Inflatable Kayak Blog

No, this isn’t a blog about Brian Wilson and the boys’ recreational activities. According to Wikipedia, in Hawaii in the early 1960s, the “Beach Boys” of Waikiki would stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term “Beach Boy Surfing” originated. Nowadays, the sport is called Stand Up Paddle Surfing (aka: SUP) and it’s becoming quite popular. In regular surfing, you catch a wave and attempt to hop up on the board while on the wave. With SUP the goal is simply to stand on the board and propel yourself forward using your paddle. This makes the sport perfect for flat water, something that’s much easier to find and easy enough that most people are up and paddling within a half hour. The recent popularity of the sport is also attributed to surfers using SUP to train in the off-season. Stand up paddle surfing requires a heightened sense of balance and a strong core, which helps stabilize the board and maneuver it. What excites me is that inflatable SUP boards are now available for easy transport and storage.

I was looking out my window today and thinking how nice it would be if I could get out and pump up the inflatable kayak and do some paddling. It’s a nice sunny day but the temperatures are in the 30’s. Don’t think I’m going kayaking!

I decided instead to go online to check out some info about how to dress if I ever did ‘lose my mind’ and brave the colder weather. I came across this video posted by Louise Aidie, a kayak guide who was on a kayak expedition in the Artic (Brrrrrr). I though you might enjoy it. Now that’s what I call “Cold Weather Paddling!”

I’ve had a chance to start analyzing the Innova line of kayaks and one of the niftiest and most impressive one-person models is the Solar. It’s strictly recreational with a river rating of Class 1 (only small rapids, if any and basically no water danger). However, as you can see in the photo, the Solar is quite ‘at home’ in the surf.

At 24 pounds, the Innova Solar inflatable kayak is very portable and can be set up completely in 5 minutes. The boat is PVC free, made of the same rugged 1,200-denier Nitrylon™ material as Innova’s whitewater models. For a lower priced model that’s unusual. I guess that’s why Innova is considered one of the highest quality inflatable kayak manufacturers. The ten-foot Solar comes in its own airline carryon drybag/backpack and includes a removable tracking fin, adjustable footrest, and gear hold-downs. The only drawback is that it only comes in red, but hey … that’s a nice color and easy to see on the water!

Here’s another paddling stroke that can be used in a hard shell, inflatable or folding kayak. It’s great to use to make your kayak turn rapidly on its place. Essentially, it’s the forward sweep stroke done backwards, starting from the back and ending close to your toes. You might also call it a “double reverse”, since it is done in a reverse manner and has the reverse affect on the boat. The kayak paddle blade is fully buried in the water; using the back of the blade, make a wide arc sweep from the stern to the bow to turn the boat in the same direction. Again, the power is coming from the rotation of your torso. To protect your shoulder joint when making the reverse strokes, keep the elbow in front of the line of the shoulders (never reach behind you, and remember to turn your body).

I first saw the Aquapac waterproof camera cases at the Outdoor Retail Show this past summer in Salt Lake City. I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I first started looking at them, but what really caught my eye was the slide show that was playing using pictures taken from the bag. They were sharp and clear and you could hardly tell they were taken inside a bag. Up until then I thought my only option for taking underwater photos was with those cheap disposable cameras you find in the camera section of your local discount store. But for a reasonable price, the Aquapac transforms my camera into an underwater camera that I am familiar with. The one that fits my camera has a hard lens that is built into the case. The case can be used in water up to 15ft deep and also keeps dust and sand out of the camera. This would certainly have come in handy when we were in Hawaii in some really windy conditions that caused the salty ocean spray to get on my lens. This is one of my “Wish List” items that I better see on Christmas morning.

I realize that most inflatable and folding kayak users don’t go on deep treks into the wild, but in case you do, you might want a SPOT Satellite Messenger. The small hand held unit gives you a vital line to friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. The SPOT tracks your progress via a GPS satellite network, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world – even where cell phones don’t.

The cost for your “peace of mind” is very reasonable at $149.99 (even less with the $50 rebate being offered through 12/31/08). To go beyond the basics, there is a yearly $100 fee for the GPS features, which are well worth the cost. The unit is a great accessory for climbers, hikers and extreme kayakers.

Just like the rudder of a ship controls the direction of the ship, the stern rudder stroke allows you to guide your kayak through obstacles as an aid to controlling the kayak downwind with the ruddering incorporated into the forward paddle cycle. To rudder, turn back with the paddle parallel to the boat. The blade is buried and vertical at the rear of the kayak. Your bottom arm is extended but not straight. Push the blade away from the stern to turn towards the paddle side or pull it towards the stern to turn the other way. While kayaking with my sister in our Sea Eagle 330, I found this stroke to be quite effective in keeping the boat on course while the two of us were paddling without interrupting her paddle stroke.

The Sea Eagle FoldCat inflatable pontoon is an excellent choice for fishermen who have limited carry space but need a larger craft for fishing. We’ve heard from folks who tow a 5th wheel and can’t tow a boat behind, some who have limited truck bed space and others who simply didn’t want to carry a boat over their cab or car top. They all find that the FoldCat fits their needs perfectly.

The Sea Eagle FoldCat comes in 2 person and 4 person models which include swivel seats and something most inflatable pontoons don’t have, a full floor, that gives you more usable space allowing you to carry more gear. The floor also acts as a “safety net” to catch gear you may drop.

The best thing about the FoldCat is that it’s now on sale at it’s lowest price ever at PortableKayaks.com.

Early November and it is a beautiful fall afternoon. We won’t get many more nice days like this to get out in the kayak around this area so we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures and put the kayak in at Buffalo Trace Park. I got a short leg workout as I did all the pumping with the kayak foot pump to inflate the kayak as we hurried to get it in the water before it got too dark. The lake was calm as glass and the reflection of the fall colors was spectacular! I had a hard time paddling, not because I was tired out from pumping, but because I was busy taking so many pictures. We barely had time to paddle around the small lake as the sun was sinking very low in the sky. I took a few more pictures and we packed up and headed home in darkness. What a great way to spend one of the last paddles of the year!

Probably the most unique folding watercraft on the market today is the TRAK T-1600 Folding Kayak. The TRAK changes shape. Hydraulics inside the cockpit enable you to instantly shift the shape of the kayak’s hull. So you can adjust your TRAK for straight speed, then shift its shape to turn easily. Or neutralize a cross wind without a rudder. It’s kind of like having an “all-wheel drive” performance vehicle on land, or “gears” on a mountain bike.

The TRAK has been a ‘high end’ priced kayak, but the current sale has prices marked down up to 40% and since it’s priced in Canadian dollars, the US Dollar price is even lower. The sale, initiated by the manufacturer is called the “8 Weeks Of Christmas” and the discount is larger the sooner you buy. Check the details out at PortableKayaks.com.