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Hi kayaking goons. I bought what I think is a Pelican Trailblazer about 3 years ago and haven't used it once. Now that I have a house and it isn't sitting in a storage garage I plan on taking it out soon. Well, whenever Spring finally hits here in Wisconsin.  I only kayaked once before and that was in West Seattle which was pretty awesome. It was a tandem with my retarded ex-wife though so I'm sure it will be more interesting being able to control my own boat. Here is what I have:  I know nothing about kayaking but I finally want to use it on some flatwater lakes. Welp, that's my story!
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May 5, 2017 21:36
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 02:09 |
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Holy poo poo that thing is $65 on Amazon. I think I might just grab one or two for transportability and to coerce a friend to go since I'll have a spare. Sweet.
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May 24, 2017 23:30
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Epitope posted:This ones a good cheap boat too gently caress that, it doesn't come with a paddle. I'm buying the other one. Actually, seriously. Right now. I'm buying two of those K1s. gently caress it.
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May 26, 2017 00:20
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^^^ Not sure what that is but congrats! My two Challenger 1s arrived today. Here we are: The carry bag that it comes in.  The pieces inside after taking them out of the bag.  The package unraveled.  Infalated!!!  It seems pretty cool so far. I'm 5' 11" 185lbs and it's a bit tight but not bad. Well it's not really tight as much as I sit really high in it. I can probably change that by just not inflating the bottom of the seat. That would probably also help with the back support because if I lean back at all I just go all the way to the back. I also have no idea what that uninflated green thing is for. It seems to be a shape that would fit under the front cargo net, but I'm not sure what that would accomplish at all. Wait, now that I think about it, it's probably supposed to be inflated and shoved inside the bottom in front so there is something to put my feet against. Id' imagine you inflate it just the amount you need to be able to push off of. I also don't know what those 2 o-rings are for. They seem like they would fit on the paddle with some force but I don't know where they would go. If you haven't figured it out the directions are pretty awful. Anyway. It seems like a nice toy for 65 loving dollars. 
Pennywise the Frown fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Jun 1, 2017 |
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Jun 1, 2017 22:40
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bongwizzard posted:The O-rings are drip guards for the paddle. Also that seat makes my back cry out in fear. Ah cool. Now I know what to do with them. Also, yeah. If I don't inflate the bottom part of the seat I'd probably get at least another 4-6" of support. Hopefully it will be enough.
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Jun 1, 2017 23:57
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Chard posted:Would the Intex Challenger K1 hold up on a relatively calm sea? I'm guessing even small surf would bend it up. If that's the case what's the cheapest analogous sea kayak? It really does seem pretty sturdy. Very thick plastic, but I don't know if I'd take it on the ocean. I mean, I've only kayaked once in my life and it was in the Pudget Sound I don't know much. I live right on Lake Michigan which is definitely oceanish with the waves, and you know.... being one of the biggest loving lakes in the world. I have a friend who's kayaked on it before a few times but I think I'll get a spray skirt and use my regular Pelican kayak that I've never used before as well on it. I'm just planning on using this for small flat water lakes when I can't be arsed to hook up my regular one on my Subaru which is a bitch doing it by myself.
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Jun 5, 2017 03:25
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First time phone posting a pic so sorry if it's screwed up. That's the Challenger K1 upside down since the winds were 40+ loving miles per hour. Note the grass/reeds at a +45 degree angle. The drat thing worked wonderfully. I was amazed. I didn't inflate the bottom of the seat at all and I fit in there very well. I had some good back support unlike the previous pic I posted. The wind was an issue and the kayak is pretty light but overall it was very easy to handle. For 65 bones I'd say get it if you need a spare for a friend or even if it's your first purchase and you don't want to spend a lot. I'm pleased.
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Jun 11, 2017 04:44
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Picnic Princess posted:Hey now, imagine the kind of tailwind, imagine how drat fast you'll go! This is basically what we did. We'd power ourselves to the end of the lake that that the wind was coming from. It got easier the closer we got due to the terrain. Then we just turned around and did nothing. Just coasted along back to the launch. I was with my nephew so I played it safe and made us keep to a small area that was away from the cool stuff like beaver damns and otters and stuff.  I didn't want our first time out ending in a serious disaster. Now, I don't know what the sustained winds were but the gusts were really bad and caused damage around the local community, including a bonfire setting a garage with a racing car in it on fire. Yikes. I'm sure it was an illegal fire so those guys are hosed. We saw some older guy getting stuck downwind on the lake into high reeds but he made it out and back to the launch. So I figured, hey, if this dude can do it than so can I! It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Since it's a flatwater lake the waves weren't too bad. Although I noticed myself struggling a bit more than my nephew since my kayak was much lighter. To be honest I don't know how we did it. It really didn't seem too bad and that really shows how good that inflatable kayak is. However, it was still dangerous. Some dumbass let his 6 or so year old kid alone in a dingy and was screaming for us to get too him before he blew away. They ended up catching up to him on a dock and pulling him in. Anyway. The Challenger K1 is cool in my book. Taking it out in very windy days, not the smartest thing I've done.
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Jun 12, 2017 20:57
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What I like about the K1, which is basically it's selling point, is that it's extremely portable. I still haven't used my Pelican yet. When I went kayaking for the first time with my own stuff my nephew used it. Little bastard is like 6' 3" 227lbs. I really want to use that one and maybe get a spray skirt or something but it's just so drat difficult to mount it on my car by myself. Even with my nephew I had to jump on top of my car to secure it in place. With the K1 I can just grab the bag and go. I don't know how else to mount the kayak. I have the official Subaru aerobars and kayak mounts. It'd be a little easier if I had an outback since it's lower to the ground but my forester requires me at least to balance on the outside of my door or sometimes I have to step onto the seat without falling backwards. I suppose when there's a will there's a way. It just sucks because I'm lazy. A conundrum indeed.
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Jun 19, 2017 22:46
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bongwizzard posted:If you can manage the weight, then look at j-cradles; This is basically what I have. The straps just really suck. That's the part I have to jump on the roof for. They aren't attached to the rack so I have to wrap it around the kayak and it's difficult without jumping up there. I almost lost my kayak during that super windy day I mentioned. I tightened the poo poo out of it but honestly the wind just just too insane. The straps loosened enough and the kayak fell off the front rack but I caught it and managed to pull over. This is my setup. I put this up there alone and as you can see I bought it at Dick's.  ninja edit: actually last time I mounted it with the rack facing outwards so that was probably a stupid idea. However it was much easier to get the kayak up there with the racks facing that way.
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Jun 19, 2017 23:18
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bongwizzard posted:Ok, first, do you have actual ratcheting straps or just friction ones? You want ratcheting ones, they are like $15 and will let you get a tighter hold and be less likely to loosen as you are driving. Once you get real straps then you need to figure out a way to make them easier to rig, I used to use looped pieces of paracord tied to the racks and replaced the hooks on my straps with small, but rated, carabiners. I could just clip the 'beaner into the loops and then tighten them down. I do have a ratchet set but they are really long. I suppose I can try to find some short ones if possible. Currently they are friction straps. Yeah the weight isn't so much an issue, but it sure is cumbersome with that weight distributed across a bulky 10 foot piece of plastic. I never thought of a step stool. 
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Jun 19, 2017 23:55
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 02:09 |
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I'm 34 so I'm old and have to worry about that hip. Actually my pic is on this page. I'm capable but it's just a pain in the rear end. Basically I'm whining because it isn't easy as I want it to be.
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Jun 20, 2017 00:12
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