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Managed to accomplish a kayak camping trip with a day use kayak.  Doing a portage uphill sucks, even with a cart. I'll take the five miles of boating in windy, choppy water over towing a kayak full of gear uphill. Considering just paying the $20 for the portage truck next time.
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Jul 25, 2020 01:36
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 16:24 |
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Finding the CG was definitely simpler when it was just an empty kayak. It was definitely too far back to start, but after several adjustments, I made it work. Used the green straps as a harness, and found some sticks to act as trekking poles. Luckily, I came across another kayaker on the return trip who gave me a pro tip to run another strap from the back of the cart to the front of the canoe to prevent it from sliding back. Made a huge difference. Then again, downhill was much easier.
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Jul 25, 2020 05:50
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Did some yak camping in the northern Cascades with a friend last weekend.   
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Aug 14, 2020 06:45
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First two are Ross lake. The second is Diablo. The glacial sediment makes the water emerald green. As expected, the day we left was the day with no wind. The water was perfect and glassy. Here's Diablo from the overlook on WA-20 
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Aug 14, 2020 15:09
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What kind of kayaks? You said tandem, but are they sit on or sit in? Fishing kayaks are usually sit on, and wider for more stability. They also tend to have higher weight capacity than standard kayaks, and more storage space. Unless it's a fishing kayak, it'd also be easier to put a trolling motor on the canoe (if you're considering that for the future). If they're standard kayaks, I'd go with the canoes. The only issue being loading both on a vehicle, but with the right equipment it's doable.
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Aug 14, 2020 17:55
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Anyone have recommendations on entry level canoes? I've been doing some research, but it's hard to settle on something. There are a lot of different options on craigslist/FB Market/Offerup. I canoed years ago in Scouts (even got my merit badge!) but that was almost 20 years ago. We'll be using it to take nieces and nephews around (and eventually our own kids) on car camping trips, but also for multi-day boating trips with either my wife and I, or just myself. The lakes I like to take multi-day trips on can get pretty windy. The last time I went out with my friend, we had 2-3 foot white caps. It wasn't a big issue being in kayaks, but I'm a little more wary in a canoe with its higher COG (the ranger said they had seven canoe rescues in the two days before we went out).
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Sep 8, 2020 18:36
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Old Town Discovery 169 Not seeing any in my area on the used market. There's an Old Town Guide 147 and an Old Town Discovery 174. Lots of Coleman Ram-x canoes, but I remember Coleman canoes being blegh even when i was 13.
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Sep 8, 2020 20:24
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:I've never paddled a 174, but the Discovery shape is built for hauling a bunch of poo poo and being really stable. In big lovely water, it'd probably be even more capable of handling waves head-on. Would a 17ft+ canoe be unwieldy for one person and gear? I weigh ~185, and if I pack a cooler, I'm looking at something like 100lbs or so of gear.
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Sep 8, 2020 20:48
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Yes. Awesome, I'll scroll up for your posts. Thanks!
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Sep 8, 2020 20:59
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Went with the guide. The seller had two oars of different lengths. I took it out on a lake near my house to try out the oars and my kayak paddle. The kayak paddle seemed to give me a bit more control, but I could keep up better speed with the longer oar. Think I'll pick up a longer one kayak paddle. Now I need to figure out how to get some sort of foot rest/brace in there. Didn't realize how much that helps in my kayak.
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Sep 10, 2020 17:43
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I did a bit of Googling, and apparently some folks installed kayak foot braces on their canoes. Doing that would have my legs pretty wide, though. There are also crossbar systems you can install from a few different manufacturers. I think I might just lay down some grip pads/anti slip strips; I saw some canoes on CL with them installed. Can only help with grip, and would be safer for little ones. I'll definitely have to work on the J-Stroke. I think I'm just used to using my lower half to help with thrust in the kayak.
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Sep 11, 2020 02:35
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Outside of testing it on the water, I think the canoe is ready to go! Sanded and re-stained the yoke. Laid down grip tape. Replaced the stock bow seat with a nylon webbed one. The nylon isn't 100% even, but I think it works! 
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Sep 15, 2020 05:01
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:gently caress yeah man. Need a trip report soon. Actually took it out last weekend on a short camping trip. I camped at Diablo Lake. Diablo and Ross lakes are two of my favorite camping locations in Washington State. It being post Labor Day, and smoke choking everyone, I was able to book a site at the closest camping area to the boat launch (thunder point). The site is great because it's about a 30-45 minute paddle, and you don't have to traverse the roughest waters. On calm water it's fine, but the winds can get real nasty on this lake. Past thunder point, you go (generally) from a headwind, to a crosswind, to a tailwind in a fairly short span. When I was booking the site, the ranger told me Seattle City Light was draining the lakes (they run the dams on Ross, Diablo, and Gorge Lakes.) "The boat launch will be unusable, but you should be able to use the dock." I took this photo from the edge of the boat launch, and that's the dock on the right:  The mud was super sticky, and hungry for shoes. I had go about 50 or so yards to find a solid spot to launch from. This photo is from the same spot as the previous one:  I made sure to get an early enough start before the winds moved in. The water was perfectly smooth, but the first quarter mile or so was more shallow than I expected. The water was very cloudy, and my oar even hit ground at times, bringing up clumps of clay and mud. The added weight from all the gear, and sitting in the the bow seat definitely helped with stabilization, and the boat tracked very well.  It took about 45 minutes to reach the thunder point dock. Even with the lake down about 15 feet, it's deep enough past the floating breakers that the docks are easily accessible at the campsites. I wanted to take the boat out after setting up camp, but the wind moved in, and I did not want to deal with it in an empty canoe. I've passed multiple swamped canoes in the few times I've been on these lakes. Risking it with no ranger actively patrolling wouldn't be smart. While the first day was smoky, a front moved through and cleared it all out. Here's pre and post smoke:   About half an hour after sunset (#pixel4nightsight)  The plan was to stay from Th-Sun, but it rained a lot more than expected on Friday night. The tent pads were so dry and dusty, they turned into giant puddles. My tent stayed dry on the inside, but I knew that more rain was on the way, and decided to pack it up Saturday morning. Once I got back to the launch, I was too tired and wet to take multiple trips lugging an ~85lbs canoe and all my gear to the car, so I said "gently caress it" and jumped the curb.  Overall, I'm happy with the canoe. The webbed seat was a good decision, and much more comfortable than expected. The grip tape definitely helped stop my feet from sliding around. This is probably my last trip for the year. Maybe I'll get a wild hair up my rear end and do some fall camping if I'm still stuck as WFH. I highly recommend anyone in Washington or the Vancouver, BC area to check out Diablo and Ross lakes. They are an amazing place to camp or just boat for a day. On a clear day, Diablo is an emerald green, and Ross is a deep blue. Highway 20 is also a great drive or motorcycle ride. Here are two photos from my prior trip showing just how green Diablo gets:  
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Sep 23, 2020 06:32
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Nice. How much weight would you estimate in the fully loaded boat? I'm terrible at guessing, but I'd say the gear & cooler were 150-175lbs. I'm 185, so I'd say around 350, give or take.
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Sep 24, 2020 16:27
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wesleywillis posted:I also own a skinny lightweight floaty thing. What roof racks do you have? I've also got a corolla, and this foam blocks only work so well.
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Mar 12, 2021 19:44
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I'm looking for recommendations on a good canoe paddle. I was originally looking at bent shaft, but we go to Diablo & Ross lakes every year in the northern Cascades, and it can get extremely windy and rough on the water there. A friend and I were very close to capsizing several times last year. From the research I've done so far, it sounds like a bent shaft isn't great for rough water. I was looking at the bending branches expedition plus, but reviews seem to be a mixed bag WRT build quality. Any thoughts? Trying to keep it in the neighborhood of $200-250.
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May 14, 2022 05:26
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It's going to be mostly one to three day lake trips for boat in camping. The places we like to go are up in the mountains and tend to get very windy and rough during the day. We're good at setting out early enough to avoid rough water. There's always a chance we run into it, though, especially if we have to portage from one lake to another or wait for the ranger station to open for permits.
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May 14, 2022 16:34
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Thanks for all the info. Definitely going to try out some paddles in hand before getting a new one after the knowledge that's been imparted here.
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May 15, 2022 04:38
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"One stop shop" type stores usually have some basic ones. Fred Meyer always has a few, as does Walmart. Larger sporting goods stores like Dick's tend to.
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Jun 8, 2022 19:13
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 16:24 |
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Sockser posted:How lovely of a time do you think I'll have, at 6'2" 190lb in a 10.5 Dagger Axis, with the intent of loading it with 2 days of camping gear? I did two days on a lake in a 10.5 day use kayak. I'm 6' 190, and it was fine. Ended up cutting out the bottom of the dry hatch for more storage/easier access for gear. Everything was in dry bags and strategically placed. The biggest PITA was the mile portage and 800' gain, but we did it.
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Jul 10, 2022 02:28
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