Inflatable Kayak Blog

The key to kayaking in the ocean, no matter what type of kayak you have, folding or otherwise, is more about the paddler than about the kayak. Ocean currents and waves create more of a challenge than the water in most lakes and rivers. Conditions can change more quickly and the power of the ocean’s deeper water is much more formidable. If the water is calm and the forecast is good, most everyone can kayak. The decision making process becomes more crucial when those conditions are borderline and the waves are a little higher, etc. At that point, paddling experience and confidence in your paddling abilities is really the key to whether you should attempt an ocean or sea-kayaking paddle. You can gain some experience by ‘testing’ your kayak in light waves, gradually progressing to see how your skills match up with larger waves. Stay in areas where conditions are more predictable and close enough to shore to feel secure in the ‘testing’ process. Over time, you’ll be able to decide what types of ocean conditions you’ll be confident to kayak in.

I’ve spoken with the manufacturers of the PakBoat and TRAK folding kayaks that we sell at PortableKayaks.com and they have assured me that all their kayaks are safe for ocean kayaking as long as the paddler has experience enough to handle them. So, if you know you can handle it, “happy ocean paddling!”

Superglue has a variety of uses, mostly for gluing things together, duh. However, one of superglue’s lesser-known uses is for skin cuts. There is a medical formulation of superglue called “Dermabond” that is used to close wounds, help stop bleeding and minimize skin irritations. In many cases, however, plain old superglue will get the job done. It tends to work better than a strip bandage and instances of irritation are rare.

Always use an unopened tube of glue. Clean the cut and pinch it closed. Dab a drop or two of superglue directly on the cut then spread it along the length of the cut with something clean. Because it is watertight it also seals out infecting agents and keeps the cut dry when you’re paddling. Since the small tube doesn’t take up much space, superglue can be a handy addition to any outdoor kit for camping or picnics or your dry bag for paddling.

I’ve been planning to write a blog on “How to Choose a Kayak Paddle”, especially for new paddlers, for the last year or so and I’ve been putting it off because there are sooooo many variations to explain. The blog would be so long and detailed that it would probably either give you a headache or cause you to not even want to take up a paddle sport. I’ve heard and read suggestions of all types in choosing a kayak paddle based on how tall you are, what kind of paddling you’re going to do and what type of kayak you have. They all make sense in one way or another. However, after talking with Stuart Lee of Cannon Paddles, I came to this conclusion … “personal preference”. Stuart is over six foot tall and uses a shorter paddle than most on the market, which breaks all the “rules” of choosing a paddle. And he designs paddles! Good ones, at that. That size paddle fits his paddling style and personal preference. It’s that simple. His suggestion for new paddlers is that they should, if possible, try to borrow paddles to test and see if they like them. If you don’t have that kind of access, just start out with an inexpensive paddle, one that came with your kayak package or some general all-purpose model. Then as your paddling technique develops, you’ll have a much better idea of the type of paddle that will fit your needs more perfectly.

I like the outdoors. Being outside doing something is much more fun than being inside, anytime … well almost anytime. I seem to be the tasty treat to a biting bug that is within a quarter mile of me. So, we try to keep a can of bug spray in our inflatable kayak kit so it is always handy. I thought it would be of interest of other outdoor folk to be reminded of some ways to avoid bug bites and stings.

As I mentioned, bug spray is one of my best defenses. The thing to remember with sprays is that the higher the percentage of DEET, the active ingredient in most insect repellents, the more hours of protection against mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, fleas and ticks. A concentration of 5% to 10% lasts about 90 minutes: 35% concentration protects for about four hours if you aren’t swimming or doing a lot of activities that cause you to sweat.

If you don’t like using DEET based insect repellents, oil of lemon eucalyptus delivers about the same level of mosquito protection for the same length of time as low concentrations of DEET.

Wear loose, light colored clothing. Bees are attracted to bright colors and mosquitoes are attracted to dark hues. And for the person that spends a great deal of time outside you can purchase garments that are pre-treated with insecticide that offer effective protection from biting bugs.

Wear long sleeves and long pants when possible and tuck pants legs into socks or shoes. Wear a hat for extra protection. When camping, be sure to check inside gloves, hats and sleeves and pants before putting them on and always check carefully before crawling into a sleeping bag.

If stung, scrape the stinger in a side-to-side motion with a straight edge object like a credit card. Squeeze out the venom immediately, then wash with soap and water and disinfect with antibiotic ointment. A cold compress or ice on the area can reduce swelling.

Summer is here, so stay protected from biting bugs and have an itch free time outdoors!

One of the biggest hassles to transporting and assembling a one-man inflatable fishing pontoon is the frame. The extra parts take up space, add extra weight and add to the setup time. The Sea Eagle company has reduced that hassle with their new “frameless pontoon boat”, the 285fpb. It’s a 9-foot craft that weighs only 42 pounds, sets up in about 4 minutes and can be transported in a car trunk. Sea Eagle uses the same 1000 denier hull material that’s used on their 2 and 4 man FoldCat Pontoons. You can hit this stuff with the claw end of a hammer and not put a hole in it.

Oars come with the 285fpb. It can be rowed backwards or forwards. The “Pro Angler Package” includes a motormount that accepts an electric motor or up to 3 hp gas engine, an optional swivel seat which allows the fisherman to sit up high and turn 360 degrees and the wooden floorboard that provides a platform to stand up and cast. If you’re a fisherman looking for a solo craft to get into almost any type of water, you should take a look at the Sea Eagle 285fpb.

We went on an extended weekend to Gatlinburg, TN this past weekend. We were able to get in a paddle at Douglas Lake, but one of our other plans was to go for a hike in Smokey Mountain National Park. We asked at the visitor’s center for suggestions of somewhere not too strenuous, preferably something along one of the pretty mountain streams. We chose to go to the Elkmont area. There was a wide, well-groomed trail along the rocky mountain stream. Most of the trail was in the shade of the tall spring green trees with the sun peeking through the trees here and there. I loved walking along listening to the sound of the rushing water while butterflies were flitting everywhere. There were old abandoned cabins scattered in the woods just off the path that added to the charm of the area. As I was taking pictures of the stream, we noticed a young man in something like an inner tube floating calmly down towards us in the shallow areas and then slipping over the rocks as he went over a little waterfall. We had never before seen anyone do that in a mountain stream, so we stayed and watched him float by. We couldn’t help making the comparison to a float tube for fishing. Though this wasn’t exactly the same, he was definitely in a tube that was floating. It looked like fun and a great way to spend a little bit of time in the Smokey’s, but I think I will stay with kayaking.

We went up into the Smokey Mountains for a long weekend this past weekend. We had a variety of plans, which included some paddling on one of the days we were there. There are many mountain streams that run through the area, however, they don’t lend themselves to kayaking because of low water levels and large rocks. We asked some locals to suggest a good place to put the kayak in for a paddle and they suggested Douglas Lake.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) constructed Douglas Lake in 1943. By damming up the French Broad River for the purpose of flood control and hydroelectric power generation, they also created a very impressive recreational lake with over 550 miles of shoreline and a surface area greater than 30,000 acres at its fullest. The lake was about 40 minutes from where we were staying in Gatlinburg but it was easy to find. There is a campground and beach area at Douglas Dam where we launched our Sea Eagle 330 inflatable kayak. We inflated the boat and carried it to the water where we took off from an old boat launch. It was a busy place with lots of swimmers and boaters in the area. We did our usual paddle long the shore line and managed to see a heron fly over head right after we got going. There was a marina to the right so we paddled down as far as that and then paddled back the other direction past the beach area. We didn’t stay out too long because we weren’t used to all the boats and jet skies zipping by. But it was a terrific day to be outside and the view of the Great Smokey Mountains in the distance made for quite a nice adventure.

May is National Fitness Month. So I encourage all you paddlers to get out and enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise. Of course, dipping the kayak paddle into the water isn’t the only fun fitness activity. There are others. In fact it’s even better if your sources of exercise vary a little just to keep all your muscles in good shape. Here’s a few exercise “facts” for fitness month.

You may have heard the line: If you can’t exercise hard and often, there is really no point. But that’s not the truth. Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments.

The most important factor in exercise and weight control is not the percentage of fat calories burned, but the total calories burned during the activity. The faster you paddle, walk or swim, for example the more calories you use per minute. Although you will be burning fewer “fat calories”, you will be burning more total calories and in turn will lose more weight.
 
And finally we have all heard someone tell us “No Pain, No Gain!” That’s not true either! Exercise should not be painful. At the height of your workout, you should be sweating and breathing hard. You should not be so out of breath that you cannot answer a question, but should not be so comfortable that you can carry on a full conversation. It is important to distinguish between muscle fatigue (feeling “the burn”) and muscle/joint pain (sharp and uncomfortable pain during movement). Pain is your body’s way of telling you that you’re doing something wrong. Listen to your body and if it’s painful, stop!

So, take advantage of the nice spring weather and get outside and get some exercise. If you are not in the best physical shape, take this time to fit more exercise into your schedule and start on the road to being fit for life.

National Safe Boating Week (May 16 – 22, 2009) takes us right up to Memorial Weekend, which is always a busy time for boaters and paddlers. This year the National Safe Boating Council is spreading the message of safe and responsible boating with the “Wear It!” safety campaign, increasing awareness about the importance of always wearing a life jacket or PDF (personal flotation device) while on the water. To learn more about life jacket wear and the options that are available when it comes to comfortable and lightweight life jackets, you can go to the safe boating campaign web site page that features Life Jacket Information.

TRAK Kayaks, makers of the T1600 adjustable folding kayak, are offering up a unique promotion this Summer (now through the end of July, 2009). They’re urging customers to “go tell your boss that you’re taking the day off and that TRAK is buying you dinner”. In addition to discounting the price to $2950 in US Dollars (the TRAK is manufactured in Canada) TRAK will reimburse a purchaser’s employer, or donate their daily wage, up to $200, to a non-profit cause making a difference in the world. TRAK will also provide the customer with $100 to spend on dinner after a great day on the water.

Not only is the TRAK folding kayak portable enough to fit into a golf bag size carry bag but, with it’s patented lever system, the TRAK T1600 can curve it’s keel for easy maneuverability or move it back to a straight keel for maximum speed and tracking. A separate lever adjusts the trim to the right, left or straight. It’s truly a one of a kind kayak and this TRAK sale promotion is quite unique as well.