| newbie! the best thing for her is to #1 join a rolling class #2 if she has accomplished that, then i would suggest having her join a pool session as she will be able to demo boats for free #3 get her into a boat that is very inexpensive but somewhat current because as she grows as a paddler she will decide if she likes river running, play boating...etc! this can happen very fast if she really likes to paddle. I have way too many friends that dumped a lot of money into a boat and gear that someone recommended to them, only to find that their child did not like the fit of the boat or the length of the paddle. I think a real good piece of advise that someone else gave you was for her to hook up with other women boaters to get all the info and then she can go to the river and kick butt!!!! (beware of some of the boat dealers out there, most of them are very very good-but i have known a few that were just happy to sell something and get it out the door! ) cheers |