2 Lost Kayaks.

-- Last Updated: Jan-21-08 8:44 PM EST --

My 6 year old son and I left the kayak roll class at Marshall White Center in Ogden Utah around 7:30 pm Friday Jan. 18.
We drive to 20th and Washington Blvd. (about 8 blocks). I glace back and notice both kayaks had slipped out of the back of my Toyota Pickup. A quick U turn and a few minutes later I found both paddles but no sign of the boats or my black mesh gear bag filled with 2 skirts, booties, hand paddles, etc. I went back over my path several times and still no sign of the boats.

I stopped at the police station and filled out a missing property report in case someone finds them and calls in.

I have placed a post “Asking For Assistance” on EddyFlower.com a local kayaking website, to put the word out locally.

I plan on placing a classified add in the lost and found section of the local paper tomorrow as well as calling the local pawn shops.

The boats:

*** Crazy 88 6’2” Red (my name and phone number are on the inside of this boat). It has a 3” crack on the bottom of the boat (it would be roughly below the left knee while sitting in the boat). It was repaired with a ½ dozen 6” pieces of silver duct tape in the inside of the kayak. .

*** Dagger Dynamo 7’4” (my sons boat) mostly blue with black/white marbling

I have been hauling boats around like this for a couple of years.
The difference that evening was I set one of these boats down in the snow (to close the gate outside the pool).
I’m sad to say I didn’t think much of the slippery surface until it was too late.

Please keep your ears and eyes open
Thanks.
Craig.


Good Luck
Put the word out with a post on Craigslist too.

Offer a $100 reward for return or for info leading to the arrest of party holding your kayaks.



Must be the gentiles there in Ogden, good Mormon Folk would never grab somebody else’s property. :slight_smile:

nice idea
I just posted on Craig’s List, with $100 reward. Thanks Seadart.

Put ad in Denver craigslist, too (nm)

Also
Also keep an eye on Craigslist for sales of similar boats.

It’s a great day.
I got a phone call from a very kind man this morning.



He told me he was coming home from dinner with his wife and son on Saturday night when they watched my kayaks slide out of the back of my pickup at the intersection at 26th and Lincoln.



His son grabbed the boats gear bag.



I picked up everything this afternoon, I was happy to pass along $100 for the return of my gear.



Lesson learned… ropes or straps from now on.



Thanks for the support.



Craig.

Great news, question
He and/or his son got the boats too? I take it he was driving something fortuitous like a truck?



Also, suggest that you try to affix name and contact info inside the boats. May have to redo it preiodically since things get wet, but something like that would allow the guy to have called you the same night.

ID a good idea
I ordered one of these for my boat, with personal contact info, to aid anyone finding my lost boat:

http://customdogtags.com/



Attach it inside the boat, to a skeg line, seat strap, whatever. Just try and make it easily visible since your average Good Samaritan may not be very thorough; perhaps spray-paint it bright orange or something.



And while I was at it, I got a similar tag for my neck, for the same purpose …

Cool !
My faith in Weber County is restored.

Contact info
I laminated a 3x5 card with my name and phone numbers in an adhesive-backed pouch and installed in inside teh rear hatch of my QCC-500 about 4 years ago.



Just noticed that I transposed two numbers in the cell #. Dumb.



Jim

Identifying boats/bodies.
My name and phone number is written in permanent marker inside one boat with large letters/numbers.

I will do the same to the other boat tonight, just like I have done with my paddles.

Here is why that didn’t work.

The son quickly grabs both boats and wet mesh gear bag and tosses into the back of Ford Explorer… it is dark outside… at home and the boats go under the pine tree with a tarp (to keep the snow off). He never saw my name or phone number on the boat.



I will probably add some type of “dogtags” to both grab loops or seat/backband/myself.



I had just placed an ad in the paper and it was scheduled to appear the next day.

A couple of hours later he called to place an ad and talked to the same person at the newspaper. She gave him my phone number, called a short time later and canceled the ad.

LOVE
the helpful newspaper person - what a doll!

Fantastic
You are one lucky person, and those other people are wonderful.