Hot Wheels
Published April 4, 2010 | 
We’ve all got wheels to take ourselves away
We’ve got telephones to say what we can’t say
We all got higher and higher every day
– emmylou harris
So, I have this friend who’s getting the kayak bug. He doesn’t want to do those “crazy” things I do (Isn’t it strange how sea kayaking or rolling can be seen as “crazy?), but wants to fish… and maybe cruise around a bit too. Of course when someone asks for this sort of advice and has never paddled before, you have to keep Karma in mind. Whatever advice you give will have repercussions in the end. I find it’s best to open doors to ideas, rather than offer my faux-expert advice. Continue reading
2007 Colman Fun 94
Published August 16, 2009 | 
She says, Im getting that lonely sinking feeling,
You know what I mean?
With his hand on her back hes thinking,
where does that leave me?
– cowboy junkies
The 2007 Colman Fun 94 kayak is 9’4” feet long, has a capacity of 250lbs. If it flips, the poor bastard paddling it may be in real trouble. It would be hard to design a recreational kayak that could hold more water while at the same time be almost impossible to drain as the “fun 94”. In fact, in my opinion the Fun 94 represents just about everything bad in recreational kayaks. The only thing you could do to make them worse is rent them out to holiday makers who are taking enough risk simply by being in on the water at all.
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling, Reviews, Safety, travel | 
colman, devils lake, recreational kayaking, wisconsinout there
Published March 2, 2009 | 
Bonded in terror or suspicion deep
Tentative tiptoe or giant leap
Call down the angels to guide them in
A raft of penguins take to the wing.
- ian anderson
Ok so some kayakers are simply “out there”. Especially Shaun Baker who is considering plunging over Niagara Falls in his jet kayak. But at least Shaun is sort of an experienced and educated kind of out there. Unlike the list of names that seems to be growing every day of paddlers who are meeting their fates on the water making the most basic mistakes. I know they are not intentionally “out there” while at the same time they actually are out there…intentionally. I’m not sure exactly how or if we can ever reach these folks but it’s becoming obvious a lot of paddlers are missing their kayak safety classes.
Posted in Learning, Paddling, Safety | kayak fishing, recreational kayaking, recreational paddling, Safety
In a churchyard by a river / Lazing in the haze of midday
Laughing in the grasses and the graze.
Yellow bird, you are alone in singing and in flying on,
In and in leaving. Willow weeping in the water,
Waving to the river daughters,
Swaying in the ripples and the reeds. – pink floyd
I was considering the other day whether sea kayaks were going to disappear, or at the very least slip off into the fringes of water sports. I wondered if it will soon become unprofitable for all but a few specialized companies to produce “real” sea kayaks. I also asked myself.. how many people really need 17 foot sea kayaks? Today there are so many paddle craft options that better serve the needs of paddlers who once had little choice but to buy a sea kayak or canoe to get out on the water. Continue reading →