www.iska.ie

Hi all,

I\'m very much a complete beginner in terms of Kayaking but really want to get into it with the aim of doing Sea Kayaking and eventually multi-day trips. For now though, I\'ll just relegate myself to the estuary and learn (so no proper Sea for me until next year).

Anyway- I want to buy a Kayak, but I\'m unsure which.
I\'ve heard very good things about the Perception Carolina and Fasnet Sealion, unfortunately I can\'t find any place in my area (Malahide) that stocks these so I can give em a go.
I also hear a lot of people (mostly the people that are selling them) saying fantastic things about the BIC Skapa.

I\'d like a plastic one. One that will take my weight ( all 120 kilos of it) and one that is suitable for beginners.

Basically I\'d like to hear from those that know it best (i.e. you lot) rather than a sales person in some all-round \"adventure\" store who\'s just trying to sell me the only thing in stock.

At Deep Blue Sea Kayaking, we sell kayaks and give courses so yes, we do have an agenda. Having said that, we paddle and socialise with our customers so it\'s hard to escape if we give them bad advice!
Have you done any training? It\'s a dangerous environment and can bite hard if you don\'t know what to look out for. As a minimum, you need to be able to turn and paddle forward efficiently and know what to do in the event of a capsize.
If you want to meet the local kayakers, go paddling with the East Coast Sea Kayaking Club (see \'Regional Activities\', \'East\' for schedule) or the ISKA meets. You\'ll get good advice here too.
The most important thing when buying a boat is to make sure it fits properly. Secondly, make sure you paddle it before you buy. There\'s no point in finding out it\'s too tippy or too slow when it\'s on your roofrack.
We have Fastnets, Carolinas and Valley Canoe Products Avocets, Aquanauts and Skerrays in our school fleet which you\'re welcome to try on courses or club meets. We\'re happy to discuss the pros and cons and find the best boat for you.
Des Keaney
Deep Blue Sea Kayaking
01 2760263