what i have already done
I left my home in Houston to come to a new job out in sunny LA where i know no one. it was a big step and i had to decide quickly. then i had lots of remorse, it has been hard making friends but i finally have a few, sort of…
I thought about moving back to texas many times but then resigned myself that this is a done deal and i need to make it work. things are looking up and will continue to get better i think. kayaking helps. (smile)
Hoists
If you are allowed to get thru the ceiling and can find something structural up there, you can purchase a hoist system that will make it safe to get up and down yourself. The problem will likely be your ability to find and get into something structurally solid.
Necky Eliza
15 feet x 21 inches
43 pounds of fiberglass love!
http://www.necky.com/kayaks/touring/eliza_composite.shtml
good point
that’s a lot of weight to put on the ceiling without making sure the fasteners go into something solid and the landlord might not like that.
jeez
not sure how i missed that one, guess i just assumed it was longer because it was on the page with the longer kayaks. that looks awesome! do you think that is stable enough to do photography from?
what’s the longest folder, chuck?
good looking boat
Possibly
Just about any boat will be stable enough depending on its fit to your body.
Also, have you tried calling QCC about the 300 and 10x? They might be able to connect you with people in your area to try the boats.
Looks like a Khatsalano (Feathercraft)
At your size…
First of all, a boat like the Eliza is intended for someone your size, so will be as “stable” with you in it as a much beamier boat would be with a 6’ 200 lb guy in it. The boats are tweaked for their intended users.
I was going to go looking for this boat and also the specs on the CD Willow tonight - similar market, the Willow may also be on the short side. The other boat in this group would be the P&H Vela, but at 15’8" that probably is too long. And the Vela may be a smidge twitchier than you would want right now.
Second, exactly what kind of photography are we talking about - fully adjustable camera with a long lens on it, or high end digital without add-on lens, etc? Are you talking about carrying a deck-mounted camera and/or tripod?
Finally, please take the suggestion to contact the paddling group suggested above and get to Jen Kleck’s place if it’s in reach, to get a handle on what stability really means to you, before plopping the bucks down on a boat. I am not convinced that the way you are thinking about this now is where you’ll be living for the long term. One thing that you haven’t taken into account yet is that, having moved from Houston to SoCal, you have a much more active body of water to deal with than where you came from. You will want to get a handle on that and how it may affect your choice of boat.
Good Boat.
– Last Updated: Jan-10-08 6:24 PM EST –
Not the "boat du jour..." But tried and true for a smaller person.
sing
Feathercraft Wisper?
It’s a 15+ ft folding kayak. From what I saw, it’s a quicker assemble/disassemble than most other folders.
I paddled one and think it would be stable enough for photographing from. It has a different feel from hard shells…like…well, like SKIN. You can feel the water pushing in and out. It’s a neat feeling, actually, but definitely demo first.
Back to basics
– Last Updated: Jan-11-08 7:56 AM EST –
What I realized I meant to say yesterday - in moving from Houston to LA you have moved to a more imposing body of water for paddling. You'll probably find a number of boats that'll fit in the apartment given that you can go with a small paddler's boat, but you may be putting the cart before the horse.
If you are going to paddle on the ocean you need to be able to be get back in the boat in the event of a capsize, either by paddling with others who can rescue you or matching the boat to your self-rescue ability. Period - you can't dodge around this one. The ocean will skunk you.
If you plan on going out alone, I only see two ways to assure a level of safety on the water. One is to get a hard-shell like the Eliza or Mystic or whatever AND take some lessons so that you can at least do a wet re-entry and roll with the paddle float on the end of the paddle. In larger conditions, the usual paddle-float rescue isn't reliable.
The other alternative is to get something that can be crawled back into much into/onto more easily - perhaps ruling out a closed cockpit boat - so that you have the opportunity to handle a capsize if conditions surprise you.
Please think about this. You mention above that people are advising you to get a bigger, or longer baot and I suspect that you are also gettong advice to get some skills work under your belt.
kayak
Hi …have you looked @ Hurricane kayaks…they make a couple of short kayaks that might be what you are lookinf for… Swift kayaks also makes some nice boats. Swifts are in the $2G range and the Hurricanes are a bit less. browse thru the " Buyer’s guide" on this website for ideas.
Of course it all depends on who is carrying what brand in So Cal. Good Luck
yes
Sit On Tops
For what you want an Ocean Kayak venus may be just fine.
Not even an option
Please don’t forget Phoebe’s intention to use it for photography. This is my husband’s focus as well, no pun intended, and a sit-on-top is entirely too wet to use as a photography platform.
Gnatcatcher
Photography concerns
– Last Updated: Jan-11-08 4:11 PM EST –
I had the thought that a SOT may be wet, but nothing is going to be very dry in an environment with swells and waves like coastal waters of SoCal anyway. Any camera that is taken into that water for decent shots will have to be either waterproof or operate in a waterproof case.
But I am a bit more concerned about this paddler getting home safely from the paddle than the purity of her photographs.
Logistics
Celia - your concern for the paddler getting back safely is a good one. We do no ocean paddling, so I defer to you on that point. That said, the logistics of dealing with photography equipment on a sit-on-top seems a bit difficult. My husband uses a Baja deck bag to keep his equipment dry and at hand. It’s convenience and security that I don’t believe could be had with a SOT.
Gnatcatcher