Yeah, I learned my lesson with ziplock baggies early on-- once years ago I had my wallet in one ziplock, and my iPhone in another ziplock in separate pockets. I flipped, and immediately checked-- baggie with wallet: bone dry. Baggie with phone: half full of water. Of course.
But I have a small dry bag now that has a compartment with a clear touch-sensitive case for my phone, and also is just large enough to hold my wallet and keys in a separate compartment. It hangs around my neck. It’s very waterproof and works great. But I’ve had a few waterproof phone pouches over the years and you need to periodically test them. I had one with kind of a problematic closing mechanism that eventually wore at a corner and started letting water in, but I found it in time by testing on a semi-regular basis by putting some folded paper towel in it and submerging. You can also just close it up without the phone but with some air in it, and lightly and carefully squeeze it (NOT enough to pop) to see if it holds air. If it holds air, it keeps out water.
I too have killed a phone in ziplock bags while kayaking, a Galaxy S5. The phone itself was ok but it would no longer charge.
I have two cheap Sundolphin 10’ sit-on-top kayaks and throw them in the back of my truck and take them out in small local rivers a few times a year. If I’m lucky the person I’m kayaking with also has a pickup so we can do a point-to-point float without too much shuttling.
Yes, that is a shame, though the utility of having one small bag that can contain my phone and my wallet and keys outweighs that drawback for me. And I can attest that the clear window is touchscreen sensitive, though since the clear plastic is kind of thick it’s a little awkward and hard to use. But I have successfully taken calls on it.
Just for grins, I thought I’d look up reviews for 'Yakwife’s Necky. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the 4th review on paddling[dot]com was from someone here in Birch Bay. It makes me wonder if that’s the same 'yak Sandy bought from a neighbour. That would make it a small world, wouldn’t it?
Probably not, but it’s still a small world. As I said, 'Yakwife bought her kayak for $200. The review, which was from 2006, said the new price was $500.
My Facebook feed keeps getting ads for folding kayaks. Not that I want one, but does anyone have any experience with them?
I saw one when I went to pick up the new 'yak. As I first approached, I thought it looked like it was made from a polycarbonate sandwich like the panels on our greenhouse. It was. But when I touched it, it was thicker and stronger. Definitely more rigid. Not sure how it would hold up to repeated folding and unfolding.
A good paddle is a kayaker’s best friend. Mine is carbon graphite and weighs basically nothing. I started multiplying it out if a paddle weighs even a few ounces more, times 2-3 strokes per second, times three hours in the water–well, let’s say it’s not an inconsequential difference in effort just lifting a heavier paddle. Not to mention that those crappy aluminum shaft paddles are a fabulous case of blisters looking for a landing spot.
I use a spray skirt on my flatwater kayak mostly because it keeps the sun off my thighs and keeps the footwell of the boat cooler on a hot day. Plus it has gear pockets for my phone dry pouch and snacks and whatnot.
'Yakwife picked up the aluminum-shaft Magic Mystic paddles that came with the Old Town, when she was doing stuff in the catio. When I got home, she said they were heavy. This is from someone who’d been paddling like twice, and not for a year. And she noticed that they’re heavier than the one the neighbour supplied with the Necky. The new paddle is 2.6 pounds. I’d have to look to see what model my Aqua Bound paddle is, since it’s over 20 years old; but it looks just like their Manta Ray or Sting Ray. I’m pretty sure it’s just under two pounds.
I haven’t tried my wife’s paddle yet. She doesn’t feather it, and I think the blades look cheap. I’ve liked my Aqua Bound for a couple of decades.
My euro-blade paddle had a carbon shaft and fiberglass blades. I think it weighs just over 2 pounds, with most of that weight out at the ends.
My Greenland paddle is all carbon and weighs just under 1.5 pounds. So not only is it an easier swing because of the weight, but the weight distribution makes it a little easier to crank back and forth. Doesn’t mean much per any single stroke, but as you say, it adds up over hours.
I’d also be curious to hear if any Dopers have experience with folding kayaks.
My wife and enjoy kayaking but don’t have a vehicle that can easily transport kayaks. (Loading them onto a roof rack does not, in our minds, qualify as “easy.”) The folding ones look like a good solution but do they perform like conventional kayaks? And how’s their durability?
I looked into a folding kayak and also looked at inflatables but decided to go more conventional (mine’s an Emotion Glide sit inside, the rotomolded version that only weighs about 37 lbs–friend bought the same model but it’s the blowmolded version and it’s about 20 lbs more, which means it’s a lot more difficult to heave up onto the roof rack) because the constant refrain of reviews says that the tracking is difficult with inflatables and the folding ones looked a little dodgy to me. That was a few years ago, though, things might have improved since then.
We bought a couple of inflatables and they were OK, although they always felt a little wobbly in the water to me. We live just a 5-minute walk from a calm river, so it was fun to stuff them in backpacks and just walk over.
But they were a huge pain to set up and to stuff them back in the packs wet, then have to take them out to dry again when we got home. And one of them met its end against a sharp underwater log.
The folding ones look like they’re a lot easier to set up and take down, but they’re a lot more expensive so I want to make sure they don’t suck.
IMO, a big problem with folders is that they have a huge cockpit opening but do not self-drain like a sit-on-top. Any kayak that has taken on water is harder to paddle and less stable which can be a real danger depending where you are. And unlike large cockpit sit-insides like Johnny’s, there’s no way to fix floatation in the bow and stern, so when they do take on water, it’s super hard to recover from.
Folding kayaks are ok in calm, warm water where you are never further than an easy swim from shore. I wouldn’t care to take one out on moving and/or cold water. You couldn’t pay me to take one out on the ocean.
That’s good to know, since we’re not whitewater or ocean kayakers. We really just like exploring the marshy, slow-moving river a few minutes from our house.
I bought Yakima kayak saddles for my Yakima roof rack from REI. I bought two sets so that we can carry two kayaks. I’ve just discovered that there is only one left, and one right saddle per box. So with the two sets, I can only carry one kayak. For $300.
Tomorrow I’ll take them to the local REI store for return. I’ll get a different brand that comes with the right number of pieces. Two sets of those will cost $140.
First time in a sit-inside kayak. (Also, inaugural paddle of the new 'yak.)
First paddle in fresh water.
We were out for almost an hour and a half, but I didn’t get much of a workout. I spent most of the time drifting or braking because 'Yakwife isn’t very fast. She complains that the kayak won’t go where she wants it to because of the breeze, but I can’t really tell her she needs to paddle faster/put more power into her strokes. I don’t want to discourage her.
I bought my Drifter because I’d never been in a kayak, and the three-foot beam offers great stability. The sit-inside Manitou feels a lot less stable. The Old Town glides well. Still comical getting in and out with my damaged knees, but no real problem.
'Yakwife wants to try the Old Town next time, and she wants me to try the Necky.
