A Guide to Racing Kayaks
Kayak racing is a sport that is gaining in popularity. It is very demanding, and great exercise for people who love to be outdoors and like to be challenged. It takes some practice to get the hang of it, so it's recommended that you go out with someone who is experienced the first few times. The size of the boat is much narrower than recreational kayaks, making it difficult to balance and keep stabile. Before you jump in and buy a racing kayak, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different types of racing and what equipment is needed. Here is a brief overview of the disciplines you may want to partake in.
Canoe Sprint
The canoe sprint is probably the most popular form of kayak racing. There are three different types of kayaks, the K-1 (single paddler), K-2 (two paddlers) and K-4 (four paddlers). The paddlers each race in separate lanes in a straight course in calm water. The race can be done over 200m, 500m or 1000m. Each paddler is seated in their boat with a double-blade paddle. Most boats are made from durable, lightweight composites like carbon fibre, fibreglass and Kevlar. The kayaks are extremely narrow – with the beam being just a little wider than the paddler's hips.
Canoe Slalom
The slalom is very different to the canoe sprint, and is an extreme sport. In whitewater slalom, the paddler must navigate their kayak through gates while going through 300m of whitewater as quickly as possible. Hitting or missing a gate results in time penalty being added onto the athlete's overall time. A lot of these events are still held on natural river courses, however, there are an increasing number of artificial courses being constructed around the world. In Charlotte, North Carolina, the very first fully artificial whitewater course has been built. It has become a training site for many athletes, including those training for the Olympics. The boats used in slalom are made from Kevlar, carbon and epoxy resin. They are very light by very stiff and cannot weigh more than 9 kg or be longer than 3.5 m.
Surf Ski
Surf ski racing is a relatively new sport that is slowly becoming more popular throughout the world. It uses a long, narrow and lightweight kayak that has an open cockpit. They are usually around 6m long and only 40 to 50cm wide. They are very fast when paddled on flat water and do well on ocean swells, as they can easily punch through broken waves. These kayaks are therefore generally used for surf lifesaving competitions. The kayaks themselves are made from composite materials to reduce its overall weight. They have a sharply pointed bow, under stern rudders and more rocker than recreational kayaks.
Brands
If you are interested in kayak racing, you'll need the proper equipment including a good, solid, top of the line kayak. Some brands to take a look at include Prijon, Cobra and Valhalla. Many of these great brands can be found online. However, if you're unsure exactly what you want, you should do a little research first before buying. Talk to people on forums, ask professionals in your area, or head down to a local shop to get some help and advice.
