Does size matter? The age old question. One that often leads to snickers, and a few humorous adages; “Its not the size of the boat, it’s the motion of the ocean,” for one.
As a 5’3 (on a good day) 115-120 pound female, it can often be a challenge finding gear that fits properly. As a side note, I’m 26. Trust me, I’m not growing in to it any time soon. I don’t think of my self as being abnormally small, but photographic evidence does seem to prove otherwise.
yes, this is a real picture. I still maintain the truck is abnormally large..
You often hear females in the whitewater industry complaining that there are no small boats, or about how hard it is to find comfortable gear. Realistically, it is a challenge for ANYONE to find comfortable gear that fits properly. Clay Wright once told me the best fitting drytop he ever owned was actually designed for women. “Women would get all cranky with me for wearing it, but it was so comfortable. More room in the shoulders, and it tapered nicely at the hips, so you didn’t have a lot of extra material hanging out or getting in the way.”
In the 10 years since I was introduced to whitewater kayaking, there has been a massive influx in the amount of gear available for smaller people, and a huge increase in women-specific gear. In my opinion, Jackson Kayaks has really spearheaded the movement to make gear and boats for children and smaller people. The “fun1”- as well as light-weight plastic and outfitting designed to accommodate the big boys and the smallies-need I say more? Astral designs lifejackets to accommodate women’s chests. (Thanks Astral, but not necessary for this kid) and IR has even made a skirt to more comfortably swathe the female hips. (Again, I am sure this is wonderful for many women. Not only do my hips not lie, they have never needed more space in my spray skirts.)
The first boat I learned to roll was the ever-popular RPM, and my biggest challenge at the time was not learning how to roll it up, but how to not fall out of it when I flipped upside down. I tried to fit into the perception Jib, and the Pyranha inAzone 220, child specific boats, but found them painfully uncomfortable, and ended up paddling a Wavesport Evo for my first whitewater season.
The Evo was long and narrow, super slicey. A cartwheel machine, if I could ever get close to even slicing the bow under. My feet barely made it to the metal bar below the cockpit rim, let alone to the “foot bumps.”
After some terrible swims out of that uncomfortable boat, I suffered a massive loss of confidence, leading to frequent panic attacks before putting on the water. A female instructor threw me in her Necky Jive, and I fell in love again.
Paddling a big boat made me feel invincible. Water parted at my feet, my bow plunging past whatever was in front of me. I bounced over the rapids, rather than through them. The Jive practically rolled itself, and gave me the confidence I needed to improve my skills. I remember paddling the Jive on my first ever kayaking trip to the Ottawa River, where I missed the ferry from the sneak line at the left McCoys to the tongue in the middle of Horseshoe, and got stuck in what felt like a 5 minute side surf. It was awesome. I don’t think that many people have ever cheered that much for me. I didn’t swim, and still felt safe in my big old bathtub, but this experience highlighted problem number one of paddling a big boat as a smaller person. The things are damn hard to control.
I currently own a mini-mystic, which, sadly, did not make it on the plane with me to Chile. American Airlines, if you are reading this, I swear it isn’t a “kayak.” When I told David Hughes, the director of NRA who was awaiting our arrival in Chile that my boat didn’t make it on the plane, his first offer to me was “How do you feel about paddling the Little Hero?”
In addition to his work with New River Academy, David owns and operates Pucon Kayak Hostel, a beautiful, currently expanding hostel located on the Trancura river outside of Pucon. David is a great resource for anything whitewater related, especially boats in Chile, as he has quite a fleet to rent from.
Paddling the Sidekick- an even smaller version of the Little Hero- while in Nepal.
When David offered me the Little Hero, my first reaction was absolutely not. “I am not paddling a playboat that is shaped like a creekboat. That boat is for children. It looks ridiculous.” These were all valid excuses, sure but what really felt insulted, in some way, was my pride. I felt like I was a strong enough boater to handle a “real” creekboat. Besides, I had paddled the Little Hero before, and had fun in it, but didn’t feel that it felt substantial enough to paddle some of the runs in Chile. I mean, I had the largest aerial loop of my life in the Little Hero. Not the boat I want to take off a waterfall, I justified to myself.
Instead, for my first two weeks in Chile, I have been paddling the Riot Magnum 72. I felt like a wimp insisting my boat was heavy, when it is clearly lighter than many of the other boats paddled by our group. The Magnum is loads of fun, and like my old Jive, I charge right through things in it. But, I grow tired quickly paddling it, and when I get tired, I struggle to control the boat. Even edging properly becomes a challenge. In large boats with poor outfitting, I fall into the bad habit of “leaning” rather than “tilting” my boat on edge. This makes me unstable, and I flip, or lose control on seemingly innocuous eddy lines and rapids.
This frustrates me to no end, as it makes me feel weak, and incapable. I don’t think of myself as being that much smaller than other people, so I struggle to understand why it seems so much harder for me to manage my gear on portages and hikes in, as well as while paddling. Seth, our math teacher at NRA pointed out that for him to have the same boat to body weight ratio as I do in the Magnum, he would need to be paddling a 120 gallon boat. (Me: 115 pounds to 72 gallons. Seth : 195 lbs to 90 Gallons.) My boat to body ratio is clearly off- which means that yes, I am working harder to move my boat around.
So, I’ve given in to my pride. I guess we can’t all be full sized Heroes. I outfitted the Little Hero, and took it out on the River. Does the Little Hero have the speed of a larger boat? Will it charge through holes the same way? Absolutely not. But does it fit? Yes. Does this make it the perfect boat for me on every run? Not necessarily. But will it make my life easier on the river? 100 percent. In the past few days, I have started to enjoy the lightness and size of Little Hero more and more, especially on the portages! After all, which is more embarrassing- paddling a large boat that you may need a hand portaging, or paddling a smaller boat which is totally manageable?
Portaging the little Hero. And Loving It. Photo Alex Muck.
Size does matter for some girls.. Maybe just not in the way you thought it does.
