Kayaking

[Quillfred]

I have found kayaking to be a great adjunct to cycling, giving my upper body a nice workout. For years I windsurfed on the local lake but over time it took its toll on my back and I had to quit. As a child I developed a love for kayaking as my dad would take my out in the SF Bay. A couple of years ago I bought a well-used glass boat from an acquaintance.

Since I decided a few months ago to store my kayaknear a lake (with much easier access), I have been kayaking much more. The summer this year in Seattle has produced many warm sunny days and getting out in the boat has proved irresistable.

Up until yesterday, I had been using a wood paddle which did the job but left me with a fair amount of tendonitis (my guess) in my elbow. Nice new paddles seem expensive so I finally snagged a wonderful glass Swift (made by Eddyline - a Washington company). It made all the difference in the world. I was able to go much further in less time with better access to varying strokes.

Ah, the best of both worlds! :)

[chickwhorips]

windsurfing question for you. my BF windsurfs and he told me if i get a wetsuit he'll teach me.

what is a good women's wetsuit for windsurfing?

[Quillfred]

In Alaska, I'd imagine the best wetsuit would be a drysuit. BBBrrrrr. In Seattle I used what is called a Farmer John. It is a one-piece sleeveless.

[chickwhorips]

ya it is pretty chilly up here. i figured a full sleeved 5 mm probably should work. don't plan on doing anything in the dead of winter. i'm not that crazy.

[KnottedYet]

Try NRS (Northwest River Sports) for good, sturdy, no frills, cheap wetsuits. I'm very happy with mine.

www.nrsweb.com

[Bad JuJu]

Hey, Quillfred--I got a Swift paddle for my birthday last year--love love love it! Is yours one of the ones with a fabric inlay? Mine is Spiderclouds--a design of red/gold clouds with spiderwebs.

[Quillfred]

Hey, Quillfred--I got a Swift paddle for my birthday last year--love love love it! Is yours one of the ones with a fabric inlay? Mine is Spiderclouds--a design of red/gold clouds with spiderwebs.

That is very cool! Did you design it? Mine is a straight red. I just love that paddle.

I got a later start on Saturday and came back in the dark. oops :o The store/kayak shed was closed for the night and I had to stash it overnight. But it was worth it. Most of the boats, save a few sailboats were gone and the sunset lighting was exquisite. I'll carry a headlamp next paddle.

We get so much power boat and jet ski traffic on our lake here I feel like a bike commuter around SUVs. The paddle does have good visability as I stood it on end and waved it several times. A friend with a small sailboat actually got hit by a motor boat last summer and got hurt so I am cautious.

It looks like you are in Northern Florida. Have you ever paddled on the Suwannee? I would love to go there sometime. A friend has seen manatees there and raves about it.

http://www.suwanneeriverchamber.com/thingstodo.htm

[Bad JuJu]

Quillfred-That design is one of the designs that Swift offers in its paddles--they have lots of cool ones, and it was so hard to choose.

I've never paddled the Suwannee but would like to some time. I have seen manatees when paddling (and snorkeling) in Crystal River, which is farther south on the Gulf Coast.

Re: power boat traffic, you can get reflective tape to put on your paddle blades that makes them even MORE visible. I have these on mine because I paddle a lot on a bay and the jetskis and waverunners sometimes go crazy!:eek:

[ClockworkOrange]

Hey, Quillfred--I got a Swift paddle for my birthday last year--love love love it! Is yours one of the ones with a fabric inlay? Mine is Spiderclouds--a design of red/gold clouds with spiderwebs.

That paddle is so smart, really cool.

I would love to try canoeing but have a bad back, so have to be a bit careful. However, now please don't laugh but have seen a really smart looking inflatable canoe, I think it's a Sevylor Colorado kayak. If I get one, I would love to have a similar paddle to yours:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/penguins.jpg

Thanx for introducing me to yet something else really different ie Spiderclouds.

Sally

[Bad JuJu]

LOVE those penguins, Sally! See that's what I mean--it was so hard to choose what design I wanted on my paddle.

And I would never laugh at somebody's idea of how to get out on the water, well except at our local annual bathtub races.:D Just get out there however you can! There are also folding boats. I have a persnickety back, too, and I find that kayaking actually feels good.

[Quillfred]

For a few years I had the most basic Sevylor rowboat. It cost $30-40 (or 21 BPS) that I loved as it afforded me access to the two lakes here.

Transporting it was a breeze. I just didn't go further out than I was prepared to swim.

[tulip]

It's a few months before I'll be in the water, but I've taken a serious shine to sea/flat kayaking over the past several years. Last summer I took a series of progressive kayaking lessons and have decided to get a boat of my own. I have access to water at a place where I can keep the boat. Now I just have to find financing...(still have to take care of getting out of this rental and into a condo first) but by the end of the summer, I fully expect to have a boat and all the fixins.

I've paddled and really like the Wildnerness Systems Tempest. We'll see if i can find a used one for a reasonable price.

[rocknrollgirl]

Tulip, I have a Tempest and I love it. I highly recommend the boat.

[Quillfred]

That's very cool Tulip. By flat water, does that mean touring as opposed to surfing waves?

I still need to take touring lessons. I have yet to try salt water and won't until I learn reentry et all. Not knowing how to swim was previously holding me back. Once I rejoin the Mountaineers, a local outdoorsy group, I will have run out of excuses.

My boat is an older fiberglass touring model I bought from a friend. If I were to buy one now, I'd check out Craigslist. eBay is good to educate re: prices for used boats--unless you want to buy new.

[tulip]

I've never kayaked in surf waves. I'm near the Chesapeake Bay, so that's where I paddle.

I'm pretty comfortable with self-rescues, but I need to practice my rolls. I will only practice rolling with other experienced paddlers, though, or in a pool with spotters.

Being close to the Bay means there are several good outfitters that sell new and used boats. I'll start there, and look at Craigs List, too.

[invsblwmn]

We do most of our kayaking in rivers and streams here in PA. My best kayaking buddy died 12-30-08 and I miss her like the dickens. We are going for a memorial paddle on her birthday in April and I hope my body is ready to go. My Dad gave me a pakboat. 20 lbs with accessories. Love it! It folds up into a bag that I can bungee to the back of my motorcycle or throw in the trunk of a car, yet it is sturdy enough to handle all the rapids I have been in like a charm. Glad to see some fellow kayakers here. (BTW, that's not me in the pic :) Just my boat in the bag.)

[OakLeaf]

How tall are you Tulip? I do some flatwater paddling down here - after renting a number of boats I wound up with a Wilderness Tsunami 140 and was happy at first. Unfortunately the more I paddle it the more I realize the cockpit is just too deep for my 5'3". I wind up whacking my knuckles on the gunwales, constantly. I tried putting a pad on the seat to raise me up, but that just puts my knees out of alignment :(

[tulip]

I'm not surprised that the Tsunami is too big for you at 5'3". It's wide and it's deep. I have paddled in a Wilderness Tsunami 140 alot, and it's just to big for me. In fact, when I try to roll, I simply fall out. It's too wide and I can't brace my thighs adequately to do the hip flick thing to roll. I can do it other boats, though. I'm 5'6", but only 125 lbs, so I'm narrow. The Tempest is much more to my liking.

Another thing about the Tsunami that I didn't like is that the seatback gets in the way of re-entries. I found myself having to do some rather unladylike maneuvers to get back in the cockpit (more unladylike than usual, that is).

But thanks for the suggestion. The Tsunami is a great boat for alot of people, just too big for me.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I am prepared to take the plunge and buy a kayak. I live on a cove (for now) and I think I want a sit on top kayak and want one for two people. The ones I'm looking at are 34 inches wide (Ocean Kayak and Future Beach Nexus)- but the Ocean is 12 ft long and Future Beach is 13 ft 4 inches long.

So here is my question:

1) can you still paddle these alone? I heard they are easier to paddle for beginners alone because they track straighter.

2) are they stable? I have read that the 34 inch wide sit on top ones are almost impossible to tip.

3) and the paddles- the dual paddle or the single paddle? I think the dual paddle looks more like for white water or surf and would rather have the single paddle. I can go on the other side of my 'island' and ride the surf (not much most of the time) but I'm not that inclined.

[7rider]

Check out http://www.paddling.net/ for buyer's guides, product reviews, places to paddle, articles, etc.

[tulip]

I am prepared to take the plunge and buy a kayak. I live on a cove (for now) and I think I want a sit on top kayak and want one for two people. The ones I'm looking at are 34 inches wide (Ocean Kayak and Future Beach Nexus)- but the Ocean is 12 ft long and Future Beach is 13 ft 4 inches long.

So here is my question:

1) can you still paddle these alone? I heard they are easier to paddle for beginners alone because they track straighter.

2) are they stable? I have read that the 34 inch wide sit on top ones are almost impossible to tip.

3) and the paddles- the dual paddle or the single paddle? I think the dual paddle looks more like for white water or surf and would rather have the single paddle. I can go on the other side of my 'island' and ride the surf (not much most of the time) but I'm not that inclined.

I can't hlep you with #1. I guess a tandem would be paddleable by one person, but it'll be awfully long (and heavy to get down to the water).

most sit-on-tops are extremely stable, but you shouldn't stand up or jump around in them.

kayaking is a dual paddle sport. If you want one paddle, get a canoe. In fact, a canoe might really be more what you are looking for.

Have fun. Still haven't gotten my kayak yet...house first, and that's well on its way.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

thanks tulip! I live right on the water so I'm just going to leave it right on the cove. I don't think I'll be bouncing around in it so it should work. Just like mtn biking, you can get the entry level one at Dicks for $450 or spend a few thousand...I'll probably get the entry level one and then if I really get into it then maybe I'll look for a better one.

It's funny because I've seen people paddle with one sided paddles here. I saw the two sided ones and thought...that looks a little kooky..haha...no, not a canoe, they are too cumbersome...

[tulip]

kayaking (with the double paddle) is quite graceful. I've found that I can go fast and maneuver quite well, better than in canoe (with one paddle). I took a summer-long kayak course last year and got pretty proficient. But without a boat, I can't practice, so I'll probably have to start over again when I get a boat. Got the water, just no boat. I guess the water is the hard part, though.

I'm sure you'll have a great time on your kayak in the cove.

[DejaBlue]

Ive always wanted to kayak it sounds like fun

[MrsB]

My hubby and I love to take the dogs out kayaking. Havent been to much this summer though. Hiking and biking have taken up alot of our time. Heres a couple pics of the kayaks w/dogs...
Greta in the single with me
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm156/Hvaclu_2008/049-2.jpg
Brody in the tandem(he doesnt fit in the singles anymore)
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm156/Hvaclu_2008/KAYAK027.jpg

[Tuckervill]

If you're going to leave it near the lake, and it's plastic, you'll have to shelter it from the sun. The sun breaks them down if they're left out.

I put my Zeke dog in the front of mine, too, but he didn't really like it. He likes canoeing, though.

Karen

[Aint Doody]

I'm picking up my very first kayak tomorrow at REI. I've been a few times and have loved it. It's an Old Town Vapor 10 (it was on sale). At 10 feet it'll fit inside my van. I'm really excited. We have a reservoir about 7 miles out from town that is beautiful where I plan to do most of my kayaking. I have a very good friend who's quite proficient who'll help me get going. I'm soooo excited.:D I'll report back to y'all.

[Aint Doody]

Oh, wow! What fun I had. 3 friends and I paddled out on our local reservoir that is really high because of all the snow in the mts. In one area we enjoyed watching a huge group of cormorants. There were 19 nests in this one tree. I can't wait to get back out.

[tulip]

Oh, that sounds like such fun! I want a kayak, and it won't be THIS summer, either. STUPID HOUSE RENOVATION!!

(whew, that feels better)

[Aint Doody]

Tulip, you come see me and I'll let you use my kayak.

[SlowButSteady]

Can anyone suggest an easy way to get a kayak on top of a pickup truck?

I have a 14.5 foot touring kayak and a Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.

I can help a tall person manuever it onto the truck, but at 5' 2" I'm useless at trying to get it up there.

Hence, I can't take it anywhere. :(

I know there are systems for hoisting them but I'm pretty maxed out on my spending (bikes take priority) so it would have to be cheap. No one at any of the local backpacking type stores has been helpful. They just throw me a catalog.

[Cataboo]

What type of bars do you have? Do you have the kayaking cradles?

I have yakima bars with hully rollers on the back (but I think if you put some pieces of plastic pipe over yakima round bars, you could simulate rollers) on my subaru and I've got mako saddles on the front.

I have the yakima bar end loaded bar that is an extension bar that pulls out of the end of my yakima bars.... So I pull htat bar out, then I rest the kayak standing on it's tip against the bar...

Then I just have to pick up the bottom end of the kayak and slide it forward onto the bar end loader... There's a slight lift to lift the end of the kayak on to the rollers in the back.

I think you could do all of this without the cradles and the rollers - but the bar end loader's kinda necessary. I'm 5'1 and can manage getting 2 kayaks on my subaru without any problem, even if I'm parked on a hill that makes the subaru relatively taller to get the boat on.

i sort of think if you had a bar end loader on the back of your pickup bars and your boat standing up on it, you could either stand in the bed of your pickup or on the back tailgate, pick the kayak up by it's cockpit and slide it forward.

To tie down my kayak I spend a lot of time standing on the tires of my car or on the back bumper or just inside the doors.

[Aint Doody]

I went out on our small reservoir today. It was like glass. I paddled around and saw 3 owl children. They were out of the nest on a limb. Then there were the cormorant nests--eggs haven't yet hatched. I also saw about 20 deer, several ospreys, a pair of mallards, some coots, 3 pelicans, and a few magpies. Then on the way back toward the launching area, I saw a Baltimore oriole. He was gorgeous. I think that's only about the 2nd one I've ever seen in my whole juicy life.