Welcome to Mountain Buzz, the ultimate paddlers community. You are currently viewing our site as a guest which gives you limited access to most of our features. By joining our community (it's FREE) you will have access to post topics, send Private Messages (PM), respond to polls, upload content, connect with other paddlers and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free.
sorry but heres another new guy question. bought the diesal 75 last year when i started kayaking. im 5'3'' ( on a good day ) 155lbs. ive worked on my roll alot and alot of the time i didnt wear any gear, just my skirt when i was practicing and rolled it well. the other day i was trying to roll with all my gear on and had a lot of trouble. the first couple i could hit but they felt slow. after that i couldnt get it to go over that last little part to finish it off.when i can get a paddle on the river bottom no problem rolling there. also went out and ferried for about an hour pretty easy stuff, but the next day i felt like i did 300 situps. is the diesal to large for me or is this another case of keep practicing.
I am 5' 4 ½" and weigh in at a healthy 140lbs. I consider any boat with 75gals to big for me. The exception was a Micro X that I learned how to kayak on. But that boat was a creeker that was designed for smaller people and had 80 gals, give or take. Now I boat in a 28gal squirt boat, 45gal river running boat, and a 60 gal creek boat. The biggest problem with most boats for us vertically challenged, is that the cockpit rim is too damn high. With a high rim, I have a tough time getting the paddle flat on the surface to do my roll. Also, a lot of boats have a lot of volume in the cockpit area, contributing to the high cockpit. Having the volume at the cockpit contributes to the difficulty as it is tough for me to reach over. After I realized what the trouble was, I started looking for boats that had smaller cockpits.
1. You could be out of shape (I know I am!)
2. You could be getting sloppy on your roll and not even know it.
3. Your outfitting could be loose or poorly fitted to you
4. The boat size MIGHT be affecting you.
Honestly from what you report I would say boat size is down the list a ways. Really make sure you are using sound fundamentals on your roll and paddle strokes. The pain is a good thing it means you are using muscles repeatedly which will eventually strengthen them. Customize the crap out of your outfitting until it feels like home, use duct tape, closed cell foam, an old pair of socks, whatever, just make sure it works right. Nothing is more frustrating than having outfitting issues while on the river.
Not sure if you're a girl or a guy, but I am 5' 9" (girl) and the Diesel feels like I am hugging a (large) bear too! Cockpit is REALLY high, I think all of the comments from Snowhere seemed dead nuts right on. Find some pals with other boats (yeah, I know Tucson..I have pals in PHX), and work on your roll mechanics. You may find the Diesel is your creeker, big volume boat....but you might like a different boat for day-to-day river running. Come over to the Kern Fest (April 19/20) and jump in everything you can find there. Its a breezy 8-10 hours, but I can find you other Zonies to ride with.
Hang in there, and no ferries should not feel that bad.
im a guy in good shape. as far as the outfitting goes my knees are pointed out at a 45 degree angle if not more. i swear i could sit cross legged in the thing. even with my hips padded in so much it hurt it did not correct the problem.
Not sure if you're a girl or a guy, but I am 5' 9" (girl) and the Diesel feels like I am hugging a (large) bear too! Cockpit is REALLY high, I think all of the comments from Snowhere seemed dead nuts right on. Find some pals with other boats (yeah, I know Tucson..I have pals in PHX), and work on your roll mechanics. You may find the Diesel is your creeker, big volume boat....but you might like a different boat for day-to-day river running. Come over to the Kern Fest (April 19/20) and jump in everything you can find there. Its a breezy 8-10 hours, but I can find you other Zonies to ride with.
Hang in there, and no ferries should not feel that bad.
KJ
i was wondering how long till the word zonie would pop up. gonna change my name to the swimminzonie
Were going to head up to the salt Sunday if you want to try my Inazone it feels small on me (but I'm 40lbs fatter). It might help you find out if its the Indian or the arrow. Besides we zonies gotta stick together.
snowhere i think youre right on with what you said. very expensive lesson to learn. diesal 65 would have been the right size fo' sure. rideon ive messed with the outfitting alot. i padded the hips so much it hurt to no avail. i really hate to make excuses but i think this boats just a bit to big for me. one more thing is that with the seat all the way forward and the knee braces all the way back my right knee comes out very easily. or it feels like im barely catching the knee brace. no need beating a dead horse here so im done posting on this one. thanks for the info everyone and to all thinking of buying a kayak, try before you buy!!!
alright if you need to be higher than i suggest a little bit of foam under your butt. it will rise you that extra 1/2" or 1". by the way i paddle a jefe with 76 gal so it shouldn't be a problem for you. you need to work the abs more obviously so keep on working. the foam under the butt should help. im 5'11 165 which is about the same as you also paddle agent 6.2
I honestly don't see how boat size can effect your roll (if you have a good roll) as long as your outfitting is snug.. I am 195 and can hand roll the mega rocker(93gal) with little effort, and my 110 pound daughter learned her roll in the diesel 65..
I am not saying the boat is right or wrong just that with good technique you should be able to roll any boat..
Linear Mode
