Hey all,
I'm thinking of travelling with my friends (4 people) on a camping / boating expedition in northern italy.
My problem is I can't estimate how long it will take. More specifically, I don't know how fast a rowing boat (inflateable intex seahawk) can cover in a day. We will have 2 people per boat, possibly both rowing.
If we wanted to travel along Lake Garda which is 50 km in length, how long will that take? Can it be covered in a few hours?
Thanks
With 2 people rowing you can easily do 50k. In an afternoon
>>691819
Rowing sucks
Rowing an inflatable sucks donkey balls. They paddle like a bathtub.
Canoe or kayak,
>>691819
this piqued my curiosity so I figured it out.
you would be rowing at best 5km/hr
so 10 hours to travel the length of the lake.
That is probably very generous given there are 4 adults + equipment and it's an inflatable.
>>691819
Rowing is very inclement. Physically, it's exhausting. Rowing an inflatable for a whole day is going to suck ass. You'll going to want something you can actually paddle, canoe or kayak.
>>691897
>How did you get this figure?
googled average rowing speed
came back with a knots figure which I put into a knots to km converter.
>>691897
Have you looked for canoe rentals on the place?
>>691899
I tried that, but wasn't sure about the reliability, so wanted to check on someone's experience here
>>691900
No actually... thanks for the idea. I wanted to get a degree of indepence, and then travel down a nearby river, etc. but I'll consider rentals too.
>>691904
Most bodies of water have somewhere on or near them that rents.
I have rowed. I have rowed with a broken oarlock.
Hands will blister. Nothing is worse than having to row with blistered hands. If you're going into the wind and your hands are blistered and you have other frustrated people in your boat it will be the worst day of your life short of losing loved ones.
Yes, it's that bad. I hate rowing with a passion.
>>691913
Can gloves be used to prevent that?
And I know what you mean, I'll ensure stops and rests so people don't start whining.
>>691897
You can get inflatable kayaks and canoes too m8.
>>691916
They can, but your hands will probably still get sweaty and shit, and it's still slow and boring as fuck. Rowing is literally the fucking worst, don't do that shit familia.
>>691916
>gloves
That would be a definite maybe.
Blisters surface when the skin layer rubs against other stuff be it wood, glove material, other layers of skin (I think)
Good fitting gloves may minimize it. Your technique may minimize or worsen it. If you start to blister it's natural to hold the oars lighter which in turn causes more blistering/chafing. Catch 22
The only real preventative measure for blisters is to perform the activity beforehand and strengthen your hands by callousing them.
I know I sound like a broken record but rowing is bad on a good day. I can't stress how miserable it will be on a bad day. I love boats, water, paddling, sailing, skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, etc. The only way I would ever get on a rowboat now would be a life or death situation or knowledge that I'm on it for 5-10 minutes or less.
>>691919
Thanks- I might look into them.
Will they make travelling significantly faster? How long could I hope to cross 50km with an inflatable kayak or canoe?
Aren't they limited in space though? What I intended on doing was doing part rowing, part camping, so we will need to carry our tents + food + all other supplies with us.
>>691929
I'll certainly remember you if I do still go about doing this and end up in a bad situation haha.
>>691937
>significantly faster
1.5 - 2X faster with 1/2 the effort in my opinion.
That 10 hours to cover 50km should be more like 5-6ish but of course that depends on you. If you're out paddling and looking around and laughing, longer, if you're just paddling hauling ass you could make it much quicker.
Canoes have plenty of room for stuff. Just don't flip it over.
Kayaks have a good amount of storage room as well but typically less than a canoe.
Dry sacks are your friend.
Make sure phones and electronics are in waterproof bags as well.
Canoe/kayak camping is the absolute best. I've gone for a week at a time. Not having to lug everything in a pack ~~~ priceless.
With 2 canoes for 4 adults you'll have room for all your gear, tents, and coolers if you want.
I'm currently in the process of planning a canoe expedition in Canada. We have estimated our speed of travel at 4km an hour for the purpose of planning routes. This is because in ideal conditions myself and my partner avarage 5.8km an hour. 4km an hour gives a 30% leeway for unforseen circumstances and a wind allowance. On the notes of gloves, they're not to bad but I'm not a fan because it can cause people to over grip leading to wrist pain and also reduces the "feel" of the water. If you want to keep your hands warm look into pogies. The person than suggested 50km in an afternoon is way way out. That calculation is based on an Olympic rowers pace. I'd say an absolute max for beginners in a day would be about 25km. After all... You need to enjoy it!
>>691939
Alright thanks a lot, I'll certainly look into inflatable canoes.
>How does this piece of shit look
>>691941
I'll see, but might have no choice.
>>691942
Alright thanks a lot! How did you get to 4km/h ? Any rules of thumb etc? And I'll keep the wrist health in mind - hopefully I can gather enough of these little bits of knowledge so that it goes somewhat smoothly. Enjoy your expedition.
>>691946
Speed of 4km an hour was just a safe number under our 5.8km avarage. Almost any body should be able to avarage 3-4 kmph even in an inflatable. Look up what "fetch" is an gain a working knowledge of it before travelling on large lakes otherwise you may become unstuck. For example it looks fine at the top of the lake but the waves have grown to 3ft swells in less than 1km. But other than that. Don't over think it and if you use common sense you will be okay. For a really good resource have a look online at the song of a paddle forum. They will answer all your questions
All these nu males saying they can't paddle 50km in an afternoon.
>>692549
Didn't say couldn't, said it's illogical to set that pace for a camping trip.
Can't and not going to are very different
