Sprint
kayaks
by Jakob Jelling Sprint kayaks are harder to keep upright than regular kayaks.
Sprint kayaks are the best type of kayaks for people who are intending
to race. While you will probably not need to have your own kayak when
you first start out (if you are racing on a school team of some type),
eventually you will probably want to get your own sprint kayak that will
highlight your particular skills and make it easier for you to race.
Before learning how to paddle sprint kayaks, however, you'll need to
be very experienced with other types of kayaks. The reason for this is
that most sprint kayaks are designed to be very fast, which means that
they are slender and designed to cut through the water and minimize drag.
The result is that some of these kayaks will even tip over when they are
set in the water with nobody inside. As you can imagine, keeping sprint
kayaks upright requires quite a bit of skill.
If you will not be sprinting kayaks with a sports team of some sort,
then you'll probably need to get your own sprint kayak right away. The
first thing that you need to do is to look at several different types
of sprint kayaks. Once you find a few designs that you like you should
look at the statistics and how they are designed.
For your first sprint kayaks, you should definitely be looking for kayaks
that are slightly more sturdy and less likely to tip over. Don't spend
too much time looking for this, however, since even the sprint kayaks
that are less likely to tip over will tip when you are first learning
how to use them.
When you first get your sprint kayak out on the lake (or wherever you
happen to be sprinting) you should start getting used to it as soon as
possible. While you'll probably have great skills in a regular recreational
or touring kayak, sprint kayaks operate a little differently. You should
expect to tip over the first time you are in a sprint kayak, so you should
work on righting yourself when that happens and keeping yourself upright
afterward.
After you've learned how to use your first sprint kayak, you might want
to look at a few more sprint kayaks. The reason for this is that after
you've learned how to paddle a sprint kayak, you should be able to learn
how to use another kayak that is better suited toward highlighting your
own skills.
About the author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.kayakhelp.com.
Please visit his complete kayaking guide for all skills and
ages. |