Kayaking/Paddleboarding

[Kozo]

I am training for a Paddle Board race.  My GPS does not send correct info to my Versa.  I can shut it off for any other Exercise and just have it use my step count to estimate distance and pace.  But on the water,  I really need the GPS to work to get an accurate pace.  I know other apps like MapMyFitness have kayaking as an option, but I can't wear them on my wrist.  I wonder if the accelerometer on the Versa can be calibrated to tell the difference between a step and an arm stroke of a kayak...or if the Fitbit people could add kayaking and stroke length to their app so that I could use the wearable to estimate my workout.

[WavyDavey]

Hi @Kozo,

Have you considered logging it as Run? The step count will be low, but it should give you pace at least.

[Kozo]

My GPS connection is not accurate (like so many others-some kind of connection problem between the watch and the app).  I have figured out a work around by using accurate stride lengths and the step count with the GPS turned off for the exercise.  (By the way Fitbit people, it's a pain to have to shut it off each time.  Why can't it default to the last use instead of turning itself on everytime?).  The pace is remarkably accurate compared with a Tomtom with GPS that I borrowed.

[Kozo · Accepted solution]

I could create a workaround for kayaking. But I don't want to change the step length back and forth between walking and paddleboarding.  I would think it would be doable to add one more activity and one more custom "length".  I really like the Versa.  And I'm hoping that Fitbit fixes the GPS problems.  Then there would be no discussion.  That GPS thread is frustrating to read.

[Jasonwes]

Following the announcement that fitbit will not add paddleboarding as an exercise type, and all the issues I have had with inaccurate GPS tracking, I have returned my Versa for a refund. 

It seems very odd to me that they feature an activity so heavily in the ads, but have no way of tracking it, and keep advising that we log it manually. This is a bit difficult to do, as the only stat I have is time (No mile posts in the ocean), and some days are easier than others.

Overall, a great disappointment from something that promised so much.

[Melsin]

How should I log stand up paddle boarding and kayaking. Here in Australia sup boarding is the craze every second person has one. My fitbit  just logged me as 66 minutes swimming. Which really messes the calories burned around. It doesn’t seem to log as steps. Or some might

[Gegoddard]

I paddle board quite often myself and would love to know if anyone figured this out or received and answer? I have a Charge 3.

[JTK62]

If you use Strava, you can log your activity as a run from your Fitbit, then after the data is pushed into Strava, you can then reclassify the activity to whatever you want (kayak, paddle board, etc.). 

You calories might be off, but the gps tracking will be accurate and you’ll also have heart rate. 

Hope me that helps! 

[Jaynew24]

I updated my Charge 4 and it said the update included kayaking but I can't find it.  Was anyone able to on the Charge 4?  

[Cher42]

You have to use the outdoor workout option. You can turn the GPS on to track your distance. Even though I checked it constantly throughout my time on the lake this morning, it lost a full hour of my paddle. I'm so disappointed. ☹️

[Minx1606]

Me either and I have the charge 4 too it came up once then never again so no idea what’s happened it’d be good to have as a paddle board a lot