TT Kayaking Club

“So...what kind of boat do you have??????”

“I got this one at Bink's Outfitters a little over a week ago.

I bought this one over the weekend.”

“I've not tried the newest one yet.”

“Hey WD--how's Susan like her new kayak?”

“ok it has been two weeks in a row that I have made plans to go kayaking and I can't go.

grrrrrr getting cranky from not kayaking.
my poor baby is sitting in the cold garage. I miss her.....is that wrong?”

“Sounds great, Roam. It's good to have plenty of folks to paddle with. That way someone is usually free when you are.

Let me know. I'll try to visit TT more often than I have lately.”

“oh please tell me that most people look like fat little seals when they have on there wetsuits.

this is scary!!

no i look more like a preggers seal. i think it will be ok once the kids stop laughing

:D”

“One thing with a wetsuit on a middle-aged person, the person learns just how far they can suck it in when he/she tries to get that zipper pulled up.

BTW, any paddlers in the vicinity should take a look at the Namekagon by Canoe trip thread. A great river for recreational kayaks.”

“preggers? you're pregnant??! with my child!”

“WATER'S UP!

MUST YAK!

MUSSSSST YAAAAAAAAK!”

“Stones River Section
I hit the water this afternoon to try out my other Kayak (Pelican Endevor). This was its first time out and only my Second.
The Sky was blue and the water was Green. Water level was up more than normal but it didn't seem to affect the paddleing.
There's a smalle Island I call Fork Island. I went out to it. Circled it and headed back. Before pulling back in to the boat ramp I paddled to I-840 bridge a short distance away. The whole trip was about 4 1/2 miles and with plenty of goofing off, I did it in about 3 hours. I walk faster than I paddle.

Pictures
There is a map of my trip on the photo page.

--Lessons learned--
* The Endevor is better for creeks and the Herritage is better for bigger water.
* I need a Rudder!! Every time I stopped paddleing, the Yak turned a 180. This ever happen to any one?
* I did a stability test when I got back to the boat ramp. You have to actually try to flip the Endevor to make it turn over. Very Stable!
* A kayak full of water is a heavy mother f**ker to get back to the bank a dump!
* The PFD worked very well. I came out of the cockpit very easily and floated very comfortablly.
* I am getting a system down as far as where to keep my Water, Snacks, Map, Camera, ect. so I can easily get to them. I still have to load a couple of days a camping supplies and figure out how to keep it all dry.


Anyone got any tips or suggestions for me on anything?

Thanks,
Dude”

“get a bigger kayak, with a rudder and at least one (preferably 2) sealed hatches and bulkhead(s).

get some dry bags.”

“dang trailtalk time is HOURS behind!”

“The thing is the $$. I wish I could afford a better Yak.”

“I second the dry bag recommendation. You'll find they're worth the money, and they only cost around $20 these days, I think.

Yeah, it sucks kayaks cost so much. But I guess the same can be said for just about anything. Looks like it was a fun trip, WD.”

“but you bought 2. i think that for 750 bucks you could have picked up a decent used touring kayak.

you can buy a rudder for a couple hundred bucks or a rudder for a bit less.”

“The bluffs look cool, and it looks like it was a nice day to be on the river.

Suggestions? Yeah, get that yak in your truck and come up to the Namekagon in a couple weeks. Heck, it must only be 15 hours of driving to get here, no prob.”

“I was wondering if I could actually buy some kinda rudder that would fit on my Yak. I was trying to figure out how to make one it it couldn't be bought.

-Dry Bags-
I was going to try to get around using Dry bags if I could but after seeing how wet the inside of the cockpit can get, I'm thinking sooner or later I gotta get some anyway. Any suggestions for a good cheap source to get them. They seem kinda high.


Rad, the reason I have two is because Susan thought she might want one too. After I bought the first one, she siad she DID want one. So far, she's not even sat in it (not suprised). At least I tried. Her son and one of his friends have played with them down at the creek though. At least I know they are getting used by someone. So far, I've got about $600 tied up in the kayak hobby.


Pekka, I would really like to get out and go lots more places when I learn more about kayaking. I've got several places in mind and plan to do more but hopefully someday I can get up to your neck of the woods.

Artex, The trip was a blast. I can see why people dig getting out and doing this when BPing season is over.”

“check these out, dude.”

“Whoa, those are good prices tarabull!

WD, I remember you saying you don't like to backpack in the summer. Kayaking should be perfect for you during that time. Glad you're enjoying it.”

“WD, when you get dry bags, avoid the cheap coated nylon versions -- like tent floors, the coating will wear out from the abrasions of stuffing items in and out, as well as flexing and creasing. I even have concerns about the more expensive nylon versions -- they are lighter than reinforced PVC bags, but IMO their thicker urethane coatings will just take a while longer to wear than the cheapies.

Go to www.nrsweb.com , the website for Northwest River Supply, one of the major paddle sports outfitters. I just got their latest catalog and their NRS Tuff Sack dry bags, made with welded PVC/Polyester material, run from $12.50 for XS to $28.50 for XL. These are very tough bags. The NRS Ricksacks, semi-transparent reinforced PVC drybags, are in the same price range. Another good brand is Sealine. When it has to stay dry, don't skimp on your dry bag.”

“Thanks for the link Tara! That is some good prices. Would you recommend the 20 or 30 liter bags?


Good advice Pekka. I'll keep that in mind.”

“WD, they sell them at walmart here. they have several sizes and are reasonably priced. i got a bigun, a mudiumun, and a littleun for personal items like camera, gps, ciggies. they may not last like the expensive ones but they are fairly heavy duty. i use mine more than most people would and they are still goin strong after 3 years. and there's no way your stuff will get wet if the bag is properly closed up.

looks like a killer day trip mang! maybe i can join ya sometime! come check out the buffalo!”

“WD, if you can find em I recommend dry bags that open along the long/horizontal side. I own two and they are far more convenient to use. I can open them and actually see the contents versus having to unload the durned thing everytime. I will be going through my paddle stuff this week and when I am I will get a name for you. I do remember that I got em at REI though...”

“here ya go...dry bag”

“BTW they work VERY well and arent too heavy plus they have small handles that are nice for around camp use.”

“WD, I got both the 20 and 30. They're neat. They have windowns in the front so you can see what's packed inside 'em.”

“Thanks yall!!

Do you use both 20 & 30 liter bags on one trip? I pack pretty light for BPing trips so I don't think that would change much on gear use while camping out of a boat. Would just a 30 liter by itself be big enough?


I just got back from the river. Did about 3 miles after work so I'm getting more used to the yak. I feel like I could do an all day trip now and even an over nighter pretty easy. I'm getting an idea of how to rig up a rudder to make the Endevor operate better.
Also today I drove it through some tight little side creeks (obstacle course). Now that was pretty fun!




Stratdewd,
When's the next Buffalo trip?”

“Does that one bag hold all your stuff pretty good?”

“Dude, that one bag holds all our clothes and personal items for four days, no problems. We have another bag for sleepy bags, etc. Some stuff doesn't go in a bag at all. 70 liters is roughly 3200 cu inches, to make it easier (at least easier for me), and put it in a backpacking frame of reference.”

“Thanks Sass! That does put it into perspective. I think I'll go to REI soon and see what Dry Bags they have. I got a $3.28 dividend check to spend anyway. Any little bit helps.”

“I got to get out on the water this weekend. it was great. a little windy but no matter still great. I did get pretty upset. I allowed a woman to use my kayak and then without me knowing it, she then allowed some guy that i still have no idea who it is, use my kayak. so after about 3 hours of waiting for this clown to come back to the shore, i went out on another boat and saw him and asked him to please return my kayak. by the time i got back it was on the shore. he was no where to be found. while loading it on my car i noticed a lot of scratches. GRRRRRRRRR
pissed me off to no end. broke my heart. glad i did not see him because i would have had a melt down in front of him.

so word to the wise, never ever leand your kayak out to anyone you dont know.”

“Bummer Maple. I'd chew out the woman you were origionall supposed to loan it too.

I'm heading out now to go play for a while!!”

“That sucks ML.

Have fun, walkindude!

Twigeater gave me a map of the Allagash River in northern Maine (thanks again!), and I'm already looking at trip ideas. It'll be a while before I anticipate being able to get the logistics together, but I'm stoked about the idea. Also, in this months issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine, there's an article on the Maine water trail which goes along the coastline. All of those little islands look like a lot of fun to explore, and there are designated campsites on selected ones as part of the water trail. All I can say is: Dude.....”

“Found a really cool creek about 15 mins. from my house. I started above a water fall and headed up stream. Took a side creek as far as I could go (ran outta deep enough water) Then went back and continued on back up the main creek. Eventually I came to the base of another waterfall. From there I just turned it around and headed back.
Just glancing at the map I recon I did about 2 1/2 miles.

Next time I go I'll take my camera. There was some really cool stuff along the way.


Tommorrow I'm planning to go do another section of the Stones River.”

“Yep. He's hooked.”

“Yep.”

“Wow, Mapleleaf, you lent your kayak out to a woman who then lent it to someone else? Did you know the woman? If I did, she'd a had an earful from me. That is just disrespectful.

I'll remember this from your experience, and hopefully I won't have to learn for myself. Sorry this happened to you.

I remember back in school, I seldom lent my toys out as they often would come back damaged when I did. Thus, I would be called stingy.... I would hate to thought of so, but with that kind of stuff happening, maybe a little stinginess would go a long ways.....”

“Call me stingy if you want but I'd be afraid that if I loaned my boat to someone I didn't know they might possibly get hurt, or worse, drown and I'd be held liable. There's no way I'd let a stranger use my kayak. Maple, you might be generous to a fault. ;)”

“more like stupid.

:(”

“walkindude, while up in Marquette on Saturday morning, I stopped in at my friend's gear shop and found some dry bags made by a company in your backyard. They are "Dry Tortugas" series by Gaia Paddlesports of Athens, TN (gaiapaddlesports.com). Made in USA of 600 denier vinyl coated nylon, with roll-down closure and 1" side-release buckle w/D-ring. The textured fabric surface is on the outside, and the smooth vinyl surface is on the inside.

I talked to one of the staffers who said the store tested them last year with the sea kayak rentals and the bags proved pretty bomberproof. So I picked up two of the 950 CI models (15.5 Basic 3D) at $19 each. Appear to be about right for stuffing our Polarguard 3D sleeping bags in.

The smallest was $12, I think, which is 340 CI, and $14 for 450 CI, $16 for 640 CI. There are a couple larger bags in the series that the store wasn't stocking.

I'll be giving them a tryout on the Namekagon paddle trip this weekend”

“I don't have a yak but got to do some canoeing today. There's a nice little river near my house and I went with my daughters class on a trip today. I had a blast!”

“YAK YAK YAK YAAAAAAAAAAAAK!”

“Since we are moving, to a place that has a ton of water around, we are digging our yaks out, and expect to be in them by this weekend!!!

We had them in storage, way in the back, so that they would be hard to get at if they got ripped off. The new neighborhood is much better, and those yaks will be plenty available. Only problem is our skiis are now going to be buried....”

“I checked out the web site. That's pretty cool that they got waterproof backpacks.
I think I need to go to REI and look at several different shapes & sizes and figure out how big and what shape bag I'll need.


MDSHiker
Are ya getting a craving for a boat now?


Monkeyboy
Sounds pretty cool man. As far as the skiis, I don't think you'll need them for a few months anyway.”

“if you are looking to buy a kayak which would you prefer, one with a skeg or a rudder.”

“...albeit beginner knowledge.

I bought a shorter yak for manueverability and control purposes rather than a longer boat for tracking. Seemed to me manueverability (quicker) would be more fun.

You lookin to buy or have one already Eddy?”

“looking to buy a kayak. I have narrowed my search down to a Dagger Charleston or a Perception Carolina, both 14' long. I would like to find a good used one.

Carlette, welcome to TT, quite different than CH isn't it”

“...www.padddling.net

I have some other links at home as well....let me ponder a minute...I may can remember and shoot them at ya.”

“...why are you looking at 14 footer....

Why not a 12?”