i thought they were attracted
to the yellow bulbs… but then got zapped by them.
My yellow Eddyline Fathom
has never bothered me! Love it. (though for the record i do usually wear sunglasses when boating).
Anti Shark Zebra Pattern
There is a spot where I have taken many Pnetters surfing in Lajolla where you can get small sand sharks to surf with you. Their favorite boat I ever owned was a Mako Aquarius surf kayak with “anti-shark” zebra stripes on the bottom … it drove them into a mad frenzy to chase me down the line.
Don’t think I would put a lot of weight on black and white stripes.
I’ve owned a yellow surf kayak for 11 years, still use it. No glare issues, no shark issues.
Bees and hornets and humming birds
I have had issues with bees being attracted to a yellow kayak … and humming birds like them too.
Not a hard problem to solve … if on the water just roll, if on your car just drive off.
Gotta admit #1
The outfitter carries Eddyline, P&H and Venture, and they’re all on display. A rainbow of shiny eye candy.
I look at them and am reminded of Dr. Seuss: “Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!”
Great 12-step, BTW.
Get the Samba
Great boat, you’ll love it. I went from a Skylark to a Samba and it’s like going from a family sedan to a sports car. Mine is orange, but I have a yellow Eddyline Raven and the color is not a problem.
You should almost always be wearing sunglasses on the water, preferably polarized. Keeps cataracts at bay longer!
Thanks, George.
I may be following in your wake, with the Skylark-Samba combination.
Have really enjoyed the Skylark since I got it in August. A great little boat that I intend to keep, but the difference in fit is night and day.
Hoping to test paddle the Samba this weekend, but keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Calling for 45F and 14 kts on the bay.
Nope!
The light from the yellow bulb is less visible to bugs and insects, so they are not attracted to it and don’t become a pest.
come on man
TWELVE steps? #1 is always too hard.
#6 just as bad as #1
I’m resolving that issue by selling my pontoon boat.
Haven’t used it since I started paddling, so the kayaks stay and the pontoon goes.
will you be my support advocate?
#6 - You’re much stronger than I am!
The Most Visible Color Is Pink
Next best color is orange. I’d choose flouescent green over yellow, for it is much more noticeable. I’m the designated driver for offshore surfski paddlers that paddle along the coast in very rough water where they will disappear in the trough of the ocean waves. It is my job to keep an eye on them along the way to the take out and the colors above stand out. I was disappointed in yellow for it didn’t stand out like the rest, even when using my 12 power binoculars. High volume white surfskis stood out more than low volume ones too.
Not seen a pink SINK.
other than the pink shorties sold at box stores. And this custom painted NDK listed locally: http://nmi.craigslist.org/boa/4601836219.html
Butt Kicking Gals Had Pink Gel Coated
– Last Updated: Oct-04-14 11:52 PM EST –
Surfskis back in the late 80's and early 90's. I ate their wake all the time. Ocean Kayaks did make some plastic fantastic scuppers in pink.
My Stormy Seas inflatable pfd was neon pink, which made it easy for the competition to cover me, but the chase boats captains loved it.
You can buy pink Fenn paddling shirts from Ocean Paddle Sports in California. Or even a pink Jantex wing paddle bag there too.
Mellow yellow it is
The monsoon finally stopped long enough for a test paddle today. The sale price was too good to pass it by, so now I have three. There should be a tag posted on kayaks: “Warning! Could be addictive.”
By the time I got home and launched the Samba in my own lake, the sun had come out. No glare that I noticed. Maybe because I was quite occupied with the differences in paddling a boat with a 22" beam versus a 26" beam.
New learning experiences, especially in a well-fitting cockpit.
Congratulations!
The only drawback to a 22" kayak is that it makes your other wider boats seem like barges when you go back to them.
kayak color
Yellow is the color that shows up best at sea. I rented an Eddyline kayak once for a salt water trip and I took the yellow one. Glare is not an issue. Let the gelcoat oxidize a little if you want. It is a great color and I painted a mahogany Kayak yellow and left the deck varnished.
Never
Not a chance I would ever deliberately oxidize that beautiful Carbonlite deck. I had originally asked the question about alleged glare because of statements to that effect in older threads.
Spent a couple hours today on the water in full sun. No problem at all with the color. The yellow deck doesn’t even look as shiny as the crimson red deck on my Skylark.
Was surprised to see a bee hovering while I was loading the kayak (we had frost last night). Not sure if it was inspecting the yellow kayak or the bright blue jacket I was wearing. Whatever, it decided there was nothing worthy and left.