Official Kayaking/Canoeing Thread

My husband saw those.... but he's not 'excited' about having multiple things dangling off his neck (Phone & GPS). I would rather have it around my neck, then have it go downstream with the kayak.

I guess after a few trips, we'll figure out how/what we want need. Our kayaks don't have dry storage compartments.

 

Took the kayak out this morning to the lake. Got attacked by some big ass bird... flipped the boat and sunk it in about 6 ft of water. Some boaters saw me and came by to help. had to hook a rope to one of the handles and 3 of us pulled it to the shore. That sucked big time.... also, the "dry storage" isnt so dry. i am rather pissed with Perception's construction of the lousy foam block separating the cockpit and dry storage. Had the dry storage not leaked, I would have been alright and the boat wouldn't have gone straight to the bottom. My dry box was attached to the seat in the cockpit so all of that went down with it. Luckily my phone, keys, cell phone, and wallet with my fiance's ring inside that I had to get re-sized today stayed dry.

all because of a damn bird.... its friday the 13th too. wtf.

 

I keep my ignition key (remove all other keys), medical kit, spare lighter, and spare smokes in my dry box. That just gets thrown behind the seat of my small yak. Ive flipped over tons of times and it never fell out. The gap between the seat and yak is only 1-2" and my dry box is large. If you are worried about loosing it clip it to the seat with a couple D rings and a bungee.

Things I never take with me:
Wallet
Keys (just take ignition)
Phone (someone else always brings one)
GPS

I never had a need for my ID or anything in my wallet.
I occasionally take my phone if I'm just putting around, but normally we are trying to sink and kill each other so that stays in the truck.
Never had a need for a GPS after all I'm only kayaking in rivers and as long as you follow the water's direction your good to go.


Things I always take:
bilge pump
life jacket
large bottle of water
full medical kit with snake bite sucker
lighter & cigs
water proof camera
$1.99 cup holders
food
dry clothes, thermals, and a towel in a dry bag (if it's hypothermia weather)

Plan for the worst and you'll be fine. Remember that you can haul plenty of gear on top of the yaks, but it will hinder your center of gravity.

In a river I would be very hesitant to put anything around my neck that could get caught on anything. If you do have things around you neck make sure they are "no choke" type material. Never use a rope of string that has no flex.

I bought some simple bungees that have D rings on them for my camera. After all what good is a water proof camera that sinks

I use the cup holders to hold my camera and cigs. Even if you never flip you will find that just paddling and getting in/out will bring some water into the boat.

If you looking for any kayak accessories check out these guys http://www.yak-gear.com/
Their stuff is made in the US, good quality, good pricing, and ships fast.
I bought all my leashes, d rings, and rod holders from them.

For dry storage Walmart has cheap good dry boxes.

You need to run a good bead of silicone around the block. When I got my Perception I thought about sealing it then decided to drill holes right through it and put a drain plug in. As much as we sink I'd rather have a drain plug then semi dry storage. I use my dry bag for stuff I don't want wet.

You don't have foam in the front/back/middle?

Both of my Perceptions have blocks in all three areas. They are physically impossible to sink.

 

A bird caused you to flip. That would make a good video.

 

Hey guys, I am kinda new to kayaking. I have had my Ascend FS12T for about two months now and absolutely love it! It fits my needs perfectly. I also got my girlfriend interested, and I am going to pick her up an Ascend D10 in the next two weeks. Since storage is limited, I build this rack this morning to stack them on top of each other in the garage. I am looking forward to many many more trips in the yak and getting good info and tips from this thread

 

Hello there,

New to this site and just found this thread. We are avid yakkers and paddle the Shennandoah and James rivers in VA often. Looking forward to keeping up with fellow paddlers here!

-bt

 

I got a tube of silicone yesterday. Going to get a good thick bead around both sides of that foam. I also put a drain plug in both front and back of the kayak. That at least helped me empty the thing once we got it on shore.

No foam anywhere in the yak except for that little piece separating the cockpit from the "dry storage". I am really considering put some in there now.

I think I got too close to its nest or something. the bastard was huge. Probably the size of my torso and I am an average sized dude. Apparently trying to smack it with the paddle only pisses it off more.

I am sure it was funny as hell for anyone who saw it though.

 

Do you know what it was? Egret, owl, eagle? Pteradactyl? Or maybe a wren or sparrow!

Sorry man, I don't mean to laugh, I'm a hunter and I don't like the dark, scary woods. There are things out there that will get you! I'm also afraid of heights. All my friends laugh at me as I climb into a tree stand!

 

No idea what it was. All i know is it was big and black (thats what she said). Had a huge beak too. I am laughing about it now though

 

So...no pecker marks! Glad you survived. I've only been attacked by dogs, bees, and ants. Not to forget a few people too!

I got 60-70 hornet stings up a pant leg. Ever see anyone strip at full speed running?

Mom found me digging in window wells...with a red ant nest. I was covered from my toes up to my waist with them. Mom sprayed me off with a garden hose...YAHOO!

Dogs 3, John 1. A red dobe didn't make it, he fucked up a good leather jacket though. Left arm and chest was shredded on the jacket, so was the sweatshirt under it. His internals did not enjoy the Gerber Mark IV.

Freshman year at St. Bonaventure, buck knife to the inner thigh and left forearm. Got to see my femoral artery and forearm bone. THAT scared the shit out of me.

 

I sat on a yellow jacket nest when i was younger... found out I was allergic to them! had about 75 stings from my ankles up. I have an epi pen now.

 

Glad you weren't hurt in your bird attack & you can laugh about it now. To bad your friends weren't there to enjoy. If you have friends like mine they would've been in the water too...not from helping but because they would've been laughing so hard.

 

I've got a question for you kayak fishermen out there... I have the opportunity to pick up either a Perception Pescador 12 or a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100 for about the same price. Which would you guys pick up for fishing lakes and flats? I'm leaning towards the Tarpon since I live in a city style loft and it'd be a pain in the ass to bring up the elevator (not sure the 12 footer would even fit), though I'm sure I could rent storage space if the 12 footer makes for that much of a better experience. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

i hear great things about the wilderness sysytems

 

I think I've heard that the Perception is actually a Tarpon that's a few models back. Like, when they upgraded the molds for the Tarpon, they renamed the old model Perception and started selling them at chain stores. Could be wrong on that, but that's what I hear.

If that's the case, it might just be a choice between a 10' and 12'.

 

Yup, that's basically what it boils down to... I'm 5'11, 210 and wondering if the 10' will be plenty stable for me?

 

I have 2 perceptions and I love them. They are cheap and can take a beating. Cockpits are much larger then Wilderness so if you plan on getting in and out of the boat without falling in they might be the best choice. See below for more.

From who? Screw them and their yaks. The cockpits are super small and I can't even come close to turning my feet up in my buddys 12'. Worst yak I have ever ridden in.

It tracks great and is well built, but not for people my size (6', 240#, size 12 feet).

 

Hey guys, I'm finally getting a kayak this weekend. My girlfriend is buying me one for my birthday. I'll be using it for fishing and tooling around in the reservoir near my house and the etowah river near my house which is pretty flat and easy flowing.

She's getting me a 12' Perception Pescador. I'm also gonna buy her a cheapie 10' pelican SOT for now. If she likes kayaking, I'll get her something better later.

I have a question though.. We're gonna take the yaks to the beach with us in a few weeks to the Outer Banks. Any idea what my gas mileage is gonna be with two yaks on the roof? I have a Leer cap with a thule rack on it. I get about 15mpg currently on the highway (2.5" lift + 285's + 6spd + 75mph = shitty mpg's).

 

To tell you the truth I haven't noticed any impact on long trips. I have mine laying down as far as possible. I'm typically 15mpg. I only do tank average mpg so I think the lack of city driving when going on a long trip makes up for the added drag and increased highway speed. I tend to have a led foot on vacation and long trips.