I am a Product Design student at Nottingham Trent University, I'm currently looking into designing a boat which will serve as the ideal boat to introduce very young children nto canoesport. Currently I am unaware of any equipment sutable for the age group I am proposing (3 years plus) and I also think there is scope for child friendly design as opposed to miniaturisation of adult boats.

I am putting the idea onto this forum to try to get a view from within the canoeing world, particularly from parents, but also from coaches and paddlers aswell.

The main points I'm keen to find out about are:

What age do people currently start paddling? and what are club rules on this? Is the ability to swim neccesary?

What age would parents be happy to allow heir children to go paddling? And what would make them feel hapier in letting them go? (Some suggestions: Self righting boats, outriggers, swimming pools, any other suggestions?)

Has anyone found any equipment suitable for young children out there already? Could it be better?

What would be te develpmental pros and cons for very young children going paddling?

Any feedback is gratefully received and please feel free to open the topic up to as many avenues of children paddling as you like, the list is by no means ALL I want to know, just what I think I want to know at the moment!

Thanks

James

Fluid make a little sit on top for children:
www.fluidkayaks.co.za/rec_kayaks/vaya.html

I'm pretty sure there are other manufacturers too. Check out the Jackson kayak website, I think they have something, not sure. Good luck.

I started when I was 19, so I'm not the first person to claim experience with kayakking as a kid, but 3 years sounds really quite young, at least for any activity other than riding allong with mommy or daddy. Sure, they ride a tricicle by then, so paddling should be possible, and if the parents stay close enough tipping over shouldn't be too much of a problem provided they wear a floatation vest. (With a sit on top at least, stay clear from anything that makes stuff the kid has to do part of his/her safety.) Getting them to stay balanced might prove harder, so it will probably take quite a wide boat for them to stay on it most of the time, which is not going to be the easiest thing ever to paddle, especially in a straight line. But it's just for fun anyway, so why not...

Have you spoke to Phil Hadley at West Mids BCU? He started his kids paddling about that age and adapted kit for them. I recently had a 3year old paddling in an open canoe with it's mum, fitted him with a 100N lifejacket that is designed for infants, so swimming not an issue.

The problem with putting young children in boats in anything over class 1 is that they havent really got their fear proccesses worked out, they seem to ether be fearless which leads to big scares, or too frightened to enjoy what is goin on. I started when i was 12 but really didnt love kayaking untill i was around 16, mainly because it scared me too much. Another freind of mine started young and got good reasonably fast but got dragged over some rocks upside down in a class 2/3 slalom course and didn't paddle again untill he was in his twenties.

In sea kayaking I sometimes see children ride along in the gear hatches on easy water and fishing trips, so maybe some way of making that a better experiance?

i think as long as a kid can walk/crawl it is old enough to paddle on flat water/lakes with close supervision or even swimiing pools. i think the idea of a sit on top would be best as theres no way of getting stuck and getting them out of thwe water and back in the boat would be quick as i imagine theyd get cold pretty quick. i dont know of anything specificlaly directed as kids that young but now i think there should be . good luck finding some parents who feel the same way. oh by the way i started paddling when i was 5 and that was in a kayak i never got stuck.