How do we provide the next generation of paddlers access to learn and train on great whitewater?

The answer is that we design and build channels that can be economically constructed and more importantly provide affordable access to kayakers without having to be reliant on the mass market commercial rafting model.  This is certainly the dream of many cities and towns with canoeing and kayaking clubs, as well as national and regional teams and squads – but how is this achievable?

Rapid Water Courses Ltd (www.rapidwatercourses.com) have turned this notion into a reality by making a whitewater channel a product you can buy, off the shelf, for a fixed price.  With this approach a pre-cast concrete, factory produced channel, can be made in a significant production run, in a repeatable economic process with exceptional quality guaranteed throughout.  Add to this the seamless integration of the award winning RapidBlocs 3 dimensional whitewater system and have the ultimate artificial channel solution.

No professional design fees wasted on a fancy curved (and exceptionally expensive to construct) channels dreamed up by well meaning architects in remote offices but a solution produced in minutes on a computer design package from standard channel units, manufactured in a factory and installed on site within weeks of order.
With such a hydraulically efficient channel arrangement combined with the whitewater sculpture potential of the RapidBlocs system, amazing whitewater is produced with a fraction of the energy input of traditional channels.  An efficient channel in this sense is one that converts every precious litre of water lifted by pumps, or held back by a weir on a river, into usable river features for paddlesport and not in to boils, surges, powered up eddies, pressure waves on walls or poor unusable choppy waves.  Efficient low lift pumps can be exploited to keep pump and electricity costs to an absolute minimum.

Pinkston Watersports in Glasgow, Scotland, is one such completed example project.  Targeted at the regional training and skills development market with just 1.5m lift (head) it provides 100m of easy Grade III rapids and a further 120m of moving Grade II water as the flow returns the pumping station.  The 10m wide channel provides good eddies either side and the variable flow, up to 7 cubic metres per second, provides a superb venue for slalom training and racing (National Division 1 races are held on full flow and Division 2 and 3 on reduced flow).  Freestyle training and competition is held on the main channel and also the additional 30m long short course with 3 powerful river features.  Whitewater skills and training are developed on both courses and the channels are used extensively by the Fire and Rescue service for Swiftwater and Flood rescue training scenarios including vehicle rescue.

The whitewater course was designed and constructed for £1 million pounds including pumps, mechanical / electrical works and RapidBloc obstacles in 10 weeks of onsite works.  The process was very much a flat pack “IKEA” process with an assembly of all the factory produced components.

Operationally, the centre charges £60 to £70 per hour including floodlights, water treatment system, changing, showers and parking (discounts for block bookings are also offered).  It is booked through an internet based system and pumps operated locally by a wifi connection by approved and trained external operators and coaches.  Often there is no centre management on site hence this keeps costs down for users, especially for out of normal daytime hours usage.  The actual electrical cost to run the course is even lower and equates to under £30 per hour in electricity at full flow – this puts whitewater channels into the same domain as hiring a 5 a side football pitch for example and at the £60 per hour level charging, 20 people can have an excellent whitewater experience or slalom training for £3 an hour session.  For the first time this makes artificial whitewater sessions an affordable year-round option for clubs, coaches and athletes.  Because the course is hired out exclusively, Pinkston avoids the problems of paddlers from different disciplines, rafts, rescue and beginners being coaches all trying to use the water at the same time.

Such a whitewater performance has led the Pinkston centre to receive exceptional reviews but also corresponding intense usage and resulting performance improvements for local racers.  There has been a rapid expansion in the central belt of Scotland in paddlesports activity as the next generation of paddlers get out and use this pioneering facility.  With the opening of Pinkston, top Scottish athletes are no longer forced to move, but instead opting to train locally, studying at Scottish Universities and helping to inspire the next generation of paddlers who see them training and competing alongside fellow club members.

Recreational and club paddling has also seen a rapid increase due to Pinkston.  Resident club ‘Glasgow Kayak Club’ has seen its membership double since they started operating from the Pinkston Centre.

Pinkston Watersports centre was designed by EPD Limited and for a £3.25million scheme features as well as the whitewater channel; multiple multi-use shipping containers used for club and organisation storage, office space, drying rooms, shop, plus a central changing and administration building with two wet classroom areas all connected together by a architectural tensile canopy and wooden decked walkway . An array of groups have taken up residence in the shipping containers at the centre to exploit both the whitewater channel but also the accompanying clean water basin (a converted shipping dock).  These include kayak clubs; general, university, college, youth groups and schools, canoe slalom clubs, canoe polo teams, triathlon & open water swimmers, system 2 wakeboard toe and also the Fire and Rescue service.

In the first summer of operation, a typical weekly breakdown of activity hours for the centre, including proportion of whitewater course hours:

Links

• Pinkston Watersports: facebook.com/Pinkstonwatersports
• Pinkston Centre design by EPD Limited: epduk.com
• Whitewater channel design and construct: rapidwatercourses.com