TT Kayaking Club

“Just got my favorite email topic... "REI Oakbrook Has Your Order". Damn... and I am stuck in Palo-Alto the next 3 days.”

“My kayak hasn't seen water this year. And, will prolly remain locked up for another month or two. But later this summer, she'll find her new home in Lake Superior, as well as many of the Upper Peninsula's beautiful rivers and inland lakes. Ahhhhhhh...”

“Never mind, I did a bunch of research and found my answer.”

“I just got back from REI with my new kayak. Man, is it ever pretty! I am so eager to put it in the water. I am really glad I paid the extra for the fiberglass.

The car mount was a little tricky to install, but I got it up there. It is cool. It has gas struts and lifts the kayak to the top of the car or lets it gently back down. You only have to lift the boat up to about waist height on the side and rest it in the cradle. I was a little worried driving with it for the first time, but after I got going I realized I wasn't going to have any problems.”

“...and where are the pics???????”

“... ungh, good point! I'll try and take some photos today.”

“Took my kayak out on its maiden voyage on Saturday. 12 miles down Antietam Creek (http://www.antietamcreek.com/lowermap.htm) in western MD. Took about 5.5 hours of float time, very nice. However, adding in drive time and shuttling I didn't get home until 11:30 that night. I was a very tired boy on Sunday.”

“Outstanding!”

“Both of you strap them puppies to the roof and hoof it on down to the Elk River on June 3rd!”

“That's like a 9-10 hour drive for me so odds are I won't be able to make it, but don't doubt I would like to attend the event.”

“Glad you enjoyed it tech, you simply cant beat a day kayaking, better than hiking by far.

Jimmy what color di ya get yours in.

We havent been out in 2-3 wks and it sucks. Work is conspiring to eat my free time. The appetite seems insatiable now.”

“It's fiberglass, white on the bottom and yeller on the top. It's purty. The documentation that comes with the boat says it's kevlar/fiberglass composite but it looks like fiberglass to me. I'll be in it for many hours this weekend seeing if I can remember how to use it. I only learned like 4-5 strokes and how to right myself when tipped over (the hip flip thing, but I don't know what it's called anymore). I'll prolly drown. I bought a bilge pump just in case... :)

The water on the lake outside my front yard is shallow, a 2-4 feet deep then drops off gradually. Good place to play around.”

“sounds nice. Thats cool that you have a place to paddle and work on technique. Enjoy.”

“Wish I could ST, but I'm already slated to go out again on the 10th. And I have about 4 more cords of wood waiting to be split so I think I'm going to be sitting in front of a splitter that day.”

“Jimmy San, thry this place for paddling info....

paddling.net”

“Practice your bracing more than your rolls. It's best to not need to roll. =)

Does anyone else think up corny names for their kayaks and coanoes? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours....”

“forward/reverse
power
back stroke
draw
roll (thanks supertroll)

that's about all I remember other than I do recall bracing. it was a long time ago.

i'll go get "kayaks for dummies" or something like that perhaps. we'll see if it all comes back to me.”

“Took the new kayak out on two mornings this weekend. The first trip I went from my front yard up to a boat launch a few miles north along the shore. The second day I went a little further but went south to a public beach and back, mostly along the shore. On the return trip I got brave and went further into the open water.

Hilarious. I was woefully prepared. I had the kayak , PFD, paddle, and water.

For my first day I stuck to water that I knew was less than 6' deep. I had a great time. I did really well. The boat did feel a little "tippy" at first, but as I got used to the kayak that went away... that is to say I think the "tippy" thing was in me and not in the boat. Anyway, when I got back I was in front of my house and decided to see how many strokes it would take to make a 90 degree turn from South to West. I leaned into the turn and made three solid strokes but on the fourth tipped the boat over. Wet exit on my first day! I pulled myself out of the boat with no problem, just a scrape on my leg. I stood up (the water was 4' deep) and laughed it off. Then I tried to get back into the boat. I was unable to do so and after a few attempts, laughing all the time, I finally gave up.

Well, I learned my lesson there. I am sure I could have gotten back into the boat if I had a float.

I was a little concerned about going out the second day but the weather was nice. I reminded myself that I was going to be way closer to shore than when I go swimming in the lake and I would have a PFD on. No wet exit on this trip. It was great. The water was choppy and there were a lot of other boats (Memorial Day weekend). There were wakes all over at times and I got pitched around a bit at times. The Southern part of the lake is near a large harbor and can be quite busy.

I really loved the skeg. I tinkered with it playing with how far I would lower the skeg and seeing what the boat would do based on the wind and waves. It's amazing the difference in how easy it is to maintain a course but clearly one has to know how far to lower the skeg to get the optimal effect.

The paddle worked well. No complaints there. I disliked the feeling of the paddle when my hands got wet but it didn't seem to hinder performance. It was just the "feel" of having on hand wet and the other dry that was annoying.

I let the kids paddle it around just off the beach at my house. They had a blast! My youngest looked hilarious. He would hold the paddle over his head at first but soon he was paddling back and forth, turning, backing up. My wife said he was a "natural" and I am inclined to believe it. He took right to it. My oldest son and daughter also had fun but didn't take right to it like my little one.

I made webbing straps to hang the kayak in my boathouse and after hosing it down and sopping up the bilge put the boat away for the week.

Only injury is a cut thumb and sore wrist from the "wet exit". I am not sure how I did either. My wrist is really sore and my wife things I may have broken it. I am not sure but it hurts like hell. I may go to have an x-ray done if the swelling doesn't go down. Strictly speaking it's not the wrist itself, but the forearm. There is a pronounced swelling in a spot but no bruise. I would think that if I struck it with enough force to break the bone that I would have made some sort of mark or bruise but there is none. Weird.

Anyway, I was comfortable in my boat but ill prepared. I have a list of things to buy (a paddle float is high on the list along with a day of practice using it next week on the lake).
last edited: 5/29/06 9:37:26 PM”

“Jimmy San, your first couple times out sounded fun. Dumping was a good thing I'd say. Getting a feel for a boat should be wet. We practice dumping and re-entry often. The "cowboy" re-entry is easy, you pull your self onto the rear deck, stay low on your stomach and crawl forward with your legs straddlingthe boat drop your legs into the cockpit and sit up. Dont need a float either. Its hard with a rudder though. Glad you like the boat and skeg setup.

Went to a small beach yesterday and took Abbies kayak for her. She practiced lots and had fun, some othetr kids enjoyed it too. No paddling for us though....

Happy paddling and keep your nose over your navel.”

“Its hard with a rudder though

I would imagine!

I will give it a shot. I would imagine it would be tricky if you had lots of junk lashed to the bulkhead or choppy water. Well, I can imagine a lot of things given only two days of practical experience... ;)”

“Spent Saturday leading a Canoe trip (took my yak and had another leader in another yak) had a blast...really enjoy those times getting wet with the boat.”

“going to x-ray my arm tomorrow afternoon. the ortho tech thinks i broke it. it really hurts where I smacked it during the dump from my kayak. The arm is actually shaped weird where it hurts. I thought it was just swelling from it getting banged but there is no bruise and it hurts like crazy. The skin goes from "normal" to puffy and shiny. The guy laughed when I said this and claimed it was prolly broken. I have been chugging naproxen and using ice on it, which helps a lot.

What luck... well I can only hope it's not broken. This is bad karma my first time out on my boat. Funny thing was I paddled on the second day. It hurt but I figured it wasn't so painful I couldn't get past it.”

“Bummer Jimmy, I hope its not too messed up. Have you tried alcohol, it helps.”

“it's shiny and red now, hurts like a SOB. i get it x-rayed tomorrow afternoon. alcohol sounds good. i have to type and use the mouse all day and it's misery.”

“Can you drink at work?”

“actually yes i can”

“I think you know the answer then.”

“hehe”

“Hope it heals up quick JimmySan!


Sierra Trading post has an awesome kids kayack shaped like a crocodile right now. $199.



A metropark nearby (the one Birch and I love to paddle at) has a super cool fireworks display every year. We just figured out we'll be able to go and watch them from the middle of the lake this year. Little B will be in Florida visiting her auntie. =D”

“Just got a new bit of paddling gear. Picked up a Pentax Optio W10 waterproof digital camera. It can actually shoot pictures underwater, up to five feet deep and in 30 minute incriments. Taking pictures while kayaking has just gotten soooo much easier.



JimmySan....what's the news on yer wrist?”

“Good news: My arm is not broken.

Bad news: I crushed some 'tube' in my arm that a bunch of tendons are in. I am not much on anatomy but it feels as bad as it sounds. I am in a soft cast for a few weeks. I guess after it heals there is some question as to if it will be wide enough for all the tendons. If not then it is surgery... but the doc said that is a remote chance.

The cast is a PITA and no kayak for a few weeks at least. Bummr... I just started having fun!”

“Rats! Sometimes soft tissue injuries can be longer and more difficult to heal than bones. Hang in there. I can relate to how you feel, physically. When I had tendinitis I thought I'd broken my foot for sure. This junk takes a long time to heal as there's little blood flow to tendons, etc. Hope yours goes extra fast!”

“$395.00

http://www.tucktech.com/

”

“http://www.paddlefest.org/

Fun for the whole family!! Dhutch and Birch and Little B will race. I'll be there to cheer.”

“sounds kinky.... sure that's safe to click on behind my company firewall?”

“Pretty certain.”

“Got my own PFD and paddle last night. The inaugural run of my kayak was with borrowed PFD and paddle. Going out on a 6-person excursion this Saturday and needed my own stuff since all the lendable stuff is being taken by everyone else. I ended up spending about 2/3 what I spent on the kayak, ouch!”

“Just wait till you find you haven't got it all yet....”

“Haha, oh Lordy that's for sure. I haven't bought much (paddle, PDF, pump, paddle leash) but I can see it costing a fortune if you aren't creative... just like backpacking.”

“Today should be the day my Prijon Yukon Expedition arrives. I have many big river trips planned, including some remote multi-week fly-in adventures in Alaska and Canada. Oh yaaaa! Life is good®.”

“SuperT - LOL, yeah, I was eyeing up some dry bags while I was at REI, but after the sticker shock on the paddle and PFD I held off. Man, a grand+ for packpacking gear over the years, half a grand for kayaking gear... I ain't taking up any more outdoor sports any time soon.”

“GPS....Chart cases for maps, Water shoes..(Chota MukLuk Lights), Kayak cart, Tilley Hat, Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Paddling Gloves, before you know it, you need a new Garage...LMAO.”

“Shoot, just be glad your wives don't want to do everything you do (or in our case get you into kayaking). Two times everything is quite alot. Good thing about kayaking stuff is it doesn't break down or bust or get lost easily. My $179 paddle and $150 pfd are still going strong after 5 years. The kayak I replaced paid for itself and made me about $300 so it worked out well.”

“i am looking at the perception carolina. what do we think about this boat? i intend to use it on lakes, ponds, and rivers. the rivers i speak of are generally flat, slower moving rivers, with the occassional class I rapid.

i don't know much about kayaks, but they seem to be for one type of water only. im hoping i won't have to have 2 kayaks if i don't intend to go on any rough water. is this the case?”

“It's the perfect kayak to go anywhere ductape. Holds it's value real well for resale and upgrade too.

The perception carolina should do well in big water and some of the lower class rapids.

The only time you need a much different boat is pretty much for whitewater. Rivers and lakes and oceans can all be handled by one big old touring kayak.
last edited: 6/08/06 6:53:31 PM”

“Birch and I traded ours in only because we wanted to do more paddling in the great lakes, and wanted skegs instead of rudders, a longer, narrower boat for more speed. The carolinas served us well for four years and as I said earlier, we made money when we sold them.”

“ductape,

Don't fear the long boat. It will be fine in class I and better on the lakes.”

“Long is good for kayaks.”

“I paddle it, sometimes with, sometimes without Outriggers, depending on whether I'm planning on using the sail on a trip.

http://community.webshots.com/album/549155742WqMgFt

I've done an 80 Mile Stretch of the Tennessee River, and within the next week will start another different 60 mile stretch.....planning to do a little more back water exploration than I did on the last stretch.

Great Boat for the use I put it to...I plan to upgrade for retirement (36 Months and counting)......Then I 'm planning to do the entire length of the Intercoastal Waterway...
last edited: 6/09/06 7:34:14 AM”

“All 3,000 miles?! How cool!

Birch and I bought maps for the section on the Gulf side of FL. The only difficulty there is there is little fresh water anywhere. You have to carry it all.”