Kayaking

Was down in the Metro Town Mall today…20% off kayaks for anyone lookin'…Atmosphere/SportChek

Decided to upgrade our paddles…H2O-ECO

Straight Glass
220
Fast Ferrule

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwvuDlC5rNc

ya werner [HTML_REMOVED] aquabound have gone to similar center joints and its about time my bro who has spent about 1 year out of the last 10 in a kayak has actualy worn out the center joint in one of those old paddles it is now SO sloppy he is just using the paddle for a spare, I bought the cheap paddle for a spare so it sits bungied to the deck

I have compared the cheap werners with the expensive werner and what you get for the extra coin is that while the blade pulls the same the expensive foam core blade floats when you put it in the water, also the shaft feels just a little better/better profile so I didn't get any blisters this trip, the CF makes it lighter weight and a thing of beauty to look at so the paddle is actualy displayed in my living room during winter

http://www.mec.ca/product/5019-709/standard-horizon-hx280s-vhf-radio/?h=10+50004[HTML_REMOVED]f=10+50004+50047

These ^^^ VHF radios which are essential on the coast, for a big crossing like a 5hr paddle to dundas island you don't wana be out there when the widn hitsand you don't want to be exposed when you need to hole up, I would listen every day to the updates at 17:00 after we were off the water to plan the next 3 days cuz you never want to be on the water in bad weather with no where to beach

Canada Day in the Bunsby Islands

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WW kayaking looks fun, id like to try it, but i hate touring in a kayak. its way harder to generate power with your legs straight out in-front of you, the small seat backs kill my lower back and my knees and hips get stiff with there limited movement. knees and ankles can get stiff kneeling in a canoe for a long time but it way easier on my back and shoulders and you only need to kneel in wind or rough water.

its just as easy for me to paddle a canoe designed for solo paddling as a kayak and i could use a kayak paddle if i wanted to in the canoe. for ocean touring you can get a really high quality clipper sea tripper with a spray deck for way cheaper than a kayak and it would be just as capable and more maneuverable, just might be a little slower in a wind.

you don't put your legs straight out in front of you, you splay your legs apart [HTML_REMOVED] put your knees up in the padded area under the deck on either side of the cockpit rim so you can use them to tilt the hull/turn the boat/roll if you have to

so including each hip pad [HTML_REMOVED] ass cheek/each foot peg/each knee pad your body has 6 points of contact with the boat and then you can move or straighten 1 or both legs to keep circulation going

WW or touring you need to be tight in the boat that means mini cell hip pads and I tilt the front of the seat way up, 4" higher than the back by gluing minicell wedges under the seat to put my knees up under the deck, because the outfitting is totaly dialed I have no problem sitting in my kayak for 7 hrs if I can't get out and have to sit there

The friends I have who want to paddle open boats in the occean don't go out in the same places we do even with spray decks

the most i have done is 75km over 3 days ocean kayaking, it was pretty calm the whole time and i was in a borrowed Necky tandem polymer boat and the cockpit could have been set up better. i hand my knees tucked up on either side of the cockpit which does give great control and i would pull the spray skirt off to lift my knees up out of the boat and get the circulation going but my hips and back would be sore after 2 or 3 hours.

you can use you legs to tilt and turn the same in a canoe with a foot brace and your knees pressed up to the gunwales. kayaks are set up for rolling which is why i would prefer one for WW but in a tandem kayak i don't like how the bow paddler also has so much control of the tilt. i would be more hesitant to do a long ocean crossing in a canoe because if a cross wind came up it would affect the canoe a lot more then a kayak.

i don't really like paddling in the ocean anyway so don't have any experience on rough sea's but i can solo an open canoe across grant narrows in a cross wind with white caps without getting wet and without to much effort.

I've always outfitted my WW boats, most people don't outfit a seakayak but IME its key to power transmission and a comfortable boat

I might paddle 20-30 kms a day or 5-7 hrs not big numbers but I got lots of time, I think more about scoring a nice place to camp or sheltered camping if a storm is coming than how far I paddled and sometimes you want to base what you are doing on the tides especialy if you are solo

The thing with a kayak is in rough water/wind/rain/cold you are sealed in the boat so its less wet/warmer/more comfy and you can get some pretty rough/short/choppy water on inland lakes

A kayak usually has a rudder or drop down skeg to make for better tracking in a crosswind and/or following sea, makes for easier sailing also

Unless the wind is up…headin' out for an easy Rayleigh to Riverside park on the North Thompson tomorrow…hired a driver

what you paying him?

I usually leave my truck at the takeout, ride up with them, leave their truck at the takeout, charge 40$ for the short shuttle and 250$ for long shuttles

:lol:..slipped my Mom a 20
Holy crap…15min up the hwy = 4hr paddle!

:lol:

Zero interest in ever again being on the North Thompson below Rayleigh. From where we put in behind the Softball Park - to Rayleigh…great, but only 30min…not worth the 3+hrs that follow

Next kayak outing is Pavilion Lake on Monday. I used to drive courier outta Kamloops that had me hitting Lillooet 2-3x a week…the clear water of this lake caught my interest. Looking into it now…it seems this lake is a VERY rare one worldwide!

I liked white water, and took to it well. I don't think its for me though, looking back it scares me. So much crazy shit going on in the water and you can't just slow down. I prefer a canoe in white water as long as its class 3- or less. Ocean touring is badass, such a good way to travel the coast and I want to try more of it.