Roof Rack Re Do

Well I had to get a different car for my new position and so I had to move some roof racks to the new car.  I had the old aerodynamic Yakima Cross bars from my Buick Roadmaster that were unneeded because I'd already drilled it for a very long spread of Thule Cross bars.

To put racks on the Focus Sedan I had planned to used self sealing jack nuts like I did on this Scion:

Then I found these rails from Proline: http://www.prolineracks.com/proline-roof-end-track-slats.html

With shipping and some accessories it cost me less than $60 to put these rails onto the car so I could move my racks back and forth anywhere I wanted on the roof.  They came pre-curved to fit the roof and arrived in less than a week with all the mounting foam and self sealing screws needed.  I think the paint job on the rails was less than ideal, but it is basic black semi gloss so I guess I can repaint them in time on my own.  The project was easy to do in an evening and the racks are quiet and cost me less than a single mile per gallon in efficiency.

I think the finished project looks OK. It is a car I can drive to work without looking like a boat bum and yet it has a very usable rack:

I think it is too bad you cannot buy these wide Yakima Aero bars today.

To finish off the project I added a front tie down strap that is so unobtrusive that I expect I'll just leave it out all the time instead of tucking in every time I take the boats off:

What do you think?

Stuart Florida is Paradise!

I don't understand why there are so few paddlers in Florida.  If I judge it by the number of kayaks I see on cars or the number of kayaks I see on the water Floridians do not kayak as much as North Carolinians.  Maybe it is because Florida is now filled with people from out of state instead of the farmers, ranchers, and outlaws who started the state.  In any chase my trip was wonderful and I have the pictures to prove it.

I paddled by a lot of houses like this near the St. Lucie inlet.  Very few of these folks had kayaks in the back yard.  I don't know a lot of folks around here but I do know one very good paddler who takes her white water boat through the inlet to surf the reef break.  When the tides are right she has help on the way to the reef and on the way back.  Unfortunately, I was a little too busy to take pictures while in the inlet or near the reef break.

Fortunately I did take a picture from shore that lets you see the color and clarity of the water outside the inlet.

This is the same beach at the same time, looking the other way.

After I got back in from the inlet I headed North. After I went about 11 miles I stopped for lunch near the Jensen Causeway. After Lunch I put up my Flat Earth sail and started to head back.  There wasn't much wind so I kept taking the sail down and putting it up again.

Here is the boat taking a break at the Stuart Causeway.  It's a good thing that the Flat Earth Sail goes up and comes down so easily.  I wish all my sails were this easy to use, but each different design has it's own compromises.

As I got closer to the inlet the incoming tide brought in some really gorgeous and clear water.

I used my Lumpy paddle with no blister or hand soreness even though it was my first 24 mile paddle of the year. Thanks Bill!

Thanks Rachel for letting me come visit your beautiful home.  And Thanks for being my sister! 

Kayaks for Fat Paddlers

I started out kayaking at almost 300 pounds so I think all of us who wear Fat Paddlers should share our advice for beginning Fat Paddlers.  So here is my advice for choosing a boat!

I really like the Wilderness Systems brand for heavy folks.  And if you want the two most comfortable boats in the world try the Tarpon 160 sit on top.  If I had to have only one boat then it would be my beloved Tarpon 160.  I've done everything in it from white water to marathons.  For a boat that is almost as comfortable and really fast for its size try a Pungo 140, you'll be able to keep up with groups of sea kayakers and have a big comfortable open cockpit. If   you want to go in rougher water and wear a shirt then the Tsunami 145 is quick, maneuverable, comfortable, and has plenty of room for camping gear.  In fact a friend used his Tsunami 145 for a 40 mile overnight trip because he knew it would be better to be comfortable for the long miles and it was easy to sprint the boat up to 5 mph when loaded if needed.  And finally If you are truly large and or tall and you want a fast comfortable boat for you and all your gear try out the Tsunami 175.  It is the biggest of the super comfortable sea kayaks from Wilderness Systems.

I'd love to hear of other brands and models that are good for big paddlers; so please post a comment if you have one to share.

Chop Shop for Kayaks

That's right I'm thinking of chopping into the Deck of my Solstice and making the cockpit longer and less restrictive like an Epic 18X or like the flatwater racing kayaks I've seen.  I wonder what is the best way to go about it.  Please let me know if you have suggestions for the easiest method!

Epic 18 X looks really comfortable.

One of the reasons I mostly paddle a sit on top is that they are far more comfortable for me.  When I sit in a confining boat like my Solstice GTS I get pretty stiff in just an hour or two and in a whole day of paddling I become a little crippled and hobble around for a day or two afterwards.  When I sit on a Sit on top I can move all around even while paddling and can easily paddle three or more hours between stops without having to get out and stretch.  I knew that flat water race kayaks had cockpits that could accommodate a skirt and that they had very long cockpits that allowed the knees to be very high.  But these flatwater racers are way too tippy and specialized for the paddling I do so they were not for me.

Last weekend at my first race I noticed something about one of the sea kayaks.  It was an Epic 18x:

Do you notice something in the picture?  It's the cockpit!  It's 34 inched long!  You could not hit your knees if you wanted too.  I don't know how you'd brace to roll it, but I did see in person that there is a lot of room in a  normal sized boat.  So if you have one of these boats please bring it out sometime so I can try it.

I'm now even more sad that I had to miss the Eastern Festival in Charleston.

Kayak Racing instead of Tripping

Asheville Outdoor Center

We had a blast at the French Broad Classique Canoe and Kayak Race! At first I was hesitant to join a race with so many fast paddlers, but it seemed like a great way to see the French Broad and I would get a shuttle, a T shirt, and a Great picnic dinner all for a great price.  I called Tom and he said not to worry about being slow they would wait for me, so I entered.  It was great paddling down the river and I was less than an hour behind the course record!  That did not seem like a bad time for a first time racer and the picnic was great.  

The paddling was great and I want to go back to the Asheville Outdoor Center and paddle some more.  The scenery was wonderful and it is a beautiful river. The river was really fast so if you go soon you can paddle 18 miles in less than 3 hours!

It seems these races are happy to have people at any level and it is a really good time even if you are not competitive.  For me it was the first time I've paddled that far without getting out and stretching at least once.

Flat earth Kayak sailing Directions for Kayakers

I was looking for a way to better explain sailing to a person with a paddling background and I found the most wonderful directions and explanations here at: Sea Kayak Photo.

It seems to me that kayakers want to edge there boats when they are sailing and most of the time they shouldn't. Also it seems they trim the sheet too close when sailing upwind.  The post on Sea Kayak Photo has pictures that actually show the maximum you'd want to sheet in a FEKS.