Tricked out kayaks Hitting the water - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

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are made with onside lean, as opposed to
leaning away from a stern rudder as sea
kayakers do to avoid broaching. When they
capsize, I don’t feel so bad. It often takes a
several attempts to flip over the flat, finned
bottom, often ending with a scull. If rolling
a sea kayak is like rolling a log, rolling a surf
boat looks more like flipping over a sheet
of plywood.
Surf kayakers also usually seek
different conditions than sea kayaks, or
even whitewater boats playing in the surf.
The desirable condition is an offshore
wind, which will steepen and shorten the
incoming waves—exactly the opposite of
what I’d look for if I wanted to surf in my
“short” 16-foot sea kayak, which demands
longer wavelengths.
Using steeper waves also means a new
type of etiquette. Since I’ve mostly surfed
whitewater or sea kayaks, I found that I
didn’t conflict much with board surfers,
since we were looking for different waves
and used different sections of the break.
In surf boats, you’re using the exact same
spots as board surfers. After all, you’re
basically on a surfboard with a cockpit. You
Chris Bensch surfs a broken wave at Cape
Kiwanda, Oregon.
still have a lot more maneuverability than
they do – you have a paddle and an easier
time getting into position.
“It’s important to understand a few
things,” says Chris. “First, when we’re
waiting for a wave, we have a tendency
to paddle back and forth, since it’s more
stable. This makes them nervous.
“Second, they work hard to paddle out,
and they can’t accelerate as quick, so they
may be waiting out there for as long as 30
minutes for a wave. So wait your turn.”
Lastly, never drop on someone who’s
already on a wave, and stay clear when
paddling out. When in doubt, turn and
paddle toward the broken part of the wave.
Folks riding the wave in will be surfing the
shoulder in the other direction.
By the end of the morning I’m
exhausted and feel anything but competent.
But new approaches are never easy, and
this is no exception. I’m certainly envious
of the moves my friends have been able
to make, and the grace they show doing it.
Then I get back into my whitewater boat to
paddle back. It really does feel supremely
stable, slow, and forgiving. Kind of like
paddling a sofa.
<
Neil Schulman has been told that paddling
a surf kayak is kind of like driving a racing
car, but he’ll have to take your word for it. He
lives in Portland, Oregon.
34 WAVELENGTH MAGAZINE WINTER 2010