Kayaking In Thailand

[madyakka]

Hi I just moved to Nakhonsawan last month and looking for like minded people to go kayaking and have a few beers with after .just drop me a line all replies and enquiries welcome,

regards

Dave

[madjbs]

Whitewater?

[madyakka]

Whitewater?

I have done mainly sea kayaking and a little white water,I Intend to paddle around this area mainly (slow moving rivers and lakes)but im keen on trips further afield,I am a competant kayaker with a bombproof eskimo roll.

regards

Dave

[phallang]

Whitewater?

Is there any whitewater in Nakhonsawan? Mountains? If yes please let me know and i might consider a trip up north...

In the meantime i'm always ready for any WW-action in the South, just need a kayak ;-)

Well, i have a C2-Raft, i.e. an inflatable 2-person canoe which is suitable up to WW3/4, but for one the rivers here are most of the times too narrow for it's length, and then after some trip in Switzerland my wife is somehow scared to partner.

So i either need a partner for C2ing and / or am seriously looking to buy a second-hand (or even new) K1 whitewater kayak. (Btw, they sell a new Perception in Siam Paragon at THB39.000)...

Btw, i'm based inbetween Krabi and Nakhorn Sri Thammarat, got GPS and a 4WD-Vigo, so might explore some unknown terrain also :-)

waiting for any comments / inspirations....

Marco

[madjbs]

The only decent whitewater I know of is in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai. I am also looking to do some whitewater but I dont have a kayak here and I havent seen any for sale. What shop in paragon did you see the perception?

I think the problem is finding decent rivers that arnt in the middle of the jungle. There is quite a few companys in the north that do kayaking so I guess they would be a good start to get some info from.

Jake

[phallang]

Yep. at least the Mae Taeng close to Chaing Mai is really nice stuff. abouzt 50% of rapid were undoable with my C2-rubber-thing and an unexperienced partner, so i guess it was like WWIV or so... the local rafting operator is also renting Kayaks by the way, (once i'm in the north again i will check, maybe they sell some scond hand??).

But down South are a couple of options also, although usually just short strips. Especially here in Nakhorn Sri Thammarath Mountain Range (highest peak in southern thailand!!!) i know at least 3 "klongs" that would be real challenging - after some hours of rain. All these are quite accessible but just 2-4 km long... [today just returned from a warm-up trip on the headwater`of the tapi-river. The 3-4 km right before the place where we started, see attached picture, are undoable with my wife, but otherwise should be real fun...]

There's one close to Phang-Na also, they do commercial rafting for Phuket tourists there. I visited it out of curiousity last week during a reainy period and i wouldn't have done it - think of WWIV but without any break. (Some operators don't even supply paddles to their guests ;-)) It might be worth another visit durying some less wet season (they have dam there where they "collect" water for their commercial trips in the dry season, and then release it when they do a trip) [see attached pic!]

In Kao Sok National-park is some kind of river also, at least they do offer commercial trips in C2/C3s (and tubes if i remember correctly). I will join such a trip soon just to know the place

The Perception in Siam Paragon i saw in the Sports-Department of Siam Paragon Department Store.

Jake, in which area do you live / are on holidays?

Marco

[madyakka]

Is there any whitewater in Nakhonsawan? Mountains? If yes please let me know and i might consider a trip up north...

Hi Marco there is plenty of water in Nakhonsawan ,3 rivers converge to make the Chao Phraya which runs down the heart of the country through Bangkok and to the sea and also Bung Borapet Thailands largest fresh water lake.However I am unaware of any white water in the area as yet.

I am waiting on my boat coming from NZ and have been looking for retailers here but so far no luck,

regards

Dave

[madjbs]

I live in Bangkok, so not very near any decent rivers . I didnt know you could rent out boats in Chiang Mai, sounds like a trip up there may be in order. Any idea what grade rivers they have up there and are they actually any good?

Jake

[phallang]

Well i definitely can confirm that the Mae Taeng is a 3-4, possibly 4+ river. That is for the "accessible" stretch they also do the rafting tours on, but it's said to be quite interesting further up in the jungle from some obscure "karen village", but might need to get your boat there by elephant;-) But still, the section from Sop Kai to idontknow is well worth a visit. Try to google for Mae Taeng and you probably will find some contacts of the foreigner running the raftig / kayaking there..

Then there is the "Ob Luang" Canyon south of Chiang/Mai near "Hot", quite short but there's definitely whitewater inside, but since it's a real canyon i've no idea what else ;-) We paddeld a strectch after the canyon which was just like WW2-3, but still nice landscape.

Ah wait, i think i do have some pics of these places, check the attachments.

There's possibly more but they are about the only ones i found some info on through heavy googling.

And, if for some reason you happen to visit Siam Paragon and check out the Perception, ask them if they give a discount if you (and me)'d buy 2 at a time..

Marco

[Jimjim]

That looks like some rocky rafting.

I too like kayaking but I've only ever practiced in lakes. I've never down whitewater but would love to do so sometime. Saw a recent news story about a very experienced kayaker drowning in Idaho (experienced on the stretch, too), though, so that scares me off sometimes. Idaho has some of the best whitewater in the States, by the way.

I read somewhere online about an American in Thailand who had lived in Thailand for over 20 years or so, spent a few years living in one of those wood houses by the river in Bangkok (must have been dirt cheap). It says he also thoroughly explored the Chao Phraya and it's offshoots far up north of Bangkok (up to Ayutthya?, probably) in a kayak. Anyway, I've always thought a good thing to do would be to raise money for some good cause by having a bunch of kayakers kayak from Bangkok To Ayutthya. We'd figure out the kilometers and each participant would try to get people to pledge so much per kilometer they paddle.

[mindweave]

If you can figure out where to buy or rent kayaks- count me in on a trip from Bangkok To Ayutthya!!

[Pundi64]

Hi I just moved to Nakhonsawan last month and looking for like minded people to go kayaking and have a few beers with after .just drop me a line all replies and enquiries welcome,

regards

Dave

Where exactly do you live? I am down here in Hau Hin, and also looking for people with fiberglass or plastic sea touring kayaks to go river, ocean, or lake adventuring. I ow a 17' fiberglass boat, which makes it faster then sit on top kayaks, where people paddle for an hour or so, then want to go home. I like longer trips, 20 km or in that neighborhood, venturing out to some small islands off Hau Hin area. If you like to talk more contact me-

[madyakka]

Hi I just moved to Nakhonsawan last month and looking for like minded people to go kayaking and have a few beers with after .just drop me a line all replies and enquiries welcome,

regards

Dave

Where exactly do you live? I am down here in Hau Hin, and also looking for people with fiberglass or plastic sea touring kayaks to go river, ocean, or lake adventuring. I ow a 17' fiberglass boat, which makes it faster then sit on top kayaks, where people paddle for an hour or so, then want to go home. I like longer trips, 20 km or in that neighborhood, venturing out to some small islands off Hau Hin area. If you like to talk more contact me-

HI PUNDI64 I LIVE IN NAKHONSAWAN CITY 2.5 HOURS NORTH OF BANGKOK,WHEN MY BOAT ARRIVES FROM NEW ZEALAND (FEATHERCRAFT KHATSALANO) I WILL BE KEEN ON GOING FOR A PADDLE .I WILL BE DOWN THAT WAY FROM TIME TO TIME SO WE CAN GET IN TOUCH FOR A TRIP AT SOME POINT.WHATS THE PADDLING LIKE DOWN THERE?WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?

[phallang]

Hi there,

if you're still looking for some new sea- or whitewater canoes / kayaks, have a look at http://www.feelfreekayak.com

They not only produce and sell their own range of (mainly sea-) kayaks, but also stock some Perception- / Pyranha whitewater kayaks.

Just today i bought my new Pyranha "H3" directly from their warehouse / factory in Bangkok (Bang Plee Area) at a 40% promotional discount.

If you're interested, call Mr. Pokpong at 08 98952919, ( his english is probably better than mine...)

[madjbs]

Thats great news. How much did you pay for a H3?

[phallang]

Thats great news. How much did you pay for a H3?

32421 THB incl. VAT, + 800 THB for shipping down south to NST

[madjbs]

Not bad at all, do you know what other boats they had in?

[phallang]

there was at least another H3 (but the small 235 model), two S6Fs, some "bigger" pyranha (i can't remember the model - just a little bit more wide and long than the H3), a Perception 3D, that's what he showed my "physically".

He's got probably some other models (there was an about 20 items list, however not all of them whitewater-ones...) but the H3 was exactly what i was looking for.

Just call Mr. Pokpong or write an email to info (at) feelfreekayak.com, he's extremely helpful!

Btw. he told me that this 40% Promotion will run until end of this year.

[phallang]

Been to the upper Tapi River (In Nakhorn Sri Thammarath Province) with my new H3 today.

However, the stretch further up from the spot you see in the vid, is definitely grade IV and i'd prefer to have at least one partner to do it....

Nobody in the south want to join?

[H2oDunc]

Hi, Ive got 2 New Feel Free move kayaks for sale with life jackets and oars on Thaivisa classified if anybody is looking for any Boght them to go exploring and never got round to it. Seems a waste them just sitting there