Boat buying advice for kids/teens/adults in Waterford

There are a multitude of different disciplines in paddling. Metalman Paddlesports Club is based around sea, lagoon and river paddling.

Unfortunately no one boat can do all- (though our Nelo 510s come close), and any boat that tries to do it all invariably does not excel in any disciple.

For teenagers, most, if like my own, are not enamoured with the idea of overly long distance and most prefer events where they can meet with peers on and off the beach. The Surf life saving scene is quite healthy. And most Surfski races will offer a short course variant. Thus the most important first boat would likely be a surflife saving ski. They are robust, can take a knock in the surf, are obviously excellent in the surf, can take on a short or indeed long surfski race, can be paddled downwind, and have a good resale value. They are a bit easier to remount than an Ocean ski, thus safer. I would always get the deep seat and adjustable leg length variant; you can always pad up a seat and an adjustable leg length makes it easier to re-sell. The Icon seems to be a tippy, aggressive but ultra fast boat. The Vanquish seems more stable and I havent paddled a Fenn ski. All are in the €1800+ range but you have a good chance of reselling at close to that price if the boat is well kept.

A proper ocean ski is longer and lighter, is more difficult to remount, is less robust in the surf but performs in a downwind better and on the flat better. They tend to be much cheaper as you can usually source them second hand- you can get a good one from €800+. However, you can’t use them in surflifesaving events and they are less robust, ie prone to damage in the surf. However, if you have minimal interest in Surf Life Saving ( or can borrow a boat for these events), would rather paddle Ocean ski events, then purchasing an Ocean ski is a better option. There are usually 5 Ocean ski events per year in Ireland, a couple close by in the UK and plenty of high quality European events over the summer.

A second kayak would be a downriver overstern kayak. We tend to use cheaper second hand or new South African kayaks. If you can paddle a ski in rough water, and are not afraid of falling in, you can probably go straight for an elite boat; just paddle it without a seat. These boats will be far faster than any skis and will allow you race a great deal more in Ireland, including the presigious Liffey Descent, Suir Descent, Nore river race, Boyne race etc and all the marathon races and sprint events. You can pick up a reasonable second hand one for €400+

An adult with reasonable balance and some paddling experience in Waterford getting into paddling would be best off getting a Nelo 510 type craft. These are plastic; they are much lighter than a sit on top but heavier than a fibreglass. With rudder adaptors, they can be paddled on the sea, on the flat, down a river, over a weir, through rapids etc. An adult with less confident balance should opt for something more stable again such as an Epic V5 or similar dimensions.

Kids; depending on your childs size, generally kids under 12 or 13 will need child specific boats. Most of us use knysna jesters.

Stockists include:

  • A-Wash kayaks ( Dermot imports containers from South Africa)
  • Nelo (via Mick Doyle in Carlow)
  • KayakMor (Jim Morrissey in Galway)
  • Wetiz (Thomas in Germany delivers to Ireland)

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