Stand Up Paddling

[Carlessly]

Can someone talk me through the logistics?
How does it work if e.g. you paddle down a river so don't go back to where you started? What type of pump do you use? Do you put the pump and carry bag inside a waterproof bag and lash to the board? What about a hand cart - i don't think I could carry everything any great distance, and no way if DC are with me and more than one board. But then how do you transport the trolley?

I haven't ever owned a car OP. Some things aren't possible without one, it's annoying but it's a fact. Paddle boarding as a family of 4 without a car is one of those things. Find a place that hires them out, there are plenty. We don't ever hire 1 per person, the kids take turns.

I'm not sure what you’re asking then?
I'm asking how people sort the logistics if they plan start in one place and end in another.
Or if they don't have a car any more and have to use foot/public transport😩

Are there any clubs you can join? You can store your gear there instead of carrying it about?

My 10yo can carry the board in its bag a short distance and she's quite small!
Its less than her kit for Scout camp for example. Its probably less than my 12yos school bag!

You will need proper waterproof bags for all your kit etc if you want it on the board.

How about inflatable kayaks instead? You would 0bly need two of them.

Sounds impossible in a multitude of ways for your circumstances, then. What other hobbies do you have in mind that could work?

I don’t think it’s possible without a car tbh, sorry. Our 2 paddle boards plus pumps, kit etc fill our (large) car boot. Most people just paddle and return to the same launching point but I’ve occasionally known groups to use 2 cars (one left at each end) for longer coastal paddles.
The only way I could see managing without a car is if you live so close to water you can walk down with inflated boards - a few hundred metres is about as long as I’d fancy carrying ours, they are surprisingly uncomfortable to carry after a short time!
If you’ve never done it before I’d strongly recommend some lessons from a good company on hired boards to see if you like it and get the initial falling in stage done safely!!

But a child is supposed to carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight, so they'd be an adult before they get to around 60kg.
Teens doing DofE (from about 13) carry up to 15kg for hours so once they're tha age they can probably manage their share.

You might be better to join a club that goes out regularly together and can hire boards per session. I can’t see what you want to achieve is possible with that many boards and children, just carrying the buoyancy vests is bulky and awkward. If one of them falls in you are also travelling back with a dripping child unless you are carrying spare clothes too.

I only SUP on the sea, pumping a board up with a manual pump is HARD WORK especially getting the last bit of Psi to make sure the board it properly inflated.

If it’s the exercise aspect you are really doing this for I’d find another activity coz the hardest bit is inflating the board, you’ll need a breather before you actually go out on it 😂 I don’t find SUP massively strenuous (I’ve never broken a sweat) it’s actually more relaxing than anything :-) but it is a marvellous way to get outside and enjoy nature.

SUP looks pretty simple and benign but can go wrong quite quickly. Unless you have experience, understand currents, tides and wind conditions I wouldn’t be putting the kids on a board solo. Not saying you don’t already know these things perhaps you do.

I had three lessons with an instructor before I started flying solo so had some confidence with controlling the board (including falling off! It does happen!), when to know conditions were changing and to head back in quickly etc but as I say I paddle on the sea where it can be unpredictable with changes of wind direction and effect of tides etc.

I take my daughter on a board with me and have a second ankle tether so she is always attached to the board and can’t drift away if she falls in.

I have this sort of bike trailer. I wouldn't take it on a bus or train, it's for using instead of public transport. It's not really lockable, plus a lock adds an extra 5kg.

Honestly, this is not the hobby for you. It's going to be so much stress that you're not going to do it more than once a year. At £100 per board, plus pump and paddles, it's better to hire a board a few times a year.

I live in the Netherlands where everyone can swim really well. We don't wear life jackets on the river and our rivers and canals go through cities with taxis and bus stops. If you can't comfortably swim a 500m, you're not really safe out on open water without supervision. The river starts at the end of my street. I still only use my board a few times a summer because its annoying to blow it up, then dry it out and pack it away.

If you have a lake near by, why not just go with some big inflatables, maybe a neoprene jacket, a picnic and learn about open water swimming. It's much more manageable and actually more fun than just going round and round on a paddle board. Plus you don't have to store the boards!

www.electronic-star.nl/Tuin-Camping/Camping-Trekking/Fietsaanhanger/Follower-fietsaanhanger-16-wiel-35-kg-belastbaar-gewicht-zwart.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXjwpWYsxziBM42SNAghKz4U1cF4tZo_Bkn9Hfk5dBS8NbhrGb3_MNhoCHDwQAvD_BwE

@StamppotAndGravy Off-topic but I'd been looking at trailers like that recently (much more expensive in the UK) and I wondered if your stuff might get really dirty being so close to the road? Also, how are they going downhill? Could you lose control?

Why don't you do a trial run with 1 or 2 boards on flat water... I suspect the kids would get bored for extended periods.

Mine at that age just loved using it as a base to jump off in the sea, the youngest is now 14 and we have started having small 'treks' up or down the river (depending on tide ) but still usually only a couple of hours before they get bored and want to mess about and have fun.

Start slow 1 adult and 1 child with the other 2 having a rest then swap?

Most people start and end in the same place, if it's tidal as others have said it's useful to go against the flow initially when you are fresh and then go with the tide ( or flow of the river on the way back) ( just be aware of tide change times).

Rather than taking everything have you thought about planning a route and stopping at a pub or similar for lunch?

OP medically can’t lift/carry heavy things and has no car and the kids can’t/won’t carry anything. So your suggestion means the husband carries the board and everyone’s food/bouyancy aids etc on the bus and the 20 min walk.

Well, it would serve him right, he sold the car...
I always went lake paddling with the DC and had a picnic/swim/mess around and came back to the car. Now we don't have a car DH says we can go e.g. down the river but he has no clear idea how this will work. I am a very fair weather paddler, especially with the DC. But I also need a solution if I go alone.

I put everything in a big wipe down waterproof holdall. I haven't noticed that it gets particularly dirty, but we use it for camping so everything's dirty anyway.

Hills: no idea, I live in the Netherlands, they don't exist! Mine attaches to the rear axel rather than the seat post, so can't swing out. We've never had a problem breaking for traffic lights etc and it's fine over gently bumps and grass. I think it would be better than a 2-wheeler because it really just follows you like an extra wheel. The 2 wheelers attach higher so can swing and have a bit of a life of their own and can tip on corners.

It's entirely his problem to solve, then 😀
For you alone, one of those wheely shopping bag trolleys could work. Can you get a car yourself and do named driver experience on it if you don't have your own no claims bonus?

Wait- did you post about this before- when he was contemplating selling the car? I can’t remember the exact circumstances but I remember everyone was telling you not to let him sell it as it made your life really difficult because of where you live etc. If it is you, I would not be facilitating him one tiny bit and tbh I’d be considering my options re the relationship. He’s a dick.

but I remember everyone was telling you not to let him sell it as it made your life really difficult because of where you live etc.
Probably. But it needed repairs and that was all the excuse required. Honestly not worth the hassle of him complaining every time something needed doing to it. MIL is horrified we no longer have a car. It's not really facilitating him as if I don't find a way it will only mean we will never go again and that's not something I want to accept! She would probably take us, but it would mean we could only go if the weather is great and she is around and not off doing something herself.

SUP on rivers without a car in the UK is about the worst balance of logistical difficulty and effective exercise I could imagine.

🤣 sorry but this just about sums it up!
How about-
orienteering
running (park run?)
mountain biking
climbing
swimming

instead?

So you not facilitating him meaning you’ll never do your hobby again means you can do your hobby alone, in a tedious manner involving granny style shopping wheels trolley while he parents. Or, you get a car.
You are not a helpless bystander in your own life, passively obeying your husbands choice for him to give up his own car.

The idea is to get some healthy exercise as a family.

Walks? Swims? Tennis? Kick a ball in the park, Badminton? Public transport to the hire place & hire some paddling equipment once there.