backwards paddle
I paddled my new to me Carolina 14.5 Saturday for the first time. I went about 200 yards before I realized that I had the paddle backwards and upside down. I have been sick all week, but I just had to try it. I had planned to just paddle around the park for ten minutes, but before I new it I was 2 miles down the bayou. Now I have to find another for my wife as she wants to go also. Saw an alligator, but it was only about 5 feet.
Kayak in the sun question
Hey seadart,
Remember I am a noob, but, if I keep the kayak on
the roof - could I put a UVA/UVB blocking tarp over
it? Or will the heat cause problems without it even
being in direct sunlight?
Just trying to figure out a way to do this everyday…
Thanks ahead of time for your help!
2nd day
2nd day:
I raced home (okay that is an exageration as NJ traffic doesn’t usually let you “race” anywhere!) and couldn’t wait to get wet again.
It took me about 20 minutes to get the kayak on the car this time. First time I think it took about 30-45 minutes, I wasn’t timing the first one, seemed like a lot longer though!
When I got to my “launching area” I was surprised to find two people fishing. They had the boat ramp area blocked with their pick-up while they sat there in beach chairs fishing…so I had to lug the kayak all the way from the parking area to the launch area. Booooo!
Anyway, once I got it in the water, without tipping over I might add! I loved it even more. I wasn’t as nervous about tipping over and I was able to concentrate more on my paddling and posture as well as practice turning and really paying attention to what was working and what wasn’t. I did two laps of the lake area, compared to one lap yesterday, and enjoyed every minute of it.
There were a number of people fishing from the banks of the lake today. I don’t ever remember seeing even one person near the lake on other visits to this area before kayaking. I felt like a goldfish in a fish bowl, but, I got over it pretty fast…
I will post more messages, and ask more questions on other threads…I am sticking a fork in this thread!
I will only post again if others post replies that need a response from me!
Thanks again to everyone who helped! Oh, and I signed up for an Intro to Rec. Kayaking class for Sunday July 27th to learn some stuff…
Dave
Depends on how hot it gets.
I used to live in Bucks County and work in Princeton, if I remember right it gets pretty hot in July, August and September. If you have straps pulling on a boat when it is in hot summer sun it will deform. The tarp will prevent UV damage, but may actually make the boat hotter unless its a reflective tarp. Not going to work for driving around. Best if you can strap it carefully in cradles, then you will be least likely to deform the hull.
Every day in the suns not going to be good for it, but you might as well enjoy it. Plastic boats do have a limited lifetime and the more sun/heat it seas the shorter the life. Don’t worry too much about it. If you do paddle that boat every day… you’ll probably be wanting a faster boat by the end of the summer and trade up for something else.