10 (More) Sea Kayaks to Try Before You Buy
Published April 28, 2011 | 
The problem with selecting 10 kayaks for folks to try is that you inherently leave out 400 others. Some readers will think that when you leave something off, it’s a personal slight or that you are being limited or intentionally “bias”. Of course you’re not. The limit is simply in your personal goal and how long you want your list to be. It’s fair to say every paddler in the world will have a different list… With that in mind, here’s another “10 sea kayaks you should try” list from fellow paddle blogger Bryan Hansel. He writes about canoeing and kayaking at Paddlinglight.com. Take it away Bryan!
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling | 
Bryan Hansel, Current Designs, Epic, Necky, QCC, Tiderace, Valley Sea Kayaks, Wilderness SystemsOff The Latch
Published August 24, 2009 | 
The instructions read as follows… “Hook the open end of the cam into the opposite strap and push the cam over,tightening the strap. Secure the cam in place with the tabbed loop. If the straps are not tight when the cam is properly secured, release the cam and adjust the straps.”
This is a wacky hatch cover latch design you’ll find on lots of Current Designs kayaks. It’s amazing really; Amazing in how quickly it comes unlatched, how complicated and counter-intuitive it is to operate, and most awe-inspiring in it’s ability to grab hold of a pfd when the paddler attempts a lay back roll. Oh, sure you can go a hundred times before the latch gets caught up under your shoulder strap.. maybe thousands… Maybe never… but if it does… Boy Howdy!
You’re Cut
Published May 19, 2009 | 
Hello, I must be going,
I cannot stay, I came to say, I must be going.
I’m glad I came, but just the same I must be going.
La La.
– groucho marx
Well, you’ve got to laugh, don’t you!? This year General Motors here in the states has been trying to remain viable. So they started cutting brands. First on the block was Pontiac. Pontiac was meant to be the more sporty, muscle bound GM. Pontiac was for adults who had to take kids to ballet but didn’t want to totally go “middle age”. I loved Pontiac myself. In fact and still own a Grand Prix. GM is also talking about chopping or selling off Saturn and Hummer as well. So that got me thinking. In these tough times what if our favorite kayak companies had to cut back? Continue reading
Posted in Commentary & Rants, Kayaks, Paddling, Random Thoughts | Current Designs, greenlander, ndk, Necky, Valley Kayaks, wisconsin
As a sea kayaking coach I see lots of kayaks & gear on the water each year. I have the opportunity to see how students actually use their gear, how it works for them and how sometimes it really fails. Take these Cam-Clips for instance. I’ve ranted about them in the past, but they never seem to go away either. They’re like a bad dream that just lingers in your memory and ruins your day. Why? Well, the first time I was introduced to these Current Design’s hooky-strappy things, a student was working on a layback roll. When they rolled the kayak, they put their back against the hull, slid a bit, and hooked the shoulder strap of their PFD under the cam lever! They were stuck. It was a really scary moment for them and not a very pleasant introduction to rolling a kayak either. Even after I rolled them up, they couldn’t just sit up. They had to slide back off the clip, (after we figured it out.) then sit up. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine that under duress and upside down, a person may never realize they have to slide to their left to get free.. Then what? Continue reading →