Newbie kayaker!

Holy Fin Sht!!!
Pamlico_age14 wrote:

“Seriously, grow up. You guys act like children”



That, in itself, is the funnniest thing I’ve ever read here!!! Little Pam telling ANYONE that they act like children!!! HA!!! :slight_smile:



I agree about the first post… it was written in a really strange way… with a meaningless subject line…

Pam 14 was right.
Some of the more childish and rude responses were deleted - as they should have been.


What did his post say???
I want to know how rude he was…

Not much different than yours.

I need some clarification
I was under the impression that the word Kayak denoted an enclosed vessel and the first ones were probably covered canoes. I know that baidarka means small boat in Russian.

I have never ben sure how a sit on top is classified a kayak and in the case of this one, how this can be anything but a small watercraft.

Not that it matters one whit, but where does a kayak end and a covered canoe begin and then where does a kayak end and a rigid inflatable begin?



but having said that…looks like it would be great for fishing.



Paul

Definition of kayak

– Last Updated: Sep-17-07 9:00 AM EST –

Interesting question - and I am at home recovering from something so have the extra time to check. I looked up the following def's, and Webster's has one that accounts for sit-on-tops. Personally I would start looking at functionality of the SOT's. That might call the diff between a SOT that belongs in the surf or class 2 WW or one that is closer to a fishing or swimming platform. But strictly speaking, if it is pointed at each end and floats and is paddled like a kayak it is a kayak per Webster's.

From Webster's Online Dictionary:
Main Entry: kay·ak
Function: noun
Etymology: Inuit qayaq
1 : an Eskimo canoe made of a frame covered with skins except for a small opening in the center and propelled by a double-bladed paddle
2 : a portable boat styled like an Eskimo kayak

From Cambridge English Dictionary online:
kayak
noun [C]
a small, light, narrow boat, pointed at both ends, with a covering over the top, which is moved by using a paddle (= short pole with a wide, flat part)

get out there
As far as I am concerned, anything you can do to get out on the water is a good thing. Hope your days out lead you to explore more and enjoy life. Perhaps you can come back and tell us your impressions of this craft. I must admit, I have never paddled anything like this.

OK

– Last Updated: Sep-17-07 10:37 AM EST –

No problem then.


This statement:
"I didn't think very many people here had heard of this brand/type of kayak before."

Is contradicted by this statement (in the original post):
"they're nationally known"

As far as I can tell, they are not "nationally known". (There is nothing wrong with a local reputation and it looks like you bought locally (yea!).)


"I thought so namely because I didn't find it when I tried looking for reviews on the brand on the Paddling.net website."

Write a review!

"*Sorry*, I didn't know posting brand names and links was frowned upon so much."

There is nothing wrong with talking about a particular product or including a link to a website. It can be be interesting to hear what real people say about boats.


Good luck with the boat and enjoy it!


Sit on tops


Sit on tops are enclosed. You just are sitting on top of the deck instead of the hull. (Think how they are constructed.)

Thanks for the welcome

– Last Updated: Sep-17-07 6:56 PM EST –

Hey guys, apologies accepted and thanks for the welcomes and advice. I finally picked up my kayak today, unfortunately the weather was all thunderstorms so I wasn't able to take it for a spin.. maybe on Wednesday though.

I do have one concern at the moment. Since the kayak has a flat bottom, I was able to put it on the roof of my car quite easily. I used two ratchet straps (like this one: http://www.gominiserie.com/ratchet%20straps%20yellow.jpg) over the sides of the kayak and through my windows; then I took some twine and tied the bow (front) of the kayak to some bars near my hood latch. I noticed that the ratchet straps made a VERY (I repeat, V-E-R-Y) loud humming noise at about 25 MPH+, which got louder as my speed increased. I only topped out my speed at 50 MPH because the humming noise was kind of unusual and I didn't know what to make of it (otherwise I would have gone the posted 65 MPH.) My little theory is that the ratchet straps get slightly bent by the high pressure of the wind, then they start to vibrate a lot, and the vibrations travel to the frame of the cab which produces the loud humming.

Without further delay, should I be concerned at all that the ratchet straps are generating such a loud humming noise at increased speeds? Has anyone else experienced this before?

It's probably nothing to be worried about, but I wanted to ask you guys for your opinion.

Humming Noise

– Last Updated: Sep-17-07 7:08 PM EST –

Very common. Twist the straps, one twist usually enough, it should cut that down.
Re the boat on the roof - is it on foam blocks or something that will compress, or just boat against the car's roof? If the latter, I'd suggest foam blocks. It'll allow for greater compression and grip. Amazing how many WW boats don't make it home because they are just kinda tossed up on the roof with one or two long straps and a prayer. 3rd party rack even better, but I assume that you are still shelling out for things like the PFD and paddle.

The rigging is singing to you…
…having been married for 36 years perhaps I’m

more practiced at tuning things out, but I generally

ignore it!



Sometimes putting a half twist in the straps makes

it go away.


Thanks again
Thank you guys, I’ll remember that for the next time I transport the thing. I just wanted to make sure the whole humming thing wasn’t a sign of weakness, like a bought a dud ratchet or something.



Today I had it on the roof of my car, but I think I might use some thick cardboard or an old towel next time I transport it. What kind of foam blocks are you speaking of, the things that often come packed with things like computer monitors and televisions?



Thanks again, I appreciate the help.

Different Kind of Foam
Packing foam will fall apart instantly. You want something more like this:



http://www.superiorcoastal.com/catalog/catalog.cfm?CatID=TRANS



Note: I’ve never bought anything from this site; they just had some nice pictures.



You also may want something a little more substantial than twine at the bow and stern. There are… um… different schools of thought on the subject. :wink:

No,
They make these foam bocks specially designed to carry kayaks. Here is a link to give you a better idea:



http://www.atafa.com/sports/products/Monster_Kayak_Foam_Block_KayakCanoe_Carriers_Accessories_Water_Sports-95275.html

CW Kayaks
This kayak happened to be featured on one of the Twin Cities local news channels, on a series called MN bound.in the past week or so. Featured as both a local (MN) company and a water activity, primarily as a fishing boat. Re? dams, etc. a great site to go to is the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, at dnr.state.mn.us/canoeing or call their # 1-888-MINNDNR and you can ask for maps of about 25 different MN rivers,that show dams, rapids, canoe inputs , free. Really nice maps. Good luck and have fun.

Awesome!
I watch Minnesota Bound whenever it’s on, unfortunately I missed this past week’s edition. It would have been very interesting to see the piece on CWK seeing how I just bought a kayak from them.



I also got your message about the DNR maps, I just sent a request for them and gave them my address. Hopefully I can get some maps for some local rivers. Thanks for telling me about this!