Best of the old and cheap...?..

Hey Guys,

First time poster here.

I am a relatively fit 28 year old who want's to get into a bit of paddling.

I am a regular cyclist/runner who plans on entering an "Anaconda" or "Avon" some time down the track and I would like to be able to get onto the water as soon as possible to build up some strength/technique.

The only catch is i'm low on funds at the moment, so for this to happen I will be looking for one of the old cheap surf ski's from the golden age of iron men back in the 90's, while keeping my eye out for a cheap fast plastic......a PRS or a Molokai.

This bring's me to the point of my post....Is any better than other's?, there is a multitude of "Hayden's" floating around, plus numerous other brands I haven't heard of, I was just wondering if any stood out from the others?

Or should I just stop nitpicking and buy whatever floats until I find a suitable one

Thanks in advance
Fletch

Bugger....just realised where I posted this, Can a mod change it to the appropriate section?.......bloody noob!!

Hey Fletch, welcome to the forum. While there will be plenty of great advice here there is a Perth specific site called ratherbepaddling that locals can help you with questions too.

Not a bad idea going for a used spec ski as your first boat, would certainly be quicker than the Finn Affinnity I did my first Anaconda AR in. The only catch with these spec skis is that almost all of them are built in a size, so you have to be lucky to find one that fits you, and as you point out they have varying hull designs that affect stability so you really need to just test them to see if they are within your ability.

You will need to be quite patient, I bought my Finn affinity only deciding 6 weeks before Anaconda to give it a go and sold it not long after realizing it was way too slow, then bit the bullet and bought an Epic V10sport after not being able to find a suitable 2nd hand ski. The market has grown much bigger since I started over 4 years ago do you need to identify where they are being advertised and watch like a hawk.

If you are serious about the Avon either wait for a $1000 PRS to come up (they do from time to time) or get a spec ski you are happy to do fiberglass repairs on and convert to trailing rudder.

Hey WangChops!

The best advice I can give is to get the most comfortable and stable boat you can when you start out.

And one that fits in your budget too!!

Be carefull when checking out spec skis, these are often made just for "a" paddler and have varying seat heights which can make them pretty unstable for new paddlers.

Best of all have fun, and enjoy the BIG learning curve you will ride..........then fall off....and ride........and fall off....quite a few times!!

Thanks for the replies guys.

Sorry about the delay, I have been up in Perth for a week.

I managed to find a Spirit PRS570 with a surf rudder on gumtree for a great price, it is like new (still has tags on the handles!). I also picked up a carbon paddle for a steal.

I have been paddling like a mad man over the past week, and now am able to catch some minor downwind "runs" without ending up in the drink.

I am certainly better than my first go.....The morning I bought it I went straight down to the beach, walked past everyone thinking that i'm "The Man", whacked it in the water, jumped on, and fell straight off the other side....lol.


Does anyone know of any particularly good youtube videos or articles that they could guide me towards regarding technique?

Cheers
WangChops.

Can't go past:

www.mykayakcoach.com/

www.youtube.com/user/mykayakcoach

I'm viewing them now, Thanks thebigadski.