my question.

I really appreciate the effort you guys have put in trying to answer my question accurately!

Cheers

No harm in entering some local competitions to get started. I run a local midweek time trial in the east side of Sydney to give paddlers something new and exposure to racing. It's called the Rose Bay Blast and we have all different types of abilities paddling. It's all done on a handicap system, so everyone has a good chance of winning. It's a fun way of getting into competition, without being left too far behind like you may do in a normal race.

Depending on where you are in the world, you have have a similar event running, which would be a good avenue to competing.

One thing to consider at your stage, is to remain focused on technique. Don't get caught up trying to go as fast as you can and over rate, loose your catch etc when racing. Apply all the good technique work you have learned to a race situation... good rotation, strong catch, good leg drive, nice hand height.

Stew

Yes, I looked at some of your Ozzie race results and the times for the average racer were faster on most of the races. Maybe some of those starting out don't bother with the bigger races until they are better paddlers.

I wasn't gonna do races already this year but my coach encouraged me to go for it. He said my improvement would accelerate after doing the bigger races, and it did.

Cstoff, there is a lot you can learn from doing the races, paddling fast is not the be all and end all. I have learned how to read the ocean and the currents as well since they also impact a lot on your race times. Seeing what the more experienced guys are doing and which lines they take will help you in preparing for the race even before you hit the water.

I wouldn't pay to much attention to the times of some of the Australian races this year. It maybe me and I might be wrong however some of the races this year are advertised as a certain distance but the actual distance is alot shorter. Thanks Rob