Boating

Current Chairs

Whitewater chairs: DanDavis. Flatwater chair: TBD

Guidelines For All Trips

Opportunities For Beginners

The outing club offers opportunities to learn and practice paddling throughout the year. From spring through fall, weekly paddling sessions are held on Beebe Lake before the Outing Club meeting each week. Please double-check with the weekly outing club minutes to make sure that paddling is happening this week.

In the winter, we organize several pool session where you can practice whitewater and flatwater skills in the Helen Newman Pool. A schedule of these pool sessions and information on how to organize them is available at: PoolSessions.

Equipment

The outing club can provide most of the gear you need for paddling on whitewater or flatwater, including:

• canoes
• kayaks
• paddles
• sprayskirts
• PFDs
• helmets
• wetsuits
• sprayjackets
• neoprene booties

For more information on available gear, please review our complete boating inventory.

On any trip you should bring the following personal gear:

• bathing suit
• water
• sealed snack (e.g. granola bar) that can fit in the pocket of your PFD

Gear needs vary depending on the activity:

For Kayaking

• kayak
• paddle
• sprayskirt
• PFDs
• helmet
• wetsuit
• sprayjacket
• neoprene booties

For Canoeing

• canoe
• paddles
• PFDs
• neoprene booties or sandals

Depending on Conditions

• sunblock
• synthetic, silk, or wool layers for warmth; no cotton- it does not insulate when wet
• extra pair of contacts or glasses for contacts-wearers

Guidelines for Whitewater Trips

Paddling opportunities

• Come out and paddle on Beebe Lake before the meeting, every Tuesday at 5:30, from April through October. If you are interested in learning to paddle on whitewater, this is a great time to learn and practice different strokes and rolls.
• Local learning spots include upper Fall Creek and the power plant. The club periodically runs beginner whitewater trips to these locations.
• In the winter, we organize several pool session where you can practice whitewater and flatwater skills in the Helen Newman Pool. A schedule of these pool sessions is available at: PoolSessions.

River guidelines

• The whitewater chair maintains a list of people approved to lead club whitewater trips. The list is posted in Japes. All club-members are welcome to lead a whitewater trip if they seek out a co-leader from the list.
• All trip participants must wear a PFD (personal flotation device) and helmet at all times when on or near the water.

Safety guidelines

Whitewater kayaking carries a high level of risk if paddlers are not properly acquainted with safe river-running techniques. These safety guidelines are intended as a reference only. They are not meant as a substitute for experience and good instruction.

Guidelines for Flatwater Trips

Where to Go

There are numerous destinations, including:

• Local destinations Beebe Lake, Cayuga Lake, Kayuta Lake, Lamoka-Waneta Lake
• Regional rivers TioughniogaRiver, Chenango, Upper Delaware, Upper Susquehanna
• Within a few hours 2,000 lakes and ponds in the Adirondack park include St. Regis Canoe Area, Cranberry Lake, Whitney Wilderness Area, Oswegatchie River, Lows Lake, Saranac Lakes, Sacandaga River

Find information about these and other places in the club library or ask the paddling chair(s) for advice.

Camping in New York State

• Camping is permitted on most state land managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) so long as you camp at least 150 feet from roads, trails, and bodies of water. Contact DEC for more information about specific routes and they can tell you where camping is permitted.
• Camping is not permitted in State Parks (this does not apply to the Adirondacks and Catskills where camping is permitted on almost all public land)