Toddler Kayak Group
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7677
Printed Date: 21 Sep 2025 at 5:41am
Topic: Toddler Kayak Group
Posted By: Carter_M
Subject: Toddler Kayak Group
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2008 at 8:12pm
Ok, I dove in head first and got my 2 1/2 year old a Jackson Fun for Christmas. Obviously, I'm not going to slap a skirt on him and head him down the river any time soon but I'm trying to think long term here. I'm guessing he will be into it for a while because "daddy likes it" but it won't take long until he won't be interested without a peer group to paddle with. Any other new (ish) parents out there that would be up for introducing our kids to kayaking? Texas Dave? Just flatwater for 2009/2010 but maybe some class I in 2011?  Alternatively, family multi-day float trips? Any advice from other parents with older kids? |
Replies:
Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2008 at 9:13pm
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Jimmy and I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 year old. We already take both of them on canoe trips down parts of the Sky (Class I / II-). We're getting ready to start our oldest this coming summer but I'm making sure he can swim the whole length of a pool first. He's almost there. We're planning on doing a few more canoe trips that will involve floating and swimming in moving current. We are going to take him to the lake, let him paddle around without a skirt, flip the boat and fall out and all that fun stuff. We'll see where it goes from there. Of coarse we don't want to scare him so it'll be at his comfort level. If he really likes paddling then well get him a boat. In the meantime we're hoping to borrow a friends Jackson. We have been looking for others to hook up with to do this like you and it would be great if the kids could learn together. Every now and then we already take the kids to roll practice at the pool and let them paddle around some (our 2 year old site in the boat with us right now). Let us know when you want to get the kids together. We're always interested.
Courtney & Jimmy
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Posted By: dragorossinw
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2008 at 9:43pm
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Carter: Courtney: I am down with you. I have a 3 year old (and a 3 month old) who loves my kayaks and spendslots of time floating in the hot tub with one. He has been out on my cataraft a couple times now and digs it. I would be game for any family trips and travel with my whole family to events and river trips all the time. Shoot me an email with your contact info and lets get some stuff rolling. I live down near the East Fork Lewis, but head all over the NW. ------------- Tony Z dragorossinorthwest@yahoo.com www.nookiekayaking.us www.dragorossi.com www.donkeyfIip.com |
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2008 at 6:03am
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My girl is only 1 1/2 now so she won't be tearing it up on the river in her own boat yet but I'd certainly be up for some family float trips, especially this summer when the kids can swim some. It would be cool to have a kids day out on the water. Let's do it.
I've been considering getting a canoe and / or a raft so the rest of the family can come out on the water with me. One of these days I hope I'll be getting Katie a kayak too. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: Carter_M
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2008 at 8:05am
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Rafting trips this summer! Yes! I can rent rafts from the University for cheap. Let's do it.
Ironically, my dad (who is in his late 70's now) was a kayaker back east when I was growing up (he even made a trip out west in the 60's and paddling with Blackadar). I have a vague memory of paddling his huge fiberglass whitewater boats in lakes but whitewater boating was not even mentioned as something that the kids could try. I remember one class I/II canoe trip and one class III rafting trip throughout my entire childhood despite the fact that my dad was kayaking on many weekends. It wasn't until I was in college and starting wondering why my dad had liked kayaking so much that I got into whitewater. I'll probably scare my son away from it in an effort to be the opposite of my dad! |
Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2008 at 8:38am
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Carter,
What's your Dads name? My Dad also kayaked in the 70's back in the southeast with a fiberglass kayak he built at Georgia Tech. He also built a kind of kayak / canoe for the whole family to whitewater in. I took my first trip down the Nantahala in it when I was less 7 or 8. Of coarse us kids weren't allowed to be in the boat to run the Falls.
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Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2008 at 3:13pm
Andy helping Courtney try out her new backband.
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Posted By: Carter_M
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2008 at 5:33pm
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My dad's name is Bill Maden. He frequently talks about his first glass boat built by the only commercial boat builder around- unfortunately, the guys name was Coffin. How'd you like to paddle a Coffin! Great marketing strategy for the young and crazy crowd...Reminds me of Death cigarettes...
He learned to paddle in New England and when I was young we moved south to Tennessee. One of my first open canoe trips was on the Nolichucky and first rafting trip on the Nanny (same as you, not the falls). |
Posted By: SupaSta
Date Posted: 26 Dec 2008 at 2:59pm
Very cool!  My son's 1 1/2, so he won't be ready to hit the water until 2010 sometime, but it makes me happy to hear the rest of ya'll have young kids too. I'm looking forward to taking him out. Dan ------------- Life is short, paddle hard! |
Posted By: sikboater
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2008 at 6:53am
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I also have a 2 yr old to go along with two 11 year old boys... The 11 year olds are getting a little interested in kayaking. We floated the Wenatchee Plain section last fall and they both paddled my vison 56 for most of the run. I finally broke down and got a raft this last fall... Will be up for some family fun float trips this spring and summer. The 2 yr old will probably not be in any whitewater until next year, 2010, but the other two will go almost any time. I live in Bellingham so a little far north but the sky and skagit are short trips away. I plan on spending a lot of time on the Wenatchee this spring... Get in touch if you want to do some kid (and family) friendly boating... Tim sikboater@hotmail.com |
Posted By: Liz
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2008 at 7:44am
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Yes, take your kids rafting! When I was little my dad took me rafting on the Sitting in the front also taught me to read water. I remember pointing at the biggest white rapid I could find and say, “Hit that one, Dad!” and then I would watch the water and watch his angle and strokes and try and judge where in the rapid we would land and what kind of ride we would get. I jumped out, I fell out, we hit a bridge at flood stage once and flipped (oops), when I tried to paddle-captain a small boat for the first time of course we flipped… But I loved it. My sister didn’t like it so much and got into rock climbing instead. And that’s ok. She’s been on enough beautiful multi-day trips since then that she can enjoy rafting now; especially if she can find a crag to jam her hands in at a camp or along a hike. And then when I was in high school my dad’s ------------- |
Posted By: dblanchard
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2009 at 11:59am
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I've taken my two-year-old out on flat water (canoe, sea kayak and WW kayak) and she loves those "baby boats." I plan on rafting the Powerhouse with her several times this summer so I'll post here when I'm getting ready. I can't wait till I can say to other parents "No, Thursday night play group won't work, Mo has her playboat group." |
Posted By: Kayakmedic
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2009 at 1:52pm
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At a year and a half we had my son on the Cat going from Pashasten down to Monitor on the ------------- Andy 360-731-1078 |
Posted By: dblanchard
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2009 at 10:30pm
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Rafting on the Powerhouse this Friday (3/6/09), and, perhaps, on the Middle-Middle this Saturday. I'm going to take my 2.5 yr. old paddling on the Powerhouse run of the Snoqualmie this Friday, assuming I can find some more people to go with me. I'll need a final count by Wednesday night before I pick up rafts. Two canoes are also available if you are interested in that. I can go either way, and the rafts I have access to have a rental fee of $30/boat, plus $2/helmet or PFD. I can take pretty big group, and believe in strength in numbers, so please feel free to extend the invitation to others with kids. I'll be free most of the day, so start time is flexible. If there is interest in dinner afterward, we can all come back to my place in Snoqualmie Ridge for something yummy. Regarding the Middle-Middle, I'm looking for feedback from those of who have paddled it recently. It has been years since I've paddled it, and I don't remember anything that would give me pause about taking my daughter down. Sadly, my memory is not the best. Any thoughts on the Middle-Middle with kids are welcome. Also, I'm looking for material I can patch together into a drysuit for a toddler. Mainly, I need a zipper. If anyone has any worn out drysuits kicking around, I'd like to know. D |
Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2009 at 8:54am
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For me personally I would not take my 3 year old on the Middle Middle. It's class III with one IV. I'm waiting until both my children can swim well on their own, just in case.
We won't be able to make Friday. Weekdays are hard for us. If you do this on a weekend sometime please keep us informed. Have fun!
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Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2009 at 10:13am
| Jackson makes a tandem kayak now that looks like it would be a good way to introduce the kiddies to kayaking. Eskimo also makes a duo, or if you can find an old topo duo that would be a good way to get started. |
Posted By: SupaSta
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2009 at 1:24pm
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Originally posted by dblanchard Rafting on the Powerhouse this Friday (3/6/09), and, perhaps, on the Middle-Middle this Saturday.... This sounds awesome. But I'm tied up with school until 3/31.  After that, MiniMe and I would love to join you. Post again and I'll help put it together. Dan ------------- Life is short, paddle hard! |