Events/Trails Calling all Paddlers!

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that 14 footer that Jason was using is a fast boat. I have the same issue keeping up in my 12 footer- it has nothing to do with the fact that he's in decent shape, has run that river many times before, and I'm a fat old guy with a bad heart... it's all about the 2 foot of extra length on the boat... :)

I will say though, the longer boat does track straighter for sure - you spend less time slaloming, if that's a word.
 
Put us down for two.

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Those are super nice. FYI - depending on the river height, you are likely to get scratches and dents from the rocks in the Dan/Mayo
 
Longer boats typically track better than shorter boats. wilderness systems tarpon 140 is an awesome boat, especially in bright red. it's the red that makes Jason so fast.

I really should start charging for using the boat. LOL

A native watercraft ultimate 145 would be an amazing all purpose boat. native was started by one of the guys that started wilderness systems.

call around to rental fleets. most sell off their boats at end of season, or just before the season starts. my red tarpon 140 came from zallo's canoes in west Jefferson. he would buy blems and 2nd s from wilderness systems, use them on the New River for a season, and sell at end of season. was much more cost effective than maintaining a large fleet.
 
@stevezero Thank you.

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uzj100 said:
@stevezero Thank you.

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keep in mind, I bought mine a decade ago. they may not do that anymore. I know mine was aboutn1/3 the price of a new one, and only had been down the river a handful of times.
 
also check get outdoors, and those type of stores for their demo days. put your butt in as many boat seats as possible.

find out what the best model/compromise that best fits your butt and wallet
 
I picked up my Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 and my wife's Cape Lookout 145 from a kayak place at the base of Falls Dam. It's now a bike shop, but they did the same, they brought a semi truck full of blems and discontinued models up and we bought ours after one of my first bonuses in 2004.
 
@uzj100

Our family is rolling with the following:

HIS - (From Costco) Equinox / Future Beach 10.4 sit on top ~$250
HERS - (From Costco) Equinox / Future Beach 10.4 sit on top ~$250
10YR OLD SON - (From Costco) Equinox 6.6 sit on top ~$80
7YR OLD SON - (From Walmart) Lifetime Wave 6.0 sit on top $78

My personal opinion... I couldn't be happier with the 10.4's . These were super cheap but you get ALOT of bang for your buck. These have two dry storage areas and bungee tie downs in the front and rear. They track really well in the water and are nice and stable. They are also lite enough that one person can carry them if necessary.

In contrast, a good friend of mine spent ALOT of money buying the top of the line Hobie kayaks (sit on tops) with the propulsion systems and a million awesome features. He uses his for duck hunting, fishing, floating the Dan, paddling Salem Lake, and for beach kayaking. While he still likes his Hobie(s) (for good reason) he has repeatedly mentioned how if he could do it over again he probably would just pick up the same kayaks that my wife and I have and have saved his money. In reality Amazon has a ton of add on features/upgrades that you can attach to your kayak if you're willing to do your own modifications. We have another friend that did the same thing with a top of the line Wilderness System. In retrospect, she wishes she had gotten cheaper ones like ours and saved her cash.

To each their own and I'm sure our kayaks wouldn't cut it for some aficionados, however they were a homerun for us. ...Anyway, that's my 2-cents. Either way I hope you are happy with whatever you land on. Cheers!
 
Thank you for all the insights. A friend has a 12 ft WS Tarpon that he is giving me a deal on. Need to add a couple of rod holders. Picking up on Saturday. The only downside is that it is red - ;<) - hehe.
 
uzj100 said:
Thank you for all the insights. A friend has a 12 ft WS Tarpon that he is giving me a deal on. Need to add a couple of rod holders. Picking up on Saturday. The only downside is that it is red - ;<) - hehe.
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I preferred the red over the other colors available. the dark and camo colors absorb heat, and are much harder to spot in the event of a rescue situation. my boat has been down many rivers(dan river rapids, winding brownwater on the waccamaw, and wide river and pimlico sound. its also been inside on the intercoastal, as well as outside in the atlantic. I wanted to be able to be seen, or at least my boat be seen if I got dumped.

the tarpon has several flat spots for scotty mounts. I have two surface mounts in the cockpit, and I placed 2 flush mounts between the cockpit and rear well.
 
Picking up and dropping off, we'll have to either:
1 - Use the "buddy system" with everyone that has a vehicle that can handle 2+ boats finding someone else with a vehicle that can handle 2+ boats.
or:
2 - We can use a single 'many seater' vehicle to shuttle people back to start to pick up their trucks while someone keeps an eye on the boats.

If someone has a church van or something similar - that would be ideal. ;). Otherwise option 1 is probably the best bet.
 
James, yes the logistics will be one of the hard parts. Stephen's original thought was a private family put-in, but based on the numbers, we might be exceeding the capacity. We'll roll with the actual put in and take out after we chat about some of the specifics. I'll keep everyone up to date.
 
And next up, how to transport, are the rolly wheel racks the best? I have no rear spoiler so I can load from the rear of the lc.
 
I've got a set of Thule J racks. I just grab the cockpit, deadlift, and throw it up on the car. They don't go on the Cruiser, but I've also got a trailer that they'll get thrown on when we put in and move vehicles to the take out.
 
uzj100 said:
And next up, how to transport, are the rolly wheel racks the best? I have no rear spoiler so I can load from the rear of the lc.
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Craigslist is key. I picked up a set of Yakima aerobars and Jaylow racks for cheap! I don't trust the stock crossbars to hold them with the wind torquing them on the highway so I use the yakima cross bars.

The Jaylow mounts are padded and then use 2 straps per yak to secure. I hoist it on from the side with no issues. They've been great for our 2 tarpons. This pic only has 1 tarpon in it...

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so it would appear that the kayak my wife would likely be 'borrowing' from her brother has been sold.... Looked at the Costco ones online but to be honest I don't wanna be within 100 yards of a costco. I'd rather buy a used 10 footer Sit on top with a paddle that's a few years old. If anyone sees one near GSO for a decent price let me know.
 
I like the J racks, the challenge is my average height and tall LC. Rolling on from the back may be easier. I want to start doing a lot of kayaking.
 
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