Safety and comfort for open water swimming practice can be greatly enhanced by taking a pedal boat along. With someone in it, piloting it alongside the swimmer, of course! I haven’t spent a lot of time in open water, but I have been accompanied by a jet boat, a canoe, and a pedal boat (not all at once). I prefer the pedal boat.
Pros:
- There are no gas fumes in the water
- It is quiet
- It is comfortable to swim right next to it, thus the swimmer is less vulnerable to motor boats
- It does not tip over when the swimmer comes aboard after swimming
- It does not create a wake
- It is easy to hold onto for a short rest
- Swimmer can be part of the pedal power on the way back for a great cool down
- It can be used as a low stress supplemental pedaling workout
- The dog likes it…
Possible inconveniences:
- It doesn’t go very fast
- It is challenging to pace it for more than one swimmer if their speeds are very different
- A short ladder may be needed to make it easier to get in from the water (I have managed it without one so far)
- It takes some practice to learn to steer it
- More than 3 people in it can make it very slow
Pedaling the pedal boat is very relaxing for me and I have taken my husband fishing with it a number of times, as well. He says I can talk about what ever I want to while I’m pedaling him around the lake, so you can see that pedal boats are good for marriage, too!
