Inflatable Kayak Blog

Here’s another nice stretch that you can use before and after paddling your kayak, canoe or inflatable fishing boat to prevent injuries, reduce fatigue and improve flexibility, range of motion and overall performance. This “Deltoid Stretch” is very similar to the “Arm Over Head “ stretch that I wrote about a few weeks ago except your arm stretches across your chest. Keeping your left arm straight, reach across the length of your chest and pull the left elbow into your chest with your right hand, keeping your shoulders straight. Hold for about 30 seconds. For a deeper stretch, you can bend the left arm at the elbow and twist your torso to the right. Repeat the action with the right arm.

It’s been a long wait, but finally the PakBoats XT Touring Kayaks are available for purchase. The reason it took so long was mainly due to the extensive testing and design process they went through. Alv Elvestad, the designer and owner of PakBoats was striving for “a new class of folding kayaks” and we feel he’s accomplished that. The XT’s have several new innovations. They come with far more flotation built in than most other kayaks, and unlike almost all other kayaks, XTs have the flotation placed along the sides where it does most good. Typical flotation placement in kayaks is in the ends, which is helpful because it helps prevent the end from submerging. The stiff frame structure enables the XT’s to have longer efficient hulls with consistent rocker. The 15-ft solo and 16 ft double may seem short for this class of kayak, but with their steep stems, the XTs have waterline lengths of kayaks that are at least a foot longer! The new Pakboats cockpit is longer (36” compared to 29” in the older Puffins) to make it easier to get in and out of the kayak and it has built-in corners that grab the spray skirt so it is easy to get on. Over all, the boats are very fast and paddling performance is exceptional.

I visited San Francisco several years ago and it still ranks high on my list of favorite trips. Now that I’m into kayaking with my Sea Eagle inflatable kayak, I did some research to see if there are any nice paddling locations nearby. About an hour North of the city is Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes Peninsula and National Seashore. Point Reyes is historically significant in that it was discovered in 1603. Some consider the area to be one of the premier paddling destinations in California. It’s also one of the state’s largest protected bay and coastal areas.
 
Early spring is one of the best times to paddle on Tomales Bay because you’ll see lots of migratory birds and marine life. The surrounding hills are green from recent rains and wildflowers are beginning to bloom. The area also features the White Cliffs of Tomales Bay, a unique geological formation similar to the White Cliffs of Dover. There’s a State Park where you can launch as well as paid guided kayak tours available. Sounds like a good reason to plan another trip to the ‘city by the bay’.

My wife was searching for places for us to put our inflatable kayak in this spring and she came across the American Rivers “Blue Trails Guide”. We hadn’t ever heard of a “Blue Trail” but basically it’s the waterway equivalent of a hiking trail. The impetus behind the “Blue Trails” is partly to provide recreational paddling locations, but also to help the communities that promote them. They encourage physical activity; help support local tourism and recreation-based businesses, thereby helping the local economy. In turn, the communities are encouraged to take better care of these waterways developing pride in their value to the community. The Blue Trails philosophy can also be the driving force behind stopping pollution, removing dams that no longer make sense, protecting against poorly planned development along rivers and building support for protections such as Wild and Scenic River designations. A healthy river also provides cost effective flood control and clean drinking water.

American Rivers produced the “Blue Trails Guide” to give you all the resources you need to establish a thriving Blue Trail in your community. To have a successful Blue Trail you need to have a healthy river, which is why the guide focuses on river conservation. The guide has step-by-step instructions and practical advice on planning, building, and managing for conservation as well as case studies from experienced practitioners across the country. You can check out the “Blue Trails Guide” at www.BlueTrailsGuide.org.

I suppose you might expect me to post a blog that involves an “April Fool’s” joke, today. And by telling you that Sea Eagle has discounted all of their packages from $50 to $150, you might think I was leading you on. But I assure you, that’s not the case. It’s no joke. They’ve decided to provide their own economic stimulus package to the paddling community with these discounts and dealers like us, at PortableKayaks.com, are following suit. All the Sea Eagle line is included; the 330 and 370 inflatable kayaks, the 340, 380 and 420 Explorer kayaks, PaddleSki catamaran style kayaks, FoldCat inflatable pontoons, inflatable fishing boats with motormounts and even the new Longboard stand up paddleboards. It’s being advertised as a “Spring” sale so I wouldn’t wait too long to check out the savings before it’s over.