Posts

#002 - Full slices - All of them!

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Within the wonderful world of kayaking there are loads of  categories  of boats to choose from, big water creek boats, surf kayaks, squirt boats, playboats, river runners and many more. Probably my favourite category of whitewater boats is the full slice. These boats have one key focus - maximum fun and play  opportunities  at all times, striking a balance between playboats and more typical river runners, able to play in the flat or on your favourite whitewater runs. The first full slice ever made was the Riot Glide made in 1997, after this a slew of other designs came out from other manufacturers up until around 2004/2006. At this point most companies moved onto new things (mainly modern playboats).  Fortunately  a few are starting to make new designs like Liquidlogic with the Hot whip and Dagger with the Nova line. The oldest full slice - The Riot Glide 1997 The newest full slice - The Dagger SuperNova 2022 Unfortunately for most of these boats trying to figure out what is worth get

#001 - New paddler kit purchase guide

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 Hi there! Welcome to my first post :) This is a guide on what kit to purchase as a new paddler - focusing on beginner paddlers- who have already joined a club and are keen to paddle mainly whitewater. For other disciplines you can drop me a comment and I'll help out where I can! This is based on my experience as a member of a university paddling club over the last 5 years, things I've learned working as an outdoor instructor and chatting to other experienced whitewater paddlers. While many clubs can provide good quality basic kit, this wont be true for every club, chat to the people you paddle with for their opinion too - this is just a general guide on the importance of different items of kit and how you should prioritise them. As well as some personal recommendations. 1. Thermals The most important thing for your safety while paddling - especially in the UK, is staying warm, thermals are (mostly) really cheap and the difference they make to your comfort and safety while padd