Kayaking

[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 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!

[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:



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. 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.