Thursday, January 19, 2012

What is the difference between a creek kayak and a freestyle kayak.?

I want to get a freestyle kayak but I want to make sure it would do just as good through a class III rapid as a creek boat. Do freestyle kayaks flip easier than a creek kayak?What is the difference between a creek kayak and a freestyle kayak.?
Freestyle boats are designed for doing tricks. Most modern rodeo tricks involve some sort of flipping-- not just tipping over and rolling up, but standing up on end, cartwheeling, flipping end-over-end (looping), and doing flips and moves after popping up completely out of the water (aerials). To do tricks, freestyle kayaks are designed to react a lot more to the water when on waves, in holes, and on eddylines. So if you're not watching what you're doing, yes you can flip.



Creekboats are designed for difficult water. They have lots of volume, lots of speed, and usually have rounded edges that are more forgiving. You'll have a better chance of punching through a hole or avoiding one altogether in a creek boat. On easier water, you'll find the creekboat easier to paddle than the freestyle boat.



Manufacturers generally make kayaks that are "in betweeen", too. For instance, "river-running playboats" are a little more user-friendly than pure freestyle boats but can still do a lot of tricks. Pure river-running boats might be able to surf and spin a little better than creekboats, but can still handle Class IV+ ok.



So do freestyle kayaks flip easier than creek kayaks? You bet! Do they do "just as good" on Class III? Depends on what you mean. The freestyle kayaks won't be as forgiving. You might have a little more of a learning curve in one, but IMO they're a lot more fun! And as the other answer mentions, it will make you a better paddler when you want to move to the harder stuff.



Start by looking at some of the manufacturer sites. You'll be able to see some of the differences in design (length, volume, shape) between playboats, creekers, and everything in between. Then get some lessons if you haven't already and start demoing.What is the difference between a creek kayak and a freestyle kayak.?
Creek kayaks are designed for river/creek running; to make them suitable for this, amongst other things, they are faster in a straight line, more forgiving on a rapid and have a variety of important safety features built into them.



Freestyle kayaks are designed for playing on a river features (waves and holes); to do this they are short with low volume, flat planning hulls and "hard" edges.



This means that when paddling a freestyle kayak you are more likely to get caught out by a river feature and flipped over. However don't let that put you off getting a freestyle kayak.



Freestyle kayaks are much more fun and because they are more challenging to paddle they really help to improve your river running skills (catching eddies, making the line, etc).



My advice would be if you are only running rapids of class III difficulty then a freestyle kayak should be fine for you to use.



Its really helpful if you talk to other paddlers and see what they recommend for you, also try borrowing different boats to get a good feel for the differences between them before you decide what to finally buy.



In the end just make sure you feel comfortable in what you are doing and are out on the river with other experienced paddlers who can help you improve.



Feel free to message me if you have any follow up queries, good luck and happy boating!
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