Inflatable Kayak Blog

Fall is a great time to do some paddling. The changing colors make for some beautiful scenery and the cooler temperatures keep the sweating level down. We’re headed up to Michigan for a few days and we’re looking forward to a few paddling adventures, enjoying the fall weather and color in our Sea Eagle 330 Inflatable Kayak. It’s a little different than our previous trips to Florida and Tennessee in warmer weather. We’re going to have to wear our clothing in layers, since the temperature can vary with the amount of paddling activity, time of day, and if a piece of clothing gets wet (as if that’s ever happened!). If anyone has any additional ‘tips’ for fall paddling, drop us a note.

We’ll post a few blogs along the way. There’s lots of water in Michigan and we plan to enjoy some of it.

I had been out in the country with a friend, checking out a new house they were having built and we passed the Blue River. I noticed that it was up and looked like it might be fun to check it out in the kayak. This would have been a new place to kayak and we tentatively planned on going out on Sunday.

As it turned out, it was a good thing that we didn’t make it to the river. Although it wasn’t forecasted to be nearly as strong as it was, the remnants of hurricane Ike slammed in to our area with winds gusting 70 to 80 miles per hour. Trees and power lines were down everywhere and most of the area will be without power for days to come. Just thinking of being out on the river in that kind of weather is unimaginable. This will serve as a reminder to be sure to check weather conditions before leaving on a kayaking trip. It is better to change plans and be safe rather than get caught out in dangerous conditions.

We had been talking about taking the kayak for a paddle on the Ohio River. It was a hot and humid evening and we could have put it off but we finally had some free time, so we packed up the boat and headed to a spot at Leavenworth, Indiana to put the boat in the water.

We have crossed the Ohio River many times on our way into Louisville and my first thoughts were that there would be a swift current and the water wouldn’t be too nice, maybe some driftwood to avoid. But the place we went was very calm, the water quality was better than I expected and it was mostly free of debris. We didn’t come across anything hazardous floating anywhere near us.

The thing that amazed me about this trip was how wide the river really is. When you are crossing it on a bridge you are over it in a matter of seconds, but being in a small inflatable kayak out on the water is quite a different story. Though we didn’t venture very far from the shoreline, to paddle to the other side would have taken quite a while, I’m sure. Because it is so wide, there is a unique quality to the river but it is not overly scenic. There were a lot of fish jumping after the bugs that were along the top of the water and we passed what looked like a small abandoned barge resting on the riverbank. It had been there for some time judging from the trees that were growing in and around it. But the most interesting sighting was a very large bird that flew up from the shore. It was gone before we had a chance to get a good look at it, but we wondered if there were any eagles in the area. We’ll have to do some research on that notion.

This wasn’t a very long paddle, but we both agreed that we would go back there, maybe on a cooler evening for a longer trip.

I have a couple more terms about river kayaking that I thought might be of interest to beginner kayakers that I wanted to share. Personally, I don’t want to be anywhere near either of these on the river, but at least I would know what to call it if I did see them some place. The first is a part of a fast moving river that is called a “Chute”. When a river becomes constricted either naturally or from the presence of obstacles, it creates a section of fast moving water. At the end of this stretch of water a chute is formed. I would think that white water kayakers would enjoy the thrill of going through one of these.

The other term is often found along with a “Chute”. It’s called a “Haystack”. “Haystacks” are large standing waves that can be found at the end of certain types of chutes or other narrow passages of water. They usually indicate the water is deep and likely rock free. This would be another challenge for white water kayakers that I certainly am not ready for.

In my last blog I mentioned some river kayaking terms. I thought I would add a few more that might be of interest to other beginning kayakers. Though you will find these river terms on faster moving rivers, it is good to know what to look for if that is the type water you will be paddling in.
Of course you know what a kitchen strainer does in your sink? It collects “stuff”. A “Strainer” on the river does the same thing. This is a part of a river where wood, usually downed trees have collected. Strainers catch floating objects and even boats. You wouldn’t want to find yourself mixed up in that mess, so be aware of strainer locations and avoid them.
A “Roostertail” is a part of a river where a spray of water launches off a slightly submerged rock. This creates the roostertail. Much like a roostertail off of a high-powered speedboat. As you may realize these should also be avoided because they indicate the presence of a shallow rock, and you wouldn’t want to bang your inflatable kayak into that. Though inflatables are durable, there is no reason to put it to the test if you can avoid that in the first place.
Personally, I don’t know that I am ready for swift moving water like this and think the slower paced rivers and streams are more my liking at this point of my paddling experience.

At a time when larger vehicles are becoming less popular because of the high price of gas, the new Sea Eagle 440 FoldCat is an exception. The boat was introduced this month (July 2008) and it’s the largest folding/inflatable pontoon on the market. It holds up to four people with a capacity of 1300 pounds. Although it might be too large and cumbersome for many who enjoy the small one and two person inflatable pontoons, this boat can be an economical replacement for traditional gas-guzzling bass boats. Both versions of the Sea Eagle FoldCat, the two person 375 and the new 4 person 440, have a full floor so you have far more useable space than ordinary pontoon fishing boats - and it’s a “safety net” that catches gear you may drop. This allows you to carry more fishing tackle and supplies than ordinary pontoon boats. And it will travel up to 8 to 10 miles per hour with an economical 4 hp gas engine. Four fishermen or women can fish from 360 degree swivel seats using up to six rod holders. You can’t do that on a small bass boat. Check it out if you’re looking for something more economical and functional for your fishing expeditions.

After our quick paddle on the Indian Creek at the beginning of the month I was thinking how quiet and relaxing it was paddling along this shallow water. That got me thinking of all the exciting rivers there are to paddle and a couple of the kayaking terms dealing with river kayaking.

 “Eddies” can be a paddler’s best friend. Eddies are currents of water behind obstacles where the water is calm and can be paddled into. Eddies provide paddlers with a place to rest, check gear, drain boats or scout upcoming rapids.

 Another term that’s used on a river excursion is when you’re thinking about how neat it would be to just see what was around the next “River Bend”. Did you know that the water on the outside of the river bend is usually deeper and moving faster than the inside? The outside bend is also a more dangerous area of the river because this is where the debris can pile up, creating very dangerous obstacles that you might not be able to see when moving along at a fast pace. If you were to flip over in such an area you could get your life jacket or paddling vest caught on the debris and end up trapped.

We are looking forward to a chance to get out and explore a small part of the Ohio River soon. This should be an exciting change from the little river we had just been on. Will write more about that after the trip. If anyone would like to share a river adventure we would enjoy hearing about it here.

Over the July 4th weekend we had a chance to try out a Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak. We had planned to take the boat to a very small lake in a park near where we live but when we got there we noticed a sign “No Boats Allowed in the Lake”. Luckily for us there was a small river right behind the park. So instead of traveling further away from home to put the boat in the water we just inflated the boat and carried it to a flat spot on the riverbank. The water wasn’t very deep, but surprisingly it was fine for a quick paddle to try out the boat.

As expected, it inflated quickly and the extra length didn’t seem to matter with the inflation time or the weight of it as we carried it. I liked the extra legroom a lot. Our SE-330 is fine for what we need, but having some extra space is always nice. The river was so peaceful as we made our way down stream. This was our first time on a river and it made for a completely different experience paddling. We could see the fish darting from rock to rock as we paddled, and there were several ducks that we shared the river with. I certainly want to go back to this spot for a longer paddle and enjoy the peacefulness of a day on the river.