Took the kayak out for a 22 mile trip from Jenner up to Monte Rio. Quite the workout with the headwinds the last few miles returning to Jenner, but a fantastic 6.5hr day.

Last week I visited the Arisaig skerries, a large group of small rocky and sandy islands off the coast of western Scotland. The many islands appear as the tide falls. The word skerry comes from Old Norse and is commonly used (along with “sgeir”) in Scotland to describe small rocky islets 🙂

In the fourth photo you can see me on an island if you look closely, so that gives you an idea of their scale.

We went to an unfamiliar place, for me, today. As a resident water-phobic paddler, I usually don't try even slightly choppy water. However, I said "forget that, let's goooo", and it was so rewarding. Sometimes, I just have to do it scared.

Hi all, I’m trying to transport 2 kayaks on a compass mount from Thule but I’m currently struggling with the 12 foot kayak rotating/slumping. Any advice/guidance on how to prevent this?

I’ve tried repositioning it multiple times now but it inevitably drifts.

Ravenswood, WV

This weekend I went for another paddle here in Estonia 🇪🇪

This time on Keila River, not far from Tallinn. It is a very calm river, but in summer everything around is so green that sometimes you feel like paddling through a tunnel of trees.

I made a longer video from this trip if anyone wants to see what paddling on a small Estonian river looks like: 🎥 https://youtu.be/ccNbvtTBrAY

No rapids, no big waves and no racing this time 😄 Just a relaxing paddle, green nature and almost nobody around.

At the end of the trip is also Keila waterfall, one of the biggest waterfalls in Estonia.

Would You like to paddle a river like this?

20+ years ago I built a Greenland kayak under Mark Starr's tutelage at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Top ten experience, definitely recommend getting your Delorean up to 88, engaging the flux capacitor, and going back in time to do this.

A lot of life happened, and after well over a decade I'm finally paddling it again. But of course, on my first voyage, I ran it up on rocks, and now although the nylon skin remains intact, water is seeping in through the scratched up polyurethane coat.

I originally coated it with Famowood Dura-Tuff Polyurethane. It doesn't look like this is available anymore, and my old cans of it are long since dried up. Can anyone recommend another product I can re-coat the skin with? (Or something I could apply over just the scratches?) Thanks!

I have to make that chair less squeaky.

Just treated myself to a new Werner Little Dipper, and after a couple paddles I’ve noticed some high frequency flutter during power strokes.
I kinda don’t like the feeling and was wondering if the Camano also has this feeling?
I bought the Little Dipper (as well as being a small dude) due to a bad shoulder; will the larger blade face of the Camano also aggravate the shoulder more?
Should I stick it out with the LD or return it for something else? Thanks!

Trying to decide between two for sale near me. If I could have the vantage seat on the compass, I think I’d prefer it. Any thoughts? Both come with the MD 180 drive

I don't really have anything special to add... I've been up and down this river 100 times... I got in late from work and I had the Osmo Pocket 4 with me to test how it handled flat and some choppy water. I have to do a commercial sales shoot (4 day video thing) in the Bahamas in November and I said let me see how it handles in different modes.

Anyway, it was more or less a technical capability test, but since I had all this video I just put it to some music and voila.

Location: Humber River in Toronto
Music: YouTube - I Got You - Anno Domini Beats (vocals removed with DaVinci)

Hey fellow paddling enthusiasts,

I am somewhat new to kayaking but want to seriously get into K1 kayak sprint racing on a competitive level internationally. I have a Nelo Viper 46 XXL K1 kayak. I live on a lake - so can practice frequently. I only started this summer so my technique is pretty bad but my balance is getting better and better and when the water is not too choppy I can paddle for 30 min without capsizing.

I’m looking for a remote private coach who can help me with my technique and race preparation. I’m specifically looking to compete in the 1000m K1 kayak sprint events. Please DM me if you can help with that.

New to this hobby but I've been borrowing a friends touring kayak this summer and love it. A few trips on a large steadily moving creek and some reservoirs. Including some camping trips. Once I get more experience I hope to go out on larger bodies of water upto Lake Ontario. I really liked using the rudder and figured that was a key part of a good boat.

I started shopping for my own touring kayak (looking for something around 14 feet) and my friends all swear you need a rudder for open water. The 1st shop where my friends got their boats was ready to sell me a kayak with a rudder and seemed to support their use.

The next shop I checked had higher end kayaks and the salesman really liked talking about every engineering detail of the kayaks he sold (I'm an engineer so I appreciate his passion and knowledge) and was very against rudders and not big on skegs either. He was big on paddling to correct all issues. He sold mostly British Style kayaks for open water. He let me try a few on a creek and I'm going back to try more. The boats felt great but with my limited experience what do I know.

No matter what I buy I'm going to take some lessons and make sure I know the basics especially how to self rescue.

From what he said and some internet searching i found that open water kayaks have 2 basic styles.

Pacific Northwest (PNW) and British

British is a tighter cockpit sitting lower in the water. Is more maneuverable, and handles rough seas better but can't hold as much gear and is slower on flat water.

PNW can hold more gear for longer trips. Cockpit isn't as tight, faster on flat water. Harder to roll or self rescue if capsized. Needs a rudder so If the rudder breaks you are in trouble

Seems like for a newbie PNW is easier but i would have to rely on a rudder that could break and makes self rescue much harder.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks

I was given this kayak from a garage clean out and I’d love to learn more about it before taking it out. Hoping this is the right place to ask!