FAQ

Paddling is enjoyed by all outdoor / water enthusiasts, the young and the elderly, male and female, families, couples and singles.

Let us help you to find the right boat and right paddling discipline to suit / compliment or change your lifestyle?

First you have to ask yourself,

• what do you want to do with the boat? To do this try and imagine your perfect paddling day.
• Will it be a cruise on protected waters like dams, lakes, lagoons and estuaries?
• Will you be paddling alone or with a partner or the family?
• Will it be sitting around a campfire far from civilisation after touring down a river, on a dam or in the sea with all your gear in the boat for camping overnight .See Canoe and Kayak Touring Club
• Will it be fishing for the catch of the day?
• Will it be to use as a platform to swim, dive or snorkelling from?
• Will it be playing in the surf, competing with the dolphins for the perfect wave?
• Will it be for general exercise?
• Will it be for more competitive paddling, maybe to do the Dusi Canoe Marathon etc.
• Will it be shooting waterfalls, performing radical rodeo freestyle moves?
• Will you be paddling in a boat by yourself or tandem with your partner or perhaps with the whole family?

Canoes and Kayaks come in all shapes and sizes and for many different purposes.

Unfortunately there isn’t any one canoe or kayak that will do everything. It is very important to choose the right kayak for the right application and for the size of the paddler using the boat.

Choosing a kayak is like getting clothing or shoes - it must fit. Canoe & Kayak World are the only SA retailer to offer a complete range of paddle craft covering all the disciplines, effectively ensuring an unbiased opinion and recommendation regarding the right craft for the application required.

Paddling is enjoyed by all outdoor / water enthusiasts, the young and the elderly, male and female, families, couples and singles.

Let us help you to find the right boat and right paddling discipline to suit / compliment or change your lifestyle?

First you have to ask yourself,

• what do you want to do with the boat? To do this try and imagine your perfect paddling day.
• Will it be a cruise on protected waters like dams, lakes, lagoons and estuaries?
• Will you be paddling alone or with a partner or the family?
• Will it be sitting around a campfire far from civilisation after touring down a river, on a dam or in the sea with all your gear in the boat for camping overnight .See Canoe and Kayak Touring Club
• Will it be fishing for the catch of the day?
• Will it be to use as a platform to swim, dive or snorkelling from?
• Will it be playing in the surf, competing with the dolphins for the perfect wave?
• Will it be for general exercise?
• Will it be for more competitive paddling, maybe to do the Dusi Canoe Marathon etc.
• Will it be shooting waterfalls, performing radical rodeo freestyle moves?
• Will you be paddling in a boat by yourself or tandem with your partner or perhaps with the whole family?

Canoes and Kayaks come in all shapes and sizes and for many different purposes.

Unfortunately there isn’t any one canoe or kayak that will do everything. It is very important to choose the right kayak for the right application and for the size of the paddler using the boat.

Choosing a kayak is like getting clothing or shoes - it must fit. Canoe & Kayak World are the only SA retailer to offer a complete range of paddle craft covering all the disciplines, effectively ensuring an unbiased opinion and recommendation regarding the right craft for the application required.

• Canoeing and kayaking has various disciplines within the sport and remains extremely specialised. Anyone can sell you a boat, but is it the right boat. The wrong boat can be an expensive mistake.
• Getting the best advice on your choice of boat can only come from an experienced paddler with first hand knowledge. (Robbie has been paddling for 20 years, competitively and socially and has great experience in all the disciplines).
• In order to make sure you are given the right advice on the right boat for your application we’ll ask you lots of questions and make sure you’re aware of all the options available to you.
• We will then go through our broad spectrum of kayaks and canoes from recreation, whitewater, touring, racing, sit-on-tops, fishing and in plastic and fibreglass with you as it is important to see, try and choose when all the options are available.
• We advise and encourage you to join one of our regularly held on water Demo Days to try out a range of boats before purchasing to ensure your choice is the right one.
• We also provide after-services like tuition and paddling technique as well as Whitewater trips andKayak tours to ensure maximum use of your purchase. (You automatically qualify for complimentary membership to our paddling clubs on the purchase of a Canoe & Kayak boat suited to the club
• We send out monthly e-newsletters to keep you up to date on what’s happened or about to happen, trips, tours and social evenings, slide evenings, guest speakers and get-togethers, etc.
• We offer a professional back-up service like repairs, warranty, etc.

Welcome to our family - The Canoe and Kayak World Family!

Some kayaking lingo you may come across:

Canoe

A canoe is an open craft with pointed ends operated by a single bladed paddle in a seated or kneeling position

Kayak 

A kayak is a decked boat operated with a double bladed paddle from a sitting position

Tandem

 Two person canoe or kayak

Solo

Single paddler

Deck - The top closed in area of the canoe or kayak

Hull - The bottom of the canoe or kayak

Bow - Front end of boat

Stern - Back end of boat

Initial stability -  the immediate feel of the boat as you sit in it which will have great resistance to a lean.

Secondary stability - when the boat is leaned it will reach a position that it will start resisting capsize and not want to go any further.

Best to let your salesperson advise you on the benefits and drawbacks of both Initial and Secondary stability.

Volume - Used to describe overall capacity of a given hull shape

Tracking - The ability of a boat to hold a straight course

Rudder - A foot-controlled steering device.

Skeg - A fixed rudder

Chines - the edge of the kayak; transition between the hull and the deck.

Rocker - Upward curvature of the keel line from centre towards the ends of a boat. Lots of rocker means quick easy turns.

Keel - a centre line extrusion along the bottom of the boat from bow to stern

Length -  the length of a boat clearly distinguishes touring kayaks from white water kayaks. The general rule is the longer the boat, the easier it glides and the faster it is, whereas the shorter the boat the more manoeuvrable it will be and slower.

Spray skirt - A tight waterproof cover designed to prevent water from entering the inside of a kayak, It attaches to the rim of the cockpit and the waist of the paddler.

PFD - Personal flotation device. A personal buoyancy vest

Paddle - Tool for propelling canoes and kayaks