A bicycle-style cable lock is good enough to secure a cart most places. My thinking is if they really want it, they're going to take it no matter what you do, so something flimsy to deter the casual thieves is as good as something heavy-duty.
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A bicycle-style cable lock is good enough to secure a cart most places. My thinking is if they really want it, they're going to take it no matter what you do, so something flimsy to deter the casual thieves is as good as something heavy-duty.
NoNo--congratulations!!! That is so exciting. Like Oakleaf, I found the Tsunami 145 to be way too big for me, so much so that I would literally just fall out whenever I attempted rolls. I had no problem rolling in the WS Tempest 165, though. Love that boat. Glad the 135 is a good for for you. I didn't know they made a smaller size.
The Hullavator is great invention, too. While I think I could get a kayak on my VW Rabbit without one, it sure would be easier with one. If I had a taller car, I'd definitely have to go with the Hullavator.
Alas, I still am kayakless, a full nine years after I fell in love with the sport. I rent kayaks from time to time, but it's not the same as having one of ones own. And to think that I live less than a mile from the James River, and also spend alot of time on the Chesapeake Bay! This has got to change!
WS actually has several kayaks that are woman/small-frame specific, as well as some that are large-paddler specific. I think that's a great idea.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
I have a Mazda 3 wagon, and while it's not as tall as an SUV, I still couldn't reach the middle of the roof while washing it yesterday.:rolleyes: Really, though, if I hadn't found the Hullavator for the price I did, I don't think I would have gotten it.
I live a mile from Long Island Sound, as well as the Branford River, and tons of marsh land. The Thimble Islands are off my town and I'd love to paddle around those. I see there are several kayak clubs in the area, and they require some kind of training before you can join them on the ocean, so I'm going to sign up for a basics class.
The exciting (and important) part to me is that it's actually paid for, and not just thrown on a credit card. That's a huge change for me and has made the hours of building up my soap business worth it.:)
LPH - you've got a prijon, those tend to be heavier plastic in general, but great boats. I've had a prijon yukon expedition, a tandem, and a barracuda.
The wilderness systems boats have a lot softer plastic, tend to oil can a lot more and scratch very easily.
Tulip, I'm keeping you in mind for when I decide what to do with my boats. I picked up a fiberglass kayak a few weeks ago, so I'll most likely be selling either my tempest 165 or my perception avatar (15.5 feet long) in the next couple months. I don't think I need 3 kayaks. The avatar's a great small person boat, greenland deisgn, so very fun, very responsive - but doesn't quite hold as much gear, not quite as fast as a longer boat, and being as responsive is a bit squirrelier to track if you have any imperfections in your paddling stroke (it does have a skeg) ... but the boat is amazingly fun and stable on waves/chop. The tempest is a lot more predictable and stable of a boat, which makes it somewhat boring at times - holds a bunch more gear, is a bit faster with the longer length, not as responsive to lean turns or paddling imperfections, and scratches more easily than any plastic kayak I've ever seen.
That girl is going to mess up the hood of her car with that method. Odd because she HAS the Hully Rollers at the back end of her car... where she could just roll the boat up and onto the saddles in the front. She is making way too much work for herself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catriona
Thanks for keeping me in mind, Catriona. I'll keep playing the lottery :rolleyes: FWIW, if I were to get a boat, I would use it for paddling around, not for camping, at least not at first. I like paddling fast, rolling, and playing (never played in waves yet), but I do need to revisit my skills with a lesson before I go out and have too much fun. I like paddling quietly in marshes, too. Let's talk once you decide what to do.
Tulip, one of these days we gotta get together - and you can try either boat.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
Possibly in the next couple weeks i'll have a good idea of which boat or whether both should go. Then I'll be sentimental for a while and not want to get rid of either. But it's always nice to pass gear on to someone who's actually going to use it!
If you want to refresh your skills - maybe go over to cpa kayaker forums and look at their sk102 workshop - it's going to be at Lake Anna a weekend from now.
I've decided I'm going to get a spray skirt. This is the one I'm leaning towards, I'm open to any suggestions: http://store.kayakcentre.com/browse.cfm/4,1162.html
That's the shop I bought everything from, so I would get 10% off. Saturday is fast approaching, and the temps are quickly dropping. *sigh* Some day it'll be warm enough to take out....:rolleyes:
That's a nice spray skirt, especially if you are in cold weather, and should do very well when rolling. But, if you are not going in cold weather, not expecting to roll, you may find it very hot. I am only able to use my neoprene skirt in the winter (and I DON'T roll), because it's just too hot inside the boat with it at any other time of the year. YMMVQuote:
Originally Posted by NoNo
There's also this one on Sierra Trading Post: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,...ray-Skirt.html. I'm not sure if it will fit right, though. My cockpit measures 35x18.5", and this fits 35x19" on the low end. Some of the reviews say it runs small, so I think I might be ok. Doesn't help that Harmony doesn't have that model on their site, so I can't check if it will fit my boat.
Nono, the sierra trading post one is probably fine - you can always tie the elastic band a little tighter if you need to do so.
I went paddling yesterday evening (unfortunately 'cause it was windy & rainy) with a guy who had a set of hulluvators on his roof rack - I asked him how he liked them, he complained that they were prone to mechanical problems and that thule really didn't stand behind their product to repair them especially given the price they charge for that system.
he was on the short side and loading the boat on to a honda crv - the boat he was using was 24 lbs (skin on frame), and his other boat's about 40 lbs (kevlar) - so he's definitely not stressing the hulluvator with a lot of weight.
When (notice I said "when" and not "if") I get a kayak, I'm going to look into rigging up some sort of bike trailer since I live less than a mile from a kayak launch spot on the river. I've seen a cyclist towing a whitewater kayak, but not a flatwater kayak (loooong).
Interesting. I definitely looked at some reviews and there were definitely some negative ones, specifically about the arms not staying locked down when they're lowered. But then there were reviews from people that had had it for several years with no problems. I think as with any product, individual results will vary, and I'm taking a chance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catriona
For the price I guess I'll order the STP skirt and give it a try. I'm not planning on going out in rough waters, but I should have some kind of protection. And the large one comes in yellow, so it will match my kayak!:p
Julie, that would be impressive to see someone hauling a regular sized kayak with their bike!:eek:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4639681_n.jpg
The guy at the shop was very happy that my dad had installed the rack last week and that he didn't have to install it in the raw drizzle that fell all day. I ended up getting the Seals Sea Sprite skirt. It's a breathable nylon, but it also has a zip the length of the tunnel so I can vent if I want. They had a cheaper nylon skirt, but I didn't like how it cinched around my torso. It had a buckle system, sort of like tightening a backpack. The one I went with has velcro on both sides, providing a much tighter fit on my small torso.
They talked me through the process of strapping it down. After some trepidation, I got going on the highway and soon felt pretty comfortable. It didn't budge a bit, though it does create an annoying whistle, like listening to a tea kettle for an hour and a half:(
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5070013_n.jpg
Once I got home, it took just minutes to untie, lower, and carry it into the house.:) I was very happy with the Hullavator, it made the process a breeze. I had stopped by my aunt's on the way home, so I did get to practice taking it down and tying it up. Must have done alright, as I drove on the highway without anything falling off. I go back to the store May 15 for the intro class, where I'll learn basic techniques and wet exits. In the meantime, I'll have an expensive cat toy sitting in my house.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4657589_n.jpg
OOoohhh, nice!! I love the cat sitting inside :D Congratulations!
A kayak trailer for bikes does exist, a swedish company called Vitudden makes one. I am dearly longing to buy one, even if I have nowhere where it would make sense to use it... :p
http://www.vitudden.com/transport_3_se.php
A little way down on this page is a picture of a homemade bike trailer, but he also explains that all you really need is a regular kayak cart, and a rigid pole attached to the pannier rack on your bike to "pick up" the front end of your kayak, with a bungy cord or similar.
http://www.google.no/imgres?imgurl=h...26tbs%3Disch:1