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 SystemsSongs of Experience
Published April 27, 2011 | 
Children of the future Age,
Reading this indignant page:
Know that in a former time,
Love! sweet Love! was thought a crime – blake
Yesterday I wrote about 10 sea kayaks that everyone should at least test paddle before they invest in a brand new sea kayak. One reader commented that I should have included at least one of the great traditional or Greenland kayak in the group. I got his point. Today I’ll talk about that a bit and explain why no Greenland style kayaks made the list and tell you which ones would have if they, well, would have.. Continue reading
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling, Reviews | Anas Acuta, Betsie Bay, Qajaq USA, sea kayaking uk, Tahe Marine, Valley Sea Kayaks, Water Field KayaksChicken & Egg
Published July 27, 2010 | 
My neighbor… wants what he sees
My neighbor!! My neighbor!!
My neighbor… thinks he wants to be me
But he’ll never be – gnarls barkley
When I recently wrote a quick overview of SeakayakingUK’s Romany, someone (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) shared with me the thought that the Romany was at least in part based the Shore Line kayak produced by another UK company called North Shore. North Shore was founded in 1982. According to informants, the Shore Line (Now the Atlantic LV) was in production pre-Romany. Continue reading
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling | aled williams, Atlantic LV, Mike Nelson, ndk, North Shore Sea Kayaks, romany, seakayakinguk, Shore Line, Valley Sea KayaksLightning, It’s so “Very”!
Published July 12, 2010 | 
I was caught in the suction
By a face like a truncheon
I was down upon one knee
Stroking her vanity – e. costello
We’re back from the symposium at Door County here in Wisconsin. We’ve only got a couple days of “down time” before we head back up to Grand Marais, MI for the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. For the moment let me just share a few pictures of the best kayak art work I saw at Door. This Valley Anas Acuta was at it’s base black or very, very, very dark blue with lots of purple and red glitter. Lightning stripes were inlaid into the gelcoat. I could be a fussy pain in the bum and critique the detailing but all in all this is a darn pretty boat! Continue reading
Valley Nordkapp
Published June 21, 2010 | 
Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who’s gonna taste your saltwater kisses?
Who’s gonna take the place of me? – U2
Saturday after coaching an introduction to sea kayaking class at Rutabaga in Madison, WI., I had the opportunity to test paddle a beautiful “almost new” fiberglass Valley Nordkapp. Apparently the story behind this sharp black and red kayak is that the owner only had it for a short time before deciding was a bit too much horse. I can see that… Continue reading
Coming Up
Published June 20, 2010 | 
After class yesterday I did two things I’ve never done before in my whole life… I went to Starbucks for a latte.. and I paddled a Valley Nordkapp.. Not much to say about Starbucks other than “Meh”… The Nordkapp? Well, let’s talk about that tomorrow. Happy Father’s Day!
Tripping Darkly
Published December 3, 2009 | 
Nothing remains
We could run / when the rain slows / Look for the cars or signs of life / Where the heat goes
Look for the drifters / We should crawl under the bracken
Look for the shafts of light on the road
Where the heat goes
– bowie
Sometimes when you wake up in the middle of the night you’re not really sure why. Still you get out of your warm cozy bed and begin your day. You have to. If you just lay there, all those worrisome thoughts start creeping into your head like, “Why does my toe suddenly hurt?”, “What if I lose my job tomorrow?”, or “Why doesn’t Valley ever finish their website?”
Posted in Kayaks, News & Print, Paddle Gear, Random Thoughts | lendal, ndk, Tahe Marine, Valley Sea Kayaks
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