Kayaking

[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.

[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

[DejaBlue]

Ive always wanted to kayak it sounds like fun