Paddle club out to beat record - and hypothermia

The 20 paddlers will hit the water at 6pm to try to overtake the 24-hour dragon boat record of 175.5 kilometres by a British Masters crew. But with an overnight low of four degrees forecast, it won't be easy.

Two of the Komodo crew, David Miller and wife Kristin Chick, were part of a crew that previously held the record at 168km and they want it back.

''Our general aim is to take that record out and, if possible, try to push beyond the 200-kilometre mark, which will be a substantial mark if the planets manage to align,'' Miller said.

''We've learned a whole lot of lessons … planning our breaks, planning nutrition, hydration, clothing, especially with the weather we're looking at.

''We may be enacting our contingency plan for colder weather and potentially have to deal with hypothermia during the night.''

Despite having to paddle for 24 hours, Miller had no problem finding people to put their hand up.

''They do think I'm crazy, but the way I timed it, I actually made the announcement four or five hours into our club presentation night, so it was a matter of plying them with alcohol first, and then springing the surprise on them,'' he explained.

With strict rules governing the record attempt, the club has had to find independent scrutineers.

''We are bringing a marine surveyor in on Friday who will actually survey our Guinness course and certify and sign off on how long the course is,'' Miller said.

''Then during the 24 hours all the independent volunteers come [down] and their job is to verify each lap that we finish.''

The crew will be based at Commonwealth Place, with their route taking them on six-kilometre laps of the lake.

''All going well, we expect to break the record between 4pm and 5.30pm on Saturday,'' Miller said.

''Sunday will be a slow and possibly painful day but a few beers after the attempt should ease the pain.''