Kayaking

[BeanoNYC]

Anyone watch "Stunt Junkies" last night? There was a piece on a pro kayaker who specializes in world record waterfall drops. REALLY SICK STUFF.

I tivo'd it but haven't seen it yet. I saw the interstitial for it while watching Mythbusters right before that. Actually I haven't finished watching the Mythbusters either and it was really good up to what I watched.

 

[cbcbd]

CB....it's a sit on top kayak...Do I need to roll with that?

I'm not that familiar with sit on tops and paddled one 3 years ago. If it's easy to get back on if you flip then you don't really need to learn how to roll it.

But I imagine you could roll it if you wanted to. You can roll waveskis:

http://www.waveski.info/video/eskimo_roll.mpg

 

[bigbog]

.....from fan of Tao Berman videos/DVDs

Tao's a fine kayaker,
He really knows how to read the water......which is crucial.
If you haven't, pick up a few dvds with him in them..."Twitch", "Twitch V"***...etc. Great paddling stuff...but more importantly, remote, very beautiful, often not easy to paddle- creeks/streams/rivers.

*Might sound it, but not an advertiser;-)
Steve

 

[BeanoNYC]

I picked up a pfd at the store yesterday then went to pick up my buddy's kayak. It's a cobra strike The only visible problems were a broken footstrap (stern side) and an exposed hole (supposed to be there but I'm assuming with a cap of some sort; about the size of a dime. Do you think it's some kind of bilge hole? It's centered on the bow of the boat)

I fixed the strap by bolting a cut leather belt to the footrest. The hole was plugged up with duct tape for now. If I can't find an original replacement, I think I'll use a seacock to seal it up. There was a little bit of water inside the hull of the kayak after taking it out.

Well, by now you know I took it out on the ocean last night just before sunset. What a great time!!!! I have a lot to learn about paddling and surfing in the waves though! I got trashed quite a few times even though the waves were only thigh high. Unfortunately there was an onshore wind and the tide was coming up so there was quite some washout. I'm going to the kayak store to buy a helmet today as that sucker ended up on my head for EVERY wipeout. I've been having day-nightmares about me getting knocked out on the ocean...a thing this former lifeguard would like to avoid with a little common sense. I also hope to find a book or video, just to get me started until I can find a good instructor or make friends with an experienced surf kayaker/surf skier in town. FUN FUN FUN!!!!!

 

[cbcbd]

Damn, Beano, I am so jealous!!

That boat looks like it rocks on the waves. Does that hole go into the inside of the hull or does it go completely through the kayak? I've seen sit on tops with holes through the bottom for drainage, but if this hole is just dumping water into the inside of the kayak then that's bad.

Oh man, next season I'll so be out there!!

 

[JimG.]

Tao's a fine kayaker,
He really knows how to read the water......which is crucial.
If you haven't, pick up a few dvds with him in them..."Twitch", "Twitch V"***...etc. Great paddling stuff...but more importantly, remote, very beautiful, often not easy to paddle- creeks/streams/rivers.

*Might sound it, but not an advertiser;-)
Steve

That's him...a real pro.

The falls he ran for the "Stunt Junkies" segment were actually 3 falls that dropped a total of 140 feet. They were right at the downstream release point for a dam. Each fall was progressively bigger and nastier and the water volume was insane, something like 900 cfs. These falls were cranking!

This kid hiked in to inspect everything and had his line chosen before a toe got wet. He went so far as to throw logs into the falls to see where rocks were and how the logs broke apart. None of the logs made it to the bottom of any of the falls and most were splintered.

He picked a pool just upstream from the first fall and dropped in out of a helicopter. I was expecting chaos, but he was cool and smooth and calculating. No wasted strokes. He missed his line for the last fall and wound up free falling the last 40 feet. But he was so well prepared it didn't matter. He lost his paddle in the end, but made it through unscathed.

Really amazing.

 

[Grassi21]

They are rerunning this episode of Stunt Junkies as we speak. It better be all its cracked up to be. ;-)

 

[bigbog]

....Tao & Co...

Grassi....
;-) To be honest, in comparison to the nice DVDs, the TV show's quite brief (putting it mildly)...but that's what it was anyways.... So if you paddle somewhat often, you have to remind yourself that the show's for the average, overweight Joe-Public...half of which, more than likely, wants some carnage.....

 

[Grassi21]

Grassi....
;-) To be honest, in comparison to the nice DVDs, the TV show's quite brief (putting it mildly)...but that's what it was anyways.... So if you paddle somewhat often, you have to remind yourself that the show's for the average, overweight Joe-Public...half of which, more than likely, wants some carnage.....

From a guy who has logged a grand total of 3 or 4 hours in a kayak, I was impressed by the show. If what you have to say about the DVD is true, it must be some cool S. :blink:

 

[BeanoNYC]

Damn, Beano, I am so jealous!!

That boat looks like it rocks on the waves. Does that hole go into the inside of the hull or does it go completely through the kayak? I've seen sit on tops with holes through the bottom for drainage, but if this hole is just dumping water into the inside of the kayak then that's bad.

Oh man, next season I'll so be out there!!

The whole is supposed to be there. You get a tiny bit of water in the hull while out in the surf and this is to drain it. I went to a local kayak store and got a stopper for it. The wholes straight through are in the cockpit which creates that self bilging effect.

I went out again today, it was pretty flat but we had an offshore wind from the north to smooth the waves over which was nice. Yes...unlike the rest of the east coast the beaches in NYC and LI face south.