on this one.
First off, there's nothing wrong with listening to good tunes while paddling so long as you're able to hear what's going on around you, just like a vehicle on a highway. There's only so much silence or Kittiwake screaming a person can take.
Second, a radio? Dude, I'm just a fricken pubic hair away from calling you a troll because everyone knows there is really no radio reception on the waters of Alaska. You'd realzie this if you actually lived there and know your shit. PWS is surrounded by glaciers and mountains.
Third, if you're traveling "3000 miles" and want to listen to some tunes, you should think about an MP3 player of some sort not an FM radio. Satellite radio doesn't work in Alaska. Neither does Satellite TV unless you have a 3ft dish sitting in your back yard or mounted to your kayak or patio deck.
Forth, are you for real or what? I despise folks who get on an online board and dink around with Alaska inquiries. Alaska paddling is some serious shit. Put down that PB-n-J sandwich, pull your head out of your ass and pay attention. On a 3000 mile paddle, the last thing on your mind should be trying to find a music radio station. What the hell is it going to do for you when your ass hits a rock, busts open your boat and you're 10 miles from the nearest shoreline in 50 degree water? Sorry if I sound mean, but dammit, people like you, well, your on-line questions anyway, scare the crap out of me and every other rescuer out there.
Fifth, as I said before, there's -nothing- wrong with music, However, to get serious replies you must re-think your wording of the question to really be taken seriously. Stating that you're looking for watreproof FM speakers for your kayak on a 3000 mile trip in Alaska isn't doing you any favors.
Signed,
The (former) Voice of Prince William Sound
Give him hell PP The guy is going on a 3,000 mile trip and needs help with WP speakers. Hello! Maybe he’ll be asking boat or paddle recommendations later.
hear he's going to do it in a Pamlico 140 and no float bags??
On a somewhat serious note - anyone who wants to enjoy music in the outdoors should do so using a personal listening device like an ipod or other mp3 player with headphones.
All the other people out there want to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. They don't want to hear your Spice Girls or Britney Spears blaring while your overloaded kayak hits a strainer and rolls over.
If you are dumb enough to take some sort of radio to the outdoors with real speakers, and you disturb others, don't be surprised if they tell you what dumb a$$ you are. I'm sure I'm not the only person here who has done so in the past when someone at an adjacent camp site is disturbing the peace.
On the bright side if he's paddling in Alaska we can only hope he'll piss off a killer whale or a grizzly and become lunch.
That tells me you are not serious. It also reminds me of students where I teach who cannot resist putting their speakers in the window of their dorm room and going outside to sunbathe while announcing to the world what great musical taste they have and that they don’t give a damn if it intrudes on what others want to hear. Go away troll.
Bose has some weatherproof but not waterproof. I would just put the subwoofer in a dry bag. Remember to get a stereo deck with a removable face; I hear there’s a lot of kayak prowls within a 3000 mile radius of Alaska, you wouldn’t want your stereo ripped off while on an expedition. That could prove to be catastrophic.
I’ve got a kegerator in my Explorer and can email you the plans if your interested. Lord knows, I could’t have completed my 13 miler the other weekend with out it. Always carry an extra beer mug, seems I keep meeting kayakers on the water and dang it if they never have a beer mug on them.
Of course you are using a marine battery and solar panels.
I have a knee tube that dispenses cd’s like a Pez dispenser. Real handy. I load it 2cd’s, then a bagel, 2 more cd’s then another bagel. You can adjust the ratio to fit your individual metabolic needs. Every now and then you may get some peanut butter on a cd, though. Be careful.
My friend had an old massage lounger that he was parting out so I took the bottom seat out of it and fashioned it to fit in my Explorer. Solar powered, keeps the cheeks massaged and won’t let the legs fall asleep. Great for a long trip like yours.
I went to the local truck toys dealer and bought seat heaters and installed one on my bulkhed footbrace. Heats the entire cockpit. My paddlin partners call me “Toasty Toes”.
They also had some PIAA off road driving lites on sale, so I bought a pair and a front brush guard to mount them on. Works really well at night.
The guy told me that deer whistles work well for seals too. So I bought some, mounted them outside each PIAA light. They work really well, I haven’t hit a seal yet.
Ok, Ok, obvious troll. But a serious question. Many people keep saying stuff about only use ear buds, keep the nature quiet for others, don’t bother everyone else, etc, etc. The same people said the same thing about cell phones on a long, ridiculous thread months ago.
Personally, I don’t care for music when I’m paddling, either through head phones or through speakers, and have no provisions for such. But when I paddle, and I’m just outside an urban area, I rarely see anyone else. I could play music for hours on speakers at a good volume and maybe once every other paddle someone else might hear it. Has anyone on here EVER heard someone else’s music or even a cell phone ring? For me, in two years paddling, not once. Just wondering why people get so pissy about something that seems a non-problem.
Then ya obviously haven’t paddled on the lower Columbia or Willamette Rivers in the summer. Folks hanging on, off, out, in and on top, of thousands of ski, wakeboard, sail and rec boats. At least half with blaring radios that you can hear from 4 miles away, longer if they’ve been drinking since drunk people can’t hear. Can’t forget the boats parked on the river bank. Same as above, only they aren’t movin’.
Training on Bouler Res. I never liked it when I was paddling for exercise on Bouler Reservoir and the water skiing boats would be blaring hip-hop music. OK, maybe if they had chosen some better tunes, say The Del McCoury Band, I wouldn’t have minded it so much.
Well, I give powerboaters a pass for being stupid by definition. ;~) j/k
Where I river paddle, I see maybe 1 or 2 bass boats in a day. Max I’ve ever seen was on 4th of July and I think it peaked at 4 on the same day. None of them had music, but that’s because they were fishing. Doesn’t go together well. I’ve seen one jetski (same guy) maybe three times ever. The river’s too shallow and narrow for speedboats. There are a couple of pontoon boats parked on one spot on the river, and I’ve never seen them undocked.
I was really talking more about paddlers. You sparked my memory and I have to admit, I have seen one canoe with a boombox two summers ago. But in sweet justice, it was a rental Grumman, with obvious drunken partiers, and they dumped at one point. The music went dead on impact w/ the water, and I think they were having too much fun to care. It was worth any distraction for the entertainment value. ;~)
It won’t be nice for everyone else Most people paddle to get away from “modern life”. No one wants to hear your music blasting from your kayak, so keep it to yourself. Besides, as others have indicated, putting speakers in your boat is silly and impractical.
I can understand the occasional need for a little music while out on the water. I frequently paddle off shore and it can get a bit tedious at times. I have a small digital handheld radio that i keep in a dry bag for such occasions. Sometimes i use it during a long paddle to put a little rythm in my stroke. Just as i do on a treadmill however, i personally would never use headphones or play music loud enough to block out my hearing. Its a safety issue. Secondly,I admire your creativeness, but not at anothers expense. You surely would piss off ALOT of people playing music aloud on the water. Like i said, i only use it in the ocean where no one else can hear it.
you’ve got to be a troll—anybody else would simply buy an I-Pod with a waterproof case----lot less trouble, you don’t bother every body else and don’t have to worry about the space/expense.
WOW! I REALLY had NO idea this would illicit such negativity from folks…
No I am not trolling… I really am for real. And the more you Google search the topic of waterproof speakers you find that either they are Marine speakers for a boat or they are some cheesy cheap piece of junk. It is actually really hard to find something compact and truly waterproof… BTW I am talking speakers here… The waterproof ipod…. Check got it…
Paddle pirate… You are actually the one who has NO idea what you are talking about… Some of you folks have been around people WAY too much. As to ear buds… Not necessary there will be a group of 5 of us and we all want to be able to listen some tunes or books on tape or whatever. You can only play 20 questions for so long… (Especially when people are actually getting things like “Ronald Reagan’s Ball sack” in 20 questions)
As to OTHER people who are out there enjoying the out-of-doors… Paddle pirate… This why I know your full of it… There ARE NO, NONE, ZIP, ZERO other people / paddlers. I go on two week paddles and see MAYBE, just MAYBE see one other group. You are in fact the one who has no idea of the Alaskan spirit or ANYTHING about its waters! 50 deg! YEAH outside… The water is far colder. Heck! we go swimming when we find 50 deg water!
PS kschultz… May want to do your research, there are no grizzlies in PWS… None the less we pack a 44 mag the most powerful handgun in the world per Mr. Eastwood.
As to the weight and bulk of something like this, I don’t use a tent… or a stove… or carry a big SLR camera, or fish, or take binocs What the HECK do you people really care if i want to take a stereo. BTW I did say stereo… NOT radio.
Also hit up my other post in the trips section people… I am not looking for your paddling guidance here… I wouldn’t be paddling 3000 miles if I need to know or what kind of boat to get… I am more interested in tips you may have about the currents between AK and Seattle or speaking with someone who has done this trip… And might have thoughts on the Yakutat section which will surely be the most difficult. Or you can keep on keeping on in Lake Washington…