Mastering Your Kayak Roll

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKayaking can be a fun, leisurely sport. A nice paddle down a creek, or through a bay can be relaxing and enjoyable. With a low center of gravity and a wide stance with your paddle, a kayak is relatively stable and maneuverable in calm water. But what happens when the water around you isn’t still as glass?  What happens when you find yourself at the top of a rapid, or in the trough of a wave about to crash? We all know that in nature, things can turn on a dime, and that is why there is no substitute for being prepared. When biking you wear a helmet, when your skiing you wear goggles, and when you Kayak, you learn to roll!

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Whether you are faring the sea, or paddleing a river or creek, it is a MUST to know how to roll. The Roll has many variations, but in its essence is the righting or ones kayak by their own force. In order to do this, you need to be in a kayak skirt, which acts as a membrane between the inside of the kayak and the water, so long as you remain in your boat. Given a situation where your boat were to flip, as a result of a water hazard, or wave, the operator would try to roll the boat to prevent having to wet exit. Wet exits are more often not a viable option as the boat will then fill with water and inevitabley sink, and you will be left to swim!

All of the procedures listed below can be found along with video guides at the National River Suppy Website: http://www.nrs.com

Sweep Roll– The sweep roll is a two step motion from a safety position, designed to keep you out of harms way while inverted. Place your paddle parallel to your boat, with your hand gripped in normal position, and your body leaned out from under the kayak as clost to the surface as possible. This is to keep your head and body from hazards under the water. The most important thing to remember when kayaking is not to let go of your paddle. Though it may be disorienting to be upside down and underwater, your paddle is your tool to right your boat; do not let go! Although it is possible to roll without a paddle, it is not recommended you rely on this technique for whitewater sitiuations.

 

Mid Roll

Mid Roll

From the safety position, the Sweep Roll is a two step motion: a sweep of your paddle out from your kayak, and a snap of your hip. You will want to keep your rear elbow close to your body and sweep out in a wide angle from your boat in order to give yourself a tilt upward. Follow through with the snap of your hip to catch the movement of the boat to its side and commit to the full roll. Keep your eye on the right blade to prevent your head from lifting and countering your momentum. This is not a one and done trial. You will want to watch a video and go to a controlled area like a pond or a pool to practice with a friend. Your friend can right your boat for you if you fail to roll to prevent the hassle of wet exiting and draining your boat every time. Don’t be discouraged, the roll takes time, but once learned, is easy to improve upon and solidify technique!

Offside Roll– The offside roll is just what you think.  All boaters have a strong side when rolling, but when the situation calls for you to roll on your offside, you had better be ready! The offside roll is essential to practice and master before attempting large river trips, and whitewater with tight passages or shallow rocky bottoms.

River Roll

River Roll

C To C Roll– The C to C roll is similar to the Sweep Roll, but breaks the roll down into two specific motions, one, and then the other. To set up, go to your safety position with your paddle to the side of your boat, power side up, your right elbow close to your body and your head forward and to the surface. Bring your paddle perpendicular to your boat and press down with the right paddle. At the peak of this push with your paddle, snap your hip; you will feel the boat with your snap and know you have reached as far as your hip snap will take you. Follow through with your body leaned back over the bow of the boat. Once again keep an eye on your right paddle the whole time to keep your head down.

Sea kayak roll

Sea kayak roll

As you might have guessed, sea kayaks differ greatly from creek kayaks, which are different than river kayaks.  The design of each boat will dictate how easy the boat is to flip. Sea kayaks generally have narrower bottoms with higher sloped sides that a riverboat or creek boat. This makes them harder to roll than a riverboat. Depending on your boat, it is crucial to match the timing of your hip snap to when the boat reaches its maximum angle from the paddle thrust.

 

 

 

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