# Can you use recreational kayaks in whitewater



## Mjdh23 (Aug 7, 2017)

You can do some class 2 but class 3 would be pushing it if not impossible. The main problem is not being able to put a sprayskirt on the boat and also not being able to roll.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

I wouldn't really suggest it, but yes they can travel down class II. My first boat was an Otter Sport from REI. I took it down Deckers and the lower part of Foxton, as well as the water around Salida on the Ark before I bought an actual whitewater kayak. Swam out of it a lot.


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

They aren't nearly as structurally stable. Combine that with lack of maneuverability and beginner's skills and you could easily wrap on a rock. That means you could get trapped in a pinned boat. You can get used ww boats quite cheap. Highly recommended!


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## FallingH20 (Nov 10, 2015)

*Milosch:*

I've watched your threads, and have a reaction. Whitewater kayaking is a serious undertaking. You might want to spend some time here:
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/view/
Most of the fatalities are beginners who got in over their head, or just got their ball/brain ratio upside down.
You wanna paddle whitewater and have fun for years? 
Don't try to learn on the internet. Find some like minded folks in your area. They're probably on Facebook. Take some lessons, join a club, ANYTHING but asking questions on a forum 1000 miles from home.
Then paddle, and, in the beginning, with at least two other people for safety. Learn how, and you'll have a skill set that will last for years, and even pay a little here and there.


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## Nessy (May 25, 2009)

Milosh, 

A couple of ways to pursue whitewater sports are to join a whitewater club or seek professional instruction from a licensed outfitter. A great place to find the resources you need to get started is the American Canoe Association (ACA). 

Please visit:

www.americancanoe.org


Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/boa/d/kayak/6252814924.html

The internet is a great place to learn! You should definitely get a white water boat. Check out that RPM max in Chicago. $300 is a fair price for that boat for sure. Out fit it so that it fits to your legs like a tight pair of pants. This fit allows you to use your hips for rolling. Watch some youtube on the white water role and practice in your local lake or pool.


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

Milosh:

I second the advice of our river brothers above. Look around on the internet for a club, join a club, get some pool time and learn how to paddle and how to roll. Get a real boat. Recreational boats are for ponds and are toys. A real boat, whether a flatwater lake kayak, a hardcore sea kayak, or a whitewater kayak has a smaller cockpit for a sprayskirt to seal out water. Most importantly, it has thigh braces and foot bulkheads to brace yourself in the boat in the event it tips on it's side or turns over. 

If you want to paddle whitewater you may want to take some pool lessons and then plan a vacation around a 3-4 day class. From the Chicago area Ohiopyle on the Yough in Western Pa is probably closest. You might also find some excellent multi day instruction on class 2 water in West Virginia or Virginia. I learned in 86 & 87 at the NOC in Western North Carolina.

Colorado has one of the best instructional opportunities for the cost and that is the Colorado Whitewater Association Training Camp in May. It has classes for all levels provided you have taken the basic pool and intro to current classes. You can combine it with a class at the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center in Nathrop which is where my son got some excellent instruction and I just learned is owned by a friend of a friend.

If you can't afford expensive instruction at a paddling school like the NOC or the RMOC, take club classes, particularly for rolling and learning paddle strokes, and be very cautious.

I read a piece by well known canoeing writer Cliff Jacobsen many years ago about the difference between experience and skill. My closest friend has been canoeing and kayaking for over 25 years and he still can't paddle worth shit and doesn't know how to do a J-Stroke in a canoe or how to roll any of his three sea kayaks. He is a disaster waiting to happen.

Take the time, spend a few bucks for club lessons (They usually cost 1/4 -1/3 of what an outdoor center would charge), be cautious, learn and know your limits, and NEVER, NEVER paddle alone.

Come see us in Colorado some time.

Tom


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

Milosh:

Just quit your job and move to Colorado!

See you soon,
Tom


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## Milosh (Aug 4, 2017)

Thanks for the help, I have been wary of low head dams. And there are plenty more hazards I will beware of.


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## formerflatlander (Aug 8, 2013)

According to American Whitewater 16% of deaths occur on class I/II water. While not breaking it down, I would guess a large number of those are low head dams. Second the advice on not boating alone, especially as an inexperienced paddler. Take some courses early on. I got the privilege of unlearning bad technique because I waited. And check Facebook for local paddling groups. Found two in my area this year. The second is really more my (lower) skill range.


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## shoenfeld13 (Aug 18, 2009)

Which river/s are you talking about going down in your area?


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## crispy (May 20, 2004)

class 2 probably, class 3 probably not

most important thing to think about is consequences if you crash. the worst and most common hazards are 1) low head dams, 2) strainers / sweepers and 3) bridge pilings - stay away from all of these. overbank floods up in the trees are also very bad

some holes are sticky like low head dams - learn how to recognize these (generally when seen from upstream a smile-shaped hole is OK and a frown shaped hole might keep you). 

for example: you are going this way ---> ) this is a bad hole that will hold you in the middle and this ---> ( is a good hole that will spit you out at the edges

try to meet some folks with experience that you can learn from - this might be difficult in your area. "Kayak" by william neally is a really good book

wear a good whitewater pfd that will stay on, a helmet and appropriate drysuit/wetsuit to avoid hypothermia. learn to wet exit and hold on to your gear if you can

if consequences are low (land in pool and swim to shore) and you are ready to swim, give it a try. 

you can learn a lot doing class 1-2 in a recreational kayak that can give you a head start to class 3 in a whitewater boat (although you might pick up some bad habits too). have fun & be safe


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## Mjdh23 (Aug 7, 2017)

I didnt realize you were from Chicago when i commented originally. Im from the northern suburbs of Chicago. I just started whitewater this year, i would recommend joining Chicago whitewater association. Our beginner trips are done for the year but they offer a good learning experience. My first trip with them was on the dupage river in Shorewood. I flipped four times and swam four times, i had only been in my boat once before that and had a very inconsistent pool roll. That was about four months ago, now im doing some class III+ rivers comfortably. If you do end up getting a whitewater boat feel free to pm meand i can help show you the ropes.


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## curtis catman (Sep 29, 2015)

You beat me to it. I know a bunch of the Guys and a few gals in The CWA. They are the class IV V guys that come to West Virginia for Gauley Season. But any ways look them up. They have some good instructors and good boaters. Chicago Whitewater Association.


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