Inspired by blogger and instagrammer Kirsty Leanne Travels—who included us in her Ultimate Guide to Shrewsbury—and after answering the questions and concerns of customers over the years, we have put together this guide on size and weight limits on our standard fleet.
Plus-Size Canoeing
Canoes have a high load capacity and are the easiest craft to get in and out of.
Seating Position
In a Canadian-style canoe, you will be sat on a bench seat.
Weight Limit
While a canoe has a maximum load capacity of 450 kg, in practice this doesn’t mean that if there are two paddlers, you simply divide this capacity by two.
As a general rule, the maximum weight of a single paddler in one of our canoes is 18½ stone / 120 kg.
Weight Distribution
Another practical consideration is the difference in weight between the front and back seat of the canoe. If in the back seat (the heaviest paddler is always at the back) is, say, a parent who weighs 110 kg, it would not be wise for them to come just with their 10-year-old weighing only 32 kg. In this case, what we would advise is to persuade another adult to accompany you and then the two adults can sit front and back and the child can go in the middle.
“If you’re looking for some fun, get away from Shrewsbury and explore the Shropshire countryside. Canoeing is a great way to do so without having to be super fit! There are loads of companies that can help you hire out equipment/boats etc., but I recommend Hire A Canoe as they were incredible when I last visited!“
– Kirsty Leanne Travels
Plus-Size Kayaking
Your centre of gravity when kayaking is the lowest of the three paddle sports, this can be reassuring for the nervous paddler!
Seating Position
In a kayak, the moulded seat is on the bottom of the craft, so you end up sitting on or just above or below the surface of the water with your legs out in front of you.
Weight Limit
Our sit-in kayaks (Venture Flex 11) have an XL semi-enclosed cockpit. These kayaks are hired without spray decks and are only suitable for people with prior experience paddling a sit-in kayak. The manufacturer’s recommended maximum paddler weight is 120 kg.
Our sit-on-top kayaks (coming soon! Production delays have pushed back the delivery date for our 2022 fleet) have a recommended maximum paddler weight of 130 kg and can be hired with no previous experience necessary.
“Amazing day on the river, so easy even for someone nervous or inexperienced”
– Ben C., Tripadvisor
Plus-Size Stand-Up Paddle Boarding
If you are happy to fall in the water, consider trying paddle boarding. This is a sport you can take at your own speed. If you want to stay sitting or kneeling on the board, you can! When you are ready to stand up, the board will be ready to glide you across the surface of the water.
Paddling Position
Just because it is called a stand-up paddle board, you don’t have to stand up straight away! You can kneel down or kneel up until you get your bearings.
Weight Limit
Our fleet of stand-up paddle boards are hard boards that naturally sit lower in the water. They come in three sizes and our 11’6″ boards are suitable for paddlers up to 110 kg.
“Absolutely loved our trip with the paddleboards – it was torrential rain, thunder and lightening but didn’t stop us having fun !
The wetsuits kept us warm – very friendly people – can’t wait to go again – thanks for an amazing experience“
– shadinad, Tripadvisor
Buoyancy Aids
We have a wide range of buoyancy aid sizes up to sizes XL/XXL and 3XL/4XL, which are suitable for chest sizes up to 135 cm and 150 cm respectively.
Wetsuits
We do not provide or recommend wetsuits for kayaking or canoeing and they are optional for paddle boarding activities. You are welcome to wear something you are comfortable in like leggings and a T-shirt and you will be given a buoyancy aid to wear on top. Alternatively you can bring your own wetsuit or use one of ours.
We have wetsuits up to size XXL, suitable for chest sizes up to 115 cm. Please note that these wetsuits are unisex and as such the chest, waist and hip ratio leans towards an inverted triangle body shape.
“Two novice adults and a nervous teenager had a wonderful experience […]
Clear instructions were given on the river bank before we headed off , which made us all feel at ease“
– Nik K., Tripadvisor
FAQs
A recap of the content of this article in question-and-answer format.
While our canoes have a maximum load capacity of 450 kg, in practice this doesn’t mean that if there are two paddlers, you can simply divide this capacity by two.
As a general rule, the maximum weight per paddler in one of our canoes is 18½ stone or 120 kg.
For our sit-in kayaks (Venture Flex 11), the manufacturer’s recommended maximum paddler weight is 120 kg.
Our sit-on-top kayaks (Pyranha Fusion) have a recommended maximum paddler weight of 130 kg and can be hired with no previous experience necessary.
Our fleet of stand-up paddle boards come in three sizes and our 11’6″ boards are suitable for paddlers up to 110 kg.
Yes and no. There is a size limit for our buoyancy aids in terms of chest circumference. We have a wide range of buoyancy aid sizes up to sizes XL/XXL and 3XL/4XL, which are suitable for chest sizes up to 135 cm and 150 cm respectively. 
Leave a Reply