Back in a Kayak

Coming home from my last Johnson Creek Idaho backcountry camping trip, I flew over Lake Powell in Utah. Once again I felt the MASSIVE pull to be on the water in a boat. On that particular lake, a kayak looks to me to be the right answer!

I’ve been feeling that tug for awhile so this wasn’t a surprise. I had mostly convinced myself that my arm had healed enough that I could get in and out of a kayak. Typical “sit-in” kayaks require a lot of arm/shoulder strength to get in and out. A “sit-on” kayak or canoe are both options but I wasn’t ready to give in quite yet.

I performed some tests – of course – because I’m the analytical type….

Tests always produce the answer!!

The arm seemed adequate for the task so the craigslist shopping began. After watching for a couple weeks, I found one that was a possibility so off I went to the big city.

When I returned, I had a FeelFree Atlantis 14 kayak in tow. It is a 14″ “adventure/touring” kayak. Meaning, it is long, holds lots of stuff (like camping gear), and has a water rudder for a little more stability for distance paddling. Definitely not one of those short kayaks for white water – though that looks fun too. It is fairly old but had reasonably good reviews for being a typical mass-produced product and that’s good enough for me right now. FeelFree doesn’t produce this model any longer – appears to have been replaced by the Aventura 140.

My last kayak – a Necky Manitou was a twelve footer without rudder. If the wind was blowing from an angle, it could be a bit of a challenge to keep it going the desired direction. I’m hoping the rudder on this new kayak solves that problem – or at least makes it less work.

Since it has some age and appears to have spent most of that time in the New Mexico sun, the deck rigging had suffered sun damage. As you can imagine – Amazon to the rescue! New rigging – mostly red paracord, red shock cord, blue shock cord – arrived in short order and I went to work. I’d like to replace all those little plastic things that secure the rigging to the hull but haven’t located this particular style yet.

The only part of the rigging that really mattered much, at least right now, was the rudder controls. Both the left-right steering control and the cords that allow the rudder to be lifted out of the water were completely shot. The rudder lift mechanism is a bit worn and I may need to machine a new part or two. However; I’m waiting to see how she does on the water before committing too much energy.

With a few hours work, all the new rigging is in place, looks pretty good, and works fairly well.

All that was left was to put it in the water so off I went!

Water isn’t a common thing here in the desert so a couple hour drive was necessary to find some.

I arrived at the lake at first light and was slipping into the water a few minutes later.

I am most certainly not an authority on kayaks. I’ve owner two of them and those are the only two that I’ve paddled. I’m also not an expert paddler – I probably do more things wrong that I do right. With that said…

I like this kayak!!

The water rudder does exactly what I had hoped. It makes directional control very easy – even in a breeze. It also makes paddling easier as it is less important for direction – that’s probably just my poor technique though.

I also like the seat in this kayak. The backrest is taller and somewhat more adjustable. The seat pan sits a couple inches off the floor of the kayak too. Overall, it is just a more comfortable position (than my last kayak).

Of course, it is a bit heavier than my Necky but heaving it up onto the roof of the Jeep is still very doable.

I do have to admit that it isn’t the most beautiful kayak I’ve ever seen.  The end that is all red looks ok, the end that is all blue looks pretty good, everything in between that is a red/blue mix isn’t so great. Luckily we aren’t competing in any beauty pageants!!

Time flies when your having fun!! I know because five hours zipped right on by while I was out paddling! My legs and back needed an occasional break so three times I found a nearby shore to get out walk around on. I thoroughly enjoyed being back on the water!!

I was able to play in early morning calm conditions which turned into a light breeze and eventually a medium breeze of 15-20 mph. With the stronger wind, small waves were up but the kayak still felt reasonably comfortable and controllable.

I’m pretty satisfied – now just need to get on the water more often!!