Lidl 2 person kayak

tightus_wad

Slow flowing river ? Please do not go out on any river without taking basic course on paddling could be a disaster...

I am a strong paddler and took out my son on a boating pool on a moderately windy day and struggled to control a twin kayak like this.

I live near the sea and wouldn't DREAM of going out on the sea with this thing.

Just be careful peeps - easy to have lots of cheap fun with this craft. Just as easy to be a headline in the local paper...

Even if you can swim - if you are responsible for a minor who perhaps cannot - fully clothed you WILL struggle to save yourselves therefore buoyancy aids are a MUST!!

lawrie28

kitekat wrote: »

At last someone with a sensible post.If i listened to some of the scaremongers on here i would not leave the house.

The scaremongers on here are the ones with experience of kayaking and other watersports, and quite often have been in situations where had they not had taken the right precautions would have been in real trouble. Until you have tried climbing onto a floating boat in soaking clothes with nothing to ciunterbalance your weight you have no idea how hard it is. Until you have captised in 3 foot of water and nearly brained yourself on a rock in shalllow water you dont even consider it could happen. Until you try padelling in a straight line with a single ended paddle and a bit of wind/current you dont kniw how hard it is. Till you have paddled for half an hour dowstream you dont realise it could take you four to get back paddling upstream. Till you've sat freezing cold in a boat in the wind for thirty minutes and nearly caught hyperthermia do you realise how close you were.

Would you let your child go canoing in one of these with an adult with no experience of kayaking? No ? Well include yourself in that unexperienced adult.

Yes you can have lots of fun in this, but with just a small amount of experience of this you quickly learn how fast things can go wrong, how often things go wrong and how easy it is to prevent them from going wrong. You also realise that a 40 quid inflatable craft is not going to be half as much fun as a more expensive, solid craft, and you would rather but a good used one or rent one instead.

kitekat

funnyguy wrote: »

I m going take mine to the local swiming pool

Too much obstruction in a swimming pool so this is a no no.:rotfl:

kitekat

So we now have a kayak that is as useful as a chocolate fireguard,it cannot be taken on a river,a canal,an ocean,a swimming pool or any other place with water,according to some folks on here.lol

lawrie28

kitekat wrote: »

So we now have a kayak that is as useful as a chocolate fireguard,it cannot be taken on a river,a canal,an ocean,a swimming pool or any other place with water,according to some folks on here.lol

No, it can. The point being made is that you shouldnt think that it costs just 40 quid. There is another 25 quid per life jacket, 20 for a second paddle, 80 per person for a wetsuit depending on the weather, another 100 for abtraining course, flares, radio, etc for the sea.... To use this safely in many environs will cost you, and not to make this aware to people looking to grabbit could end in a purchase that costs more than money.

By all means buy one, but be aware of the risks.

geri1965_2

Seriously tempted by this. We have a very shallow lake nearby.

Hazel1980

Saw this the other day advertised in store and DH and I were going to get it on Thursday as have been saying for years we would like one with visions of picnics on summer days. We live near the Royal military canal in Kent so would be ideal as have miles or canal to use in calm water. Know the area very well as do a lot of walking and felt confident enough we would have no issues with a kayak. Lucky I read this as I thought it was just a matter of buying a kayak and off you go. Had even said to DH we should do a safety course and had found one locally with available dates. It appears I would need a license AND insurance details to even get the license!
It was a nice idea but not at all practical for an occasional hobby.

tightus_wad

Please do not think I am a scaremongerer! I am an experienced outdoor sports/extreme sports enthusiast who has been as reckless as anyone else...with my life...NEVER my childs or others who may have to come and rescue me.

It's just not quite the bargain it appears without all the safety kit you should really have. please!

mcja

Do you know what tightus_waddus, its people who are 'party poopers' like you that mean people like me don't end up in the papers. I hadn't thought it through from a safety POV, just a fun one.

Thankyou for making us aware of the risks on this (and I speak as someone with wetsuits, kids that swim, access to local canals, friends who kayak etc).

adonis

lawrie28 wrote: »

canoing in a canal can be safer then more open water, but still has its dangers. people will throw old bikes, shopping trolleys etc. which will sit under the waterline. whilst steel hulled narrowboats will just scrape over these, they could easily rip a number of holes in the hull of a boat like this. In theory thus wiuld be ok, but I would be very careful and you would still need life jackets etc. for a canal. Learning to control a boat like this can take time and you need to be aware of 20 tonne narrowboats travelling along that you would need to be able to move out of the way pf.

This one here is a better one for avoiding underwater obstacles ,
she can float my boat anytime