I’m a canoeist. quit your whining… 
4 Likes
Canoeists are people too.
1 Like
And most of them seem pretty laid back. Maybe they don’t have a fear of being trapped.
Hey Bud,
Fishing kayaks might work well with the bait shop.
Smelly wet suits won’t work well in the B&B. 
Where are they going to put the art gallery?
1 Like
Kayak fishing is catching on. 10 years ago, there were a lot of sea kayaks launching. Now I see several fishing kayaks each time I go out. The number one target is snakeheads.
2 Likes
I use Facebook to communicate with people I have met. And to communicate with businesses who find the fluidity of FB more advantageous than a formal website.
If there is a power outage for example local businesses post what they can or cannot serve or make that day. Or if a tree is down blocking a road we have good info that is up to date. It has been a very good platform for community events.
We are in a rural area and snow happens, wind happens, the power goes out for someone every day etc and farm animals get loose. Or other things get loose : often kayaks and swim docks. They refuse to say where they came from.
2 Likes
Love that response! Paddle free brother!
1 Like
Aparently the drama about rec kayakers beimg driven away is unfounded. Haven’t heard a single objection from any rec kayakers.
How could you hear from them if they have been driven away. 
Seriously though and I’m not saying it is the case here, but in terms of cancel culture the vocal majority tends to stifle response from the silent minority even when the numbers may well reverse the majority/minority.
Think about this how many rec-kayaks are sold annually compared to what members here would call real kayaks. Likely something like 1000:1 or something like that. So by pure numbers you would think this forum would be overwhelmed with people wanting to talk about rec-kayaks. That is not the case. Now maybe rec-kayakers just don’t care to join forums and learn about safe boating and stuff or maybe they all gather on FB or something. That I don’t know.
I also don’t know the accident rates etc between rec-kayaks and other forms of paddle boats. I’m sure the amount of guidance that would benefit new boaters and likely a lot of new boaters are in rec-kayaks from a forum like this would be a positive thing.
This forum isn’t maybe driving away rec-kayakers but is it doing all it possibly could to include them is the question.
1 Like
There is no such thing as professional paddling. We are all recreational paddlers. Yes, some may be competitive, but nobody is being paid to simply paddle.
Bud16415, I wonder that myself.
Regarding categories . . . paddlers can be anything they want to be. If I pay you to teach me how to kayak, or pay you to guide me, I consider you a professional. You can receatation on your time. That’s just my expectation. Wouldn’t be the first time or more that I’m wrong. I’m an avid paddler with few skills, and I do it for recreation. Really isn’t important. Just what I was thinking at the time.
Ta ta! Gettong ready to launch.
1 Like
Maybe I misunderstood what the point of the thread or even if there is a point. To me a rec-kayak is a type of kayak and somewhat the type of person that uses such a kayak. The range of what people refer to start with the cheap stuff Walmart sells and extends up into the range of OT 10’ open top kayaks that may or may not have a sealed stern hatch to offer a little floatation if you were to capsize with a single thickness plastic hull that for the most part are imposable to do a self rescue in and almost imposable to swim one in full of water.
Bud, not sure if I inderstand what Mission was Accomplished, but my last mission was completed. Thanks for the post.
1 Like
Maybe paddlers today are so recreational that they wouldn’t be apt to go finding paddling forums to join…. My dad picked up paddling a number of years ago and bought a book I recommended him. And then just went paddling….He would never be found interacting on an Internet forum
I’m that paddler your thinking of. I’m never going to be out on the Great Lakes or the ocean even though the Ocean isn’t that far away. I’m never going to go white water kayaking as well. However I do enjoy reading about it. We travel in a motorhome with our strictly rec kayaks on our jeep behind us. I have never posted before because there was no need. The search feature has found everything I’ve ever needed in info without the same questions being asked repeatedly. I learned what I needed, threw away what I didn’t (ie you’ll outgrow that particular etc) and truly enjoy reading about the passion and skill set so many here have. I know up front that my posts would bring no value.
This post is a prime example but I post it now only because this is the one point I haven’t seen being made about Rec paddlers.
I’ll now return to the search feature , reading and enjoying the knowledge base that frequents here.
Regards
Joseph
12 Likes
Josephis, I did the same thing for a while. Very good to know you’re there and enjoying the content, but I’m saddened by your comment that, “I know up front that my post would bring no value.”
I also found that many questions can be answered by simply searching the past threads. Thanks for your post. You’re not alone; I don’t paddle the Great Lakes or the oceans either.
1 Like
Nice boat.
1 Like
I’ve learned a ton here! And I’m always recommending other people check out the site. There is a ton of great information. I appreciate those with years of experience, knowledge and skills being willing to give guidance to the rest of us. To say that we’ve all been driven away is silly, and just aimed at starting an argument. As a newbie, I for one tend to read and lurk. I don’t ask a lot of questions, but I learn from reading the posts and searching for information.
The things that have driven me away from other forums in the past is the lack of common courtesy toward others and eagerness to “stir the pot”. Most forums include at least one person eager to jump all over people for the oddest things. I remember a triathlon forum I used to read - it was terrible! One guy asked a question, starting out with something like “I was riding along pretty fast in training, about 20 mph, and this happened….”. Well, one guy jumped on him for his definition of “fast”, and would NOT let it go. Kept on back and forth. “20 isn’t fast”. “Well, fast for ME, but anyway, my question was….”. “But 20 is really slow!” Etc. Irrelevant to the question, and mean-spirited. You get the picture. That forum was like that a lot of the time - just egos, all day long. The best ever was a now-defunct women’s cycling forum. Nice people being kind and helpful. This place is probably #3 for me, as far as being welcoming to all and people caring about the safety and overall experiences of others.
Anyway, I don’t remember ever getting the impression here that rec kayaks were bad, or rec kayakers were lesser beings, just that some of the boats are actually unsafe, and rec kayaks are not suitable for all types of water. I will never be the level of kayaker that some of the people here are, and I’m fine with that. I can still learn a ton from them. Kayaking will never be my #1 focus (skiing is #1). But I know not to do anything stupid, and I’ve learned a lot about just what that might be! If someone doesn’t want to hear that it’s a bad idea to take a short boat with a huge cockpit and no flotation out in a storm on Lake Superior, then I probably will take what they say with a grain of salt.
2 Likes
The range goes a little higher than that, depending on how you define the category. My Eddyline Skylark is 12’ long, 26” wide, has both front and rear sealed hatches, but a larger cockpit opening than a touring or sea kayak. Eddyline calls it a rec kayak, and I agree - but it’s much nicer quality and has more safety features than a lot of them. The cockpit is too big for any water that’s too big or unpredictable. I find it a big step up from the old WS Pungo we started with - I got hung up on a snag on the river once, boat listed to the side just enough for water to start trickling in, which just dragged it over farther and the thing just quickly swamped and rolled over. I had a hard time emptying it and getting back in. Hubby’s Eddyline Sandpiper 130 has the same size cockpit as the Pungo, and also fills and rolls quickly, but it does have sealed hatches fore and aft. He only tends to dump it when he has the dog (who doesn’t have good boat manners yet). We love those boats, and keep them for where they’re appropriate.
3 Likes