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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
OT - Sea kayak
stugang
8-Oct-2015
8:37:35 PM
Totally off topic but I have read in various posts that a few of youse are keen paddlers. I've just come back from Mallorca and had a few awesome days kayaking around the coast. This has got me pretty psyched to give it a crack at home.

Any recommendations as to what to buy or how to get into in in Melbs? I haven't much experience but I'm not a numpty. What I'm after is something stable for my inexperience but good and fast enough for longer paddles not to be a complete pain. I also enjoy killing and eating fish so anything that would help facilitate this would be a bonus.

Finally are there places where you can store your kayak near the sea or river at a reasonable price. In Portochristo in Mallorca my mate had annual fees of 20 euros for storing 2 kayaks 20m from water in the marina.

Any feedback/advice appreciated (apart from edweirdo, simey, gnaguts. ODH etc.)

Kind regards
Stuart
dalai
8-Oct-2015
10:58:59 PM
Be interested in the storage options if you find something.

I was doing some sessions out on Ocean skis down Sandridge beach. There was a possibility for ski storage if you were an active patrolling member and if allowed by the committee. Would be great if there was somewhere down on the bay to store boats for a few dollars without needing to go through the SLA accreditation and spend time patrolling!

Currently storing the K1 under the house, and because of the hassle getting it down to the water it's not getting used. With the ski's tstored at Sandridge, it was far easier to ride down on the bicycle than it would have been by car with a boat on the roof in peak hour!

lightfoot
9-Oct-2015
6:21:35 AM
Depends on the style of paddling you want to do; long multi days, day trips, etc. If you plan on being around Rocky areas like the great ocean Rd plastic can be nice for rough landings and plastic will take a hiding and is cheaper. It's also heavier and slower. Glass boats are fast, light and more expensive. Give Damian a call at paddlepro in melbs, he imports heaps of gear and sells direct to public on some items. There are so many options available depending on your price range. The bonus also of fibreglass boats is that if you are handy you can put your own rod holders or other customised options on there too.
I anchor mine and dive with a sling for fish but I can't sit still long enough for a rod. Trawling while on a mission is sometimes fruitful too.

It's great fun and the great ocean Rd when you're ready for the ocean provides amazing 20kmish sections you can link up etc.
No idea on storage maybe Damian would though.
(removed)
9-Oct-2015
12:20:57 PM
Have done quite a lot during my climbing hiatus.

In short: horses for courses ... best bet for enjoyable / extensible paddling is definitely getting an ocean ski (as distinct from a surf ski). They have a range starting from ultra stable and a wee bit slow up to quite tippy but really fast and able to catch the smallest runs in open water. The fast ones are every bit as fast in a straight line on a river as a K1 as well (because of their longer water line). If I were buying a single boat, I'd get one of these any day and it will only take a few months before you can sit comfortably in what was previously unthinkably tippy. About the only thing they can't do is white water because (a) they are typically fibreglass, and (b) typically have an understern rudder. Hasn't stopped people trying though ...

If it's touring you are interested in, then yeah, a sea kayak, something like a Mirage 530. Can store enough equipment, are reasonably stable (they are the boat of choice for Bass Strait crossings), roll easily and surf okay - although nothing like a ski. Ocean ski's as an aside are increasingly being used for touring so long as there is a support boat.

Neither of those options would do for fishing though. You'd want one of those flat sit on tops for that purpose. Haven't done any of that though.

In terms of where to paddle - Sandridge SLSC near Port Melbourne runs structured training sessions 4 times a week through Peak Adventure for the public and have a wide range of boats available for you to try first (or buy later). Contact Jarad Kohlar there (you should be able to find the Peak Adventure website easily enough) to arrange something. Also forms a really good aerobic workout which has reduced me to a quivering mess on occasion and which if I had the time I'm sure would actually help with my climbing !

If you have an ocean ski, invariably you'll end up chasing downwind runs (downwind paddling is a sport in its own right) and Victoria's Surf Coast is frankly, awesome for this. Anglesea to Torquay is a great run with sea cliffs and the like and there are regular groups who do this too and can help with the car shuffle.

Magnificent sport and like anything, the better you get, the more fun it becomes.

Good luck, PM me if you need any more information

AC
Reluctant
9-Oct-2015
2:09:41 PM
Mcc - Melbourne canoe club. River and sea. Great advice. Use their gear to figure out what you want/need.
There's a bloke in glen Waverley that sells new sea kayaks. Best price in town
rightarmbad
9-Oct-2015
2:32:47 PM
Agree with fatboy, get an ocean racing ski and you will forget that any other type of boat exists or is needed.
stugang
9-Oct-2015
4:40:11 PM
Thanks all - really great advice and tips. Good to know of a few places to try before buy. Where to put it if I bite the billet and buy one is the next first world problem I face.
(removed)
9-Oct-2015
4:45:50 PM
On 9/10/2015 Jayford4321 wrote:
>(snip) ... Where to put it if I bite the billet and buy one is
>the next first world problem I face.

In terms of storage, I left one of mine on the top of may car for about 6 months and it never walked. Ocean ski's are typically 6.4m long so can be tricky, evne in a double garage but I had 3 all diagonally in mine at one point too.

Eventually I bit the bullet, got my bronze medallion and did some life-guarding to reserve a spot at Sandridge. All options work but I found I paddled it more if I left it on the roof. A very good paddler friend of mine has left his on the roof of his car for the last 8 years because "you never can tell when the wind is blowing the right way." In practice, it's not as crazy as it sounds.

There are 8 messages in this topic.

 

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