A Different Side of Open Boating

Having paddled open boats of the more traditional variety for many years I recently decided to revisit and explore the world of the White Water Canoe or ‘Spec Boating‘ as it is sometimes referred to.

 

I have been the proud owner of a Mad River Outrage for a number of years and have had  lots of fun and enjoyment paddling it. Although I will say I did clock up a number of hours trying to roll it! It definitely allowed me to take my White Water paddling into new areas, and gave me some new skills to apply to my traditional style of paddling. The boat seen above is a Spanish Fly and paddling this has been like learning to paddle again from scratch.

 

Although still an open canoe these boats take on a somewhat different appearance, being alot shorter in length, have a more pronounced rocker and in some cases quite bold edges. Unlike traditional canoes the boats tend to have a saddle of some form in place of a kneeling thwart together with some kind of strap system to ensure a snug/secure fit and also to allow the boat to be rolled. Another feature of a White water specific specific canoe is that most of the empty space within is occupied by air bags. All these features greatly aid the performance and the fun that can be had by a canoe in a more challenging environment.

 

Having spent more time in it recently its time to move on. In a few weeks I will be visiting the Pyrenees for some trad style boating and hopefully to have some more fun in my WW canoes. Then later this year another trip to the North of Scotland is on the cards. Hope to have some tales of paddling them together with some pictures soon.

See you on the water….

Jules

www.voyageur-coaching.co.uk