Summer water sports/hobbies

[Olesya C]

Do you do any water sports in summer? Anyone kayak, stand paddle-board (SUP) or fish? Or do other water sports? I recently tried SUP and fell in love with it. I also think SUP is a great cross-training for skiing. Going to on my 3rd SUP outing tomorrow and I am very excited! I used to kayak a little bit many years in the past.

 

[Jilly]

I have all...canoe, kayak and SUP. Love my SUP. I also paddle dragon boat. Missed the last 2 weekends of skiing this spring to attend a dragon boat camp in Florida. The SUP stroke is the same stroke we use for DB. Another boat to try is an OC-1. Outrigger canoe for 1. Same stroke, but different balance. If I'm not mistaken Vanhoskier used to race SUP.

 

[Olesya C]

I have all...canoe, kayak and SUP. Love my SUP. I also paddle dragon boat. Missed the last 2 weekends of skiing this spring to attend a dragon boat camp in Florida. The SUP stroke is the same stroke we use for DB. Another boat to try is an OC-1. Outrigger canoe for 1. Same stroke, but different balance. If I'm not mistaken Vanhoskier used to race SUP.

Dragon boats look really cool! It seems like it's a team effort and there is someone that directs the team? Yes, I think you are right about @vanhoskier , I think she mentioned SUP racing to me too.

 

[crgildart]

Hiking, camping, fishing, skateboarding. I used to surf, but haven't brought anything but a boogie board along while having to watch younger kids. Now that they are both competent swimmers, smaller kid just passed his First Class BSA swimming requirements after several years of struggling with water over his head. As soon as I can see for myself and be sure both kids (ages 12 and 13) are solid enough swimmers to handle beach surf reasonably well with less supervision I will pull the fun shape out from under the house and bring it to the coast again.

One if the other scout dads has a pretty nice ski boat. Again, now that kid has finally learned to swim well we'll go on the next water ski/tubing outing they invite us to.

 

[scott43]

I have kayaks at the cottage..like to canoe when possible..have done some SUP..very tiring for me for whatever reason..just not comfortable and lots of tension in the thighs. I fish..swim of course..I had the great fortune to grow up on a lake in cottage country here in Ontario until moving to the big city just before my teens. Water skiing, backcountry camping and canoeing..I can honestly say it was an idyllic childhood and as I begin to raise my young son I struggle with those fond reflections and wonder if that's the place he should be. My experience, and others may not agree, the country isn't a great place after age 13...I suppose the cottage will have to suffice for him.

 

[crgildart]

We also go ice skate or do stick and puck about once a month in the summer. Great thing to do on a really hot day. Great ski crossover activity too. Try to go a little more often in October and November to get the ski legs back.

 

[Olesya C]

One if the other scout dads has a pretty nice ski boat. Again, now that kid has finally learned to swim well we'll go on the next water ski/tubing outing they invite us to.

How hard to learn is water skiing?

 

[scott43]

How hard to learn is water skiing?

It's not that hard but you need good upper-body strength and a proper ski boat. If you have a poor boat its much harder to learn.

 

[Philpug]

How hard to learn is water skiing?

Toughest part is to find a downhill lake.

 

[Eleeski]

How hard to learn is water skiing?



Waterskiing rocks. There's a lot of crossover between snow and water skiing. But it's not easy. Forget tubing, no skill and a high injury potential. Kneeboarding is great for kids. Drag two (or three) at once for a social fun time that most kids have enough skills for. Keep the speed slow and consistent (14 to 15 mph for little kids, slower for absolute beginners). Turning tricks like 360s and going backwards builds fundamental skills without hard falls.

Wake boarding is good for bigger kids. Focus on tricks not huge jumps. Keep speeds down (18 to 19 mph) and the rope shorter than 60 feet. This keeps hard falls and injuries down. Flips are straightforward with quality coaching. And very fun.

Trick skiing is a more intense variation of the wake boarding style. The skis are smaller and lighter so turn faster. Toe tricks (holding the rope by your foot) are technical skill challenges. Time pressure gets added as you score the hardest tricks you can perform in 20 seconds.

Jumping is an advanced skill. Get good coaching and it's a thrill.

Slalom is the most popular waterskiing discipline. It's hard to get up but getting on the course is addicting.

Absolutely get out and water ski!

Eric

 

[Jilly]

Tubing is only fun for the driver. It's a driver sport. Give me a slalom ski any day! Like Scott43, I grew up in a similar cottage area, eastern Ontario. Learned to ski with the Sea Gliders and a 9hp Johnson many years ago. Don't have a boat or sea doo now, but enough friends do! I buy the gas!

 

[Tricia]

I used to go inter tubing behind the boat a lot. Really never got the bug to water ski but spent tons of time on the lake with @Craig Scholten and the Cadillac Crew. These days a nice float down the Truckee or a little swim in Lake Tahoe is just the chill time I need.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Life in Colorado is more than just skiing and biking.

The Master, Captain and boat builder, Greg and I sailing on Dillon a couple weeks ago.

On Lake Granby

 

[ScotsSkier]

Sup mainly. My kayak has hardly been used since I started paddle boarding

 

[pais alto]

I posted this one in the b*tch about summer thread:

And another:

That's about the extent of my summer water sports.

 

[Tricia]

@pais alto pan fry or grill?

 

[pais alto]

@pais alto pan fry or grill?

I pat them on the head and let them go. I haven't kept one in years.

 

[Wendy]

Life in Colorado is more than just skiing and biking.

View attachment 11020
The Master, Captain and boat builder, Greg and I sailing on Dillon a couple weeks ago.


View attachment 11022
On Lake Granby

Nice! I paddle boarded on Lake Dillon and it was lovely.

 

[Wendy]

I posted this one in the b*tch about summer thread:

And another:

That's about the extent of my summer water sports.

OH! I just took a fly-fishing clinic with my husband. Loved it,bought fly rods and all the associated gear, and off we go! It's like doing tai chi on a river.

 

[Wendy]

After getting injured (and seriously frightened) by being stuck in a recirculating hole while whitewater kayaking about 5-6 years ago, I sold my boats and took up SUP. Have never looked back. While I have paddled in open ocean, I really only do flatwater now. I own 2 boards, both displacement-hull boards. It's a great full-body workout that can be aerobic or anaerobic based on how I paddle. Load up the board with gear and I can tour. The best thing is, on a hot day, I can instantly cool off by jumping in the water, and even go for a swim by using my board as a giant kick board. My husband has an inflatable that he prefers....we both have paddled that board on the Colorado River and it's very stable.

I'm psyched that @Olesya C has been bitten by the SUP bug....now I have another SUP buddy!

My husband and I have also recently learned to fly fish. It is a great way to get on a scenic river or stream, enjoy the peace and quiet, and be challenged by trying to catch trout. What is cool about fly fishing is the meditative nature of the sport, and the fact that there is SO much to learn...aquatic entymology and hatching cycles, reading the river, strategies in casting. Our long-term goal is to fish for arctic char in Iceland, a place we have visited and fallen in love with.