Everytime you take on a new sport there is a new lingo to learn. Bob and I had spent a few vacations paddling - 11 days on Glacier Bay for our honeymoon and 8 nights in Baja for his 50th birthday just a few months before his cancer diagnosis. So the new year found me recovering from losing him and yet seeking to stay connected and honor him in some way. I also did one thing they say not to do when you loose a loved one and that is to make a major move. Well its not like I moved out of state or even across county lines - just 100 blocks north to a different condo development and now have a few ammenities I was lacking before. Best of all fresh walls to make fresh memories and not see him at his worst and have some breathing space.
Okay back to the new Lingo - our kayaking had been done in our big A$$ Klepper folding double which is an awesome boat but meant I would always have to find someone to paddle with and would be folding and unfolding it a lot which is a project in itself. I found a new home for Bob's single which is also a big A$$ boat (Bob was a big guy) and is now being used by my friend Mike who has the stature to paddle it.
I set off to find myself a boat -
a few requirements, weight - 50 lbs or under
cost - couldn't break the bank
Stability - I'm mostly a beginner but wanted a boat that could grow with me
Okay now I'm feeling like I should have been blogging all along about this process of boat shopping etc. Went to boat demo days at REI and Kayak Accademy, ruled out thermoformed boats due to weight and ruled out a new fiberglass / Kevlar / carbon boat due to cost. I did look at Craigs list but wasn't finding what I was looking for.
I bought a composite plastic boat from a company in BC Canada through REI - The boat is fairly light seems a good fit. I have now been on several overnight trips with it and am pretty happy with my choice, I feel safe in it and have no lack of space for camping gear etc in it and it moves along at a fairly steady pace though due to my lack of experience it is hard to keep up with folks in zippier racier boats that have more experience but I'm not out there to win races.
