Welcome to the Tayside Sea Kayak Club
About Us
Based in Broughty Ferry by Dundee at the mouth of the Tay, the Tayside Sea Kayak Club is an active paddle sports club with over 100 members. We paddle weekly during the summer season on Tuesday nights and most weekends we have day and multi-day paddles all over Scotland. The club is a great place to gain new skills as we regularly run courses during the season (both on and off the water).
Membership
The Tayside Sea Kayak Club welcomes experienced and beginner paddlers to join our active club.
Membership provides an opportunity to:
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Expand your skills: We offer training resources and equipment to help you reach your paddling ambitions.
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Connect with fellow enthusiasts: Join a friendly group of like-minded people who share a passion for sea kayaking.
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Discover new areas: Explore coastlines and lochs on day trips and multi-day paddles across Scotland.
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Enjoy regular paddles: The club meets for a social paddle from our clubhouse at Broughty Ferry most Tuesday evenings between April and September.
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Membership Eligibility:
We welcome applications from experienced paddlers who meet one of the following criteria:
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Hold a Paddle Scotland Sea Kayak Award or higher (old 3 star) or equivalent qualification.
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Possess UKCC level 1 or above coaching awards.
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Have relevant sea kayaking experience and competence but do not hold qualifications.
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All applicants will be subject to an assessment by the club’s coaches on the Tay at Broughty Ferry.
​Beginner Membership
We’re always happy to see new people taking an interest in paddling, and our club is keen to encourage beginners. At the moment, however, we have a large group of semi-experienced paddlers who are partway through their training, and in 2026 our volunteer instructors need to focus on helping them progress. Because most of our coaching is provided by volunteers, we unfortunately don’t have the capacity to run beginner training just now.
That said, we still want to help you get started. If you contact the Membership Secretary using the link below, we can send you a list of guiding companies we know and recommend - professional coaches who can help you gain those essential early skills at a pace that suits you.
If you’d like, we can also add your name to our stand-by list so we can get in touch as soon as circumstances change and we’re able to offer beginner training again.
Once you’ve learned the basics, you’ll be very welcome to continue your paddling journey with us. Our club coaches and leaders are on hand to support your development and offer plenty of opportunities to build your experience in a friendly and encouraging environment.
Please note that new members who already have some experience but have not recently achieved at least the Paddle Scotland Sea Kayak Award (or an equivalent qualification), will need a short assessment with one of our qualified members before becoming full club members.
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Ready to Join?
Get in touch to learn more about membership and upcoming events.
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Membership Cost
Annual membership is £25. We have a secure boat lock-up and (space permitting) can store kayaks for members for £60 per year.​The course for beginners is £125 and this includes membership for the year. If you hire club boats, fill in THIS FORM and we'll bill you at the end of the season. Hire costs for kayaks is £7.50 for an evening, £15 for a full day, and £30 for a weekend.
Club Equipment
We have a fleet of 14 boats for all sizes of paddler available for hire, with paddles, wet-suits, spray decks and other equipment. Members get access to hire all the kit for their own use. ​
If you've hired some kit and still have to pay for that, use THIS FORM to log the hire and we'll bill you at the end of the season.
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If you are hiring kit, please be aware of the club rules for hiring equipment.
Contact Us
Contact the Membership Secretary (Phil Butler) using the form here. Please also let him know if you are an experienced kayaker (describing your experience) or a beginner.
Frequently Asked Questions and Useful Links
What equipment do I need?
There are plenty of resources on line that list what you'll need depending on your experience and type of trip you're doing. See this list for an example.
Do you have a list of good online resources?
Say no more! A list of general planning tools are contained in this document.
For trainers, the PADDLERS PROGRESS and the FURTHER NOTES are useful companions for gauging trainee progress.
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Want to improve your roll? The ROLLING TOOLBAG and some extra ROLLING TIPS have you covered.
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Useful links for finding independent trips and training suggested by our members:
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Our Constitution is here.
Our Standard Operating Procedures are here.
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