@Monkeyhead said:
Wow, so many cag enthusiasts. I’m curious if they affect your roll? I recently got a dry suit and I guess I hadn’t vented it sufficiently. I tried to roll and couldn’t get past halfway due to the extra buoyancy.
You should learn to use the paddle to pull yourself all the way around if you get stuck midway. Some people scull up. I use a kind of a draw stroke to pull myself up.
If you are not used to working with your paddle under water, you will probably have to train that first. Instead of setting up the roll before you capsize, you can try to capsize with the paddle in a random position and then set up the roll while you are underwater. This will give you a feeling for what you can and can’t do with the paddle under water.
@Monkeyhead said:
Wow, so many can enthusiasts. I’m curious if they affect your roll? I recently got a dry suit and I guess I hadn’t vented it sufficiently. I tried to roll and couldn’t get past halfway due to the extra buoyancy.
You should learn to use the paddle to pull yourself all the way around if you get stuck midway. Some people scull up. I use a kind of a draw stroke to pull myself up.
If you are not used to working with your paddle under water, you will probably have to train that first. Instead of setting up the roll before you capsize, you can try to capsize with the paddle in a random position and then set up the roll while you are underwater. This will give you a feeling for what you can and can’t do with the paddle under water.
@Monkeyhead said:
Obviously, I hope, that was meant to be “Cag” and not “can.” How do I disable my spell checker? I’m going to edit that.
I have edited my quotation too so they are in sync.
Anyway, I understood that you meant “cag”, but it isn’t really important if it is a cag or something else which causes you to end up underwater on the wrong side of the kayak. Sometimes, you just do. In those cases it will be convenient to be able to pull yourself under the boat and up on the other side, using the paddle.
Best kayak values - at a sidewalk sale at an outdoor shop, a Prijon Marlin for $1000, and as a throw-in, a Prijon Combi for $300. Both brand-new. Six years later, the Combi is my everyday casual boat. The bulkhead has never leaked, the stern skid strip has been worn down to the thickness of an index card (I have also picked up the bolt-on skeg - not easy to find), only two real gouges, and almost no oil-canning. My two “improvements” were a float bag for the bow, and an IR backband to replace the Prijon seat back.
QQ Sport wing paddle - $140 shipped (On sale) for a 25oz all carbon wing paddle? yes please. Although the ferrule is plastic and will eventually break or wear out, for $140 who cares. I’ll happily replace it or just buy a new paddle when it dies. Wait for the 11/11 sale (the Chinese equivalent of Black Friday. everything on aliexpress is 20-50% off already cheap prices) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/carbon-kayak-paddle-mid-wing-paddle-bag/582942338.html
Sealine reinforced dry bags - very necessary for the extras
Others:
Homemade kayak rack for my surfski - cheaper than a Goodboy rack
Glacier gloves - warm, comfy, makes paddling in freezing temps tolerable
Kokatat GMER drysuit - Keeps me paddling an extra 5 months a year
Stellar SR surfski - soooo much fun to paddle, still stable enough for any intermediate paddler to handle at 19" beam. Still fast enough to be very fun
Portable picnic table - a staple for ‘kitchen sink’ day trips. Anywhere becomes my personal park.
Klymit inflatable sleeping pad. Full length pad that deflates to smaller than a beer can and is very comfortable.
Pakboat Puffin folding kayak and Cannon 4-piece carbon shaft paddle that fit in my luggage for overseas travel.
NRS Hydroskin pants and shirts.
L.L. Bean Essential Performance quarter zip knit shirts, lightweight, quick dry and cool, but style covers neck and arms against sunburn and shirt has zip pocket for car keys. Best warm weather paddling shirts I’ve found. Pricey but indestructible.
Fred Water flat “flask” BPA-free water bottles, Fit under deck rigging, in flat pockets or between my knees in the cockpit. Flexible and durable. Hard to find where I live but sold in most Dandy Marts and some Fresh Marts in NY and eastern PA. Bottle is “free” with costly spring water inside.
Buff head/neck wraps. Keep sweat off your forehead on hot days and your neck warm on cold days. Neat colors and patterns.
QQ Sport wing paddle - $140 shipped (On sale) for a 25oz all carbon wing paddle? yes please. Although the ferrule is plastic and will eventually break or wear out, for $140 who cares. I’ll happily replace it or just buy a new paddle when it dies. Wait for the 11/11 sale (the Chinese equivalent of Black Friday. everything on aliexpress is 20-50% off already cheap prices) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/carbon-kayak-paddle-mid-wing-paddle-bag/582942338.html
Sealine reinforced dry bags - very necessary for the extras
Others:
Homemade kayak rack for my surfski - cheaper than a Goodboy rack
Glacier gloves - warm, comfy, makes paddling in freezing temps tolerable
Kokatat GMER drysuit - Keeps me paddling an extra 5 months a year
Stellar SR surfski - soooo much fun to paddle, still stable enough for any intermediate paddler to handle at 19" beam. Still fast enough to be very fun
Portable picnic table - a staple for ‘kitchen sink’ day trips. Anywhere becomes my personal park.
@Wayne_Smith said:
Current Designs Caribou - bought it in 1998, and it’s still my #1 yak in the fleet. Kokatat Front entry goretex drysuit would be the other.
got your fun & moneys worth out of that huh? How does it look now?
got your fun & moneys worth out of that huh? How does it look now?
Looks like she’s seen quite a few battles below the waterline, and has had a keel strip added because she needed it. Tip of the stern has been rebuilt, and one repaired pinhole. Otherwise, she’s fine. Taken me to a lot of cool places to paddle, so I don’t see retiring her anytime soon.
Have the CD Isle (the big boy version of the Caribou), and I would agree that it’s a boat that gives you a special feeling. I drove 400 miles to pick it up, and I spent $2400 for a brand new leftover in kevlar. At the time, I thought I might have been silly to do so. In retrospect, it was one of the best decisions I made.
I’ll add my Zeiss rubber armored 10 X 40 BGA binoculars. Serious binocs at a very serious price (well over a grand) my wife bought them for me as a 40th birthday gift some 26 years ago and they still look and work like new. I’m a fairly serious bird watcher and every time I look through these things I’m amazed by the “made in West Germany” quality.