Charlie wrote:

Caveats first, I'm mainly a tourer rather than WW, though I do do some
WW and surf. And I'm not an Expert, so bear that in mind and don't take
it as anything like Final Word.

A cag (I'm thinking semi dry, I don't like being wet, and I fall in alot!)

Things I look for in a cag... primarily, does the cut allow me full arm
movement with relative comfort? Sit in a boat with it on and have a
good stretch with a paddle in your hands. I don't see any reason not to
get a twin waisted one as they keep out the water better. I prefer less
elaborate cuff and neck seals for touring, but in whitewater I'm very
happy to borrow a pal's with dry seals, as WW is not about comfort to
anything like the same extent as sea touring!

A buoyancy aid (How much buoyancy should I get? Should I go for one with a
harness? Is it a case of the more you spend, the more change it will have
of saving your life?)

Not really to any significant degree, I'd think: anything you get is
likely to keep you afloat, the differences in price are more about extra
whistles and bells. I really value pockets, but OTOH I'm a tourer who
only does the occasional WW trip. You can do without a harness unless
you're likely to be towing people out of stuff: not too likely if you're
just getting started, and BAs don't last forever so you can worry about
a harness when you need one. Most important thing is comfort: like the
cag, try stuff on sat in a boat and see how free they leave you to move
as you want.

A paddle (I've been borrowing the clubs basic ones. What feather should I
get if I want to do basic whitewater and basic surf? Also, does my height
affect the length of the shaft? I'm 5ft tall!)

Major can of worms, and specific advice of exactly what to get is
probably unhelpful... As well as feather you've got blade shape and
materials of the blades and shaft.

Paddle length will relate to height indirectly, as it's more about
leverage, so where you hold the shaft and your paddling style. Lendal's
website has some guide figures, suggesting typical ranges for
disciplines. Surfing they have 185-195, rodeo 195-204 and river 200-208.

Stiffer shafts allow more efficient paddling, but are more fatiguing to
use over a day. Strength of the shaft can be increased by throwing
money at it, but even the basic glass shafts are pretty strong.

For surf an asymmetric blade may well get you accelerating better, which
is handy, but OTOH that's probably less useful than a fuller blade in WW
control strokes, so you choose, you lose...

Blade material is something where you throw money at it to get something
lighter and/or stronger. Stronger and lighter are both better, but
you're talking a lot of money for a full monty set of blades.

Feather is down to personal preference to quite a degree. Lighter
feathers mean a bit less work for your control wrist but a bit more air
resistance to pushing the blade ahead, and rolling on the non-control
side takes a bit or re-acquaintance. If you're happy with the paddles
you've borrowed, get something the same. If you find your control wrist
is suffering a bit, maybe try something a little lower, though if you
can borrow some alternatives and try them before you make up your mind
that might be a cunning plan.

Don't despair if that seems like a lot, as if you get a cheapish pair
they should still be fine for getting going and can be a spare in
future. If you've got a Lendal shaft you can get a Paddlok centre join
and just relegate them to use as emergency splits in the future, once
you've decided what you /really/ want. Another nice thing about the
Paddlok setup is you can easily change blades in future (I started off
with cheap(der) polypro blades and upgraded to carbon/nylon without
having to change the shaft, and bought an "empty" shaft to use the old
blades on as splits).

I think that's it! Yell if I've left anything out.

You may wish to add a throwbag and some sort of footwear. And a thermos
flask!

I'm looking for general advise about purchasing

Bottom line is Try It On.
Beware anyone saying you Must Get Brand X Model Z. It might suit /them/
perfectly, but that doesn't mean it will suit you. This is especially
true of fit to body. On a similar line, further note that although
women are different shapes from men, women are also different shapes to
other women: "Women's Design" is not /necessarily/ better for you than
"Unisex", though it may well be, which gets us back to Try It On, which
is where we came in.

Happy shopping!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/