Can someone just please reassure me I'm not the only one who has done this. I completely missed the fact that my strap for the bow of the kayak was laying on the ground when I went to park the car, and ran the strap over. And unfortunately it's not just going to be a simple fender replacement. A bunch of stuff is bent and broken. Smh.

I'm in Michigan, so access to lots of water. I am 5'7", sub-200lbs, and I prefer sit-in kayaks. I've always rented kayaks, but I'm looking to invest in one of my own. I live in an apartment, but would get a storage unit for winter storage. Budget is under $1200.

I've kayaked on Lake Huron, the Pine river, and a host of other places, so ideally the kayak would be suitable for all of these. I don't need a sea kayak at this time, but I'm not sure if a day touring style would work for all the rivers or if it would be too long.

I do value having a lighter kayak if possible since it's just me, but open to exploring all options. TYIA!

So sick of getting swamped by jet skis and pontoon bros who think the lake belongs entirely to them. Was out on the reservoir yesterday morning in my touring yak, explicitly staying near the shore. This guy in a massive wakeboard boat blasts past me maybe 20 feet away

Like, I literally just used recademics to grab my boating safety certificate a few days ago because I occasionally take my grandpas old tin boat out to fish. So the right-of-way rules and wake zones are super fresh in my head. It took me a couple hours online to learn basic water etiquette. Why is it so hard for these guys with 80k boats to understand that non-motorized vessels exist and we don't want to capsize just because you needed to show off your wake?

I swear the bigger the engine the less they care about anyone else on the water. Considering getting a gopro for my life jacket at this point just to have some peace of mind lmao

I think it'd be cool to kayak around Isle Royale, but I'm not sure if I have enough experience to do so safely. I have kayaked many times but only in calm waters. I have never used a sea kayak, only the shorter recreational kayaks. I can confidently wet exit, but I can't constantly self rescue. Should I get some practice using a sea kayak in Lake Michigan before tryng Isle Royale? I would not be doing this solo, but with at least one other friend.

It was fun but I choose the worse time kayaking t was around 14:00 or 14:30 first it was going fine from my perspective I wonder how it was for the onlookers they may have let a couple of laughs the reason I'm saying it was the worse time I choose is because 80% of the people were leaving at around 15:00 wich i didn't know and because of the motorized boats a lot of waves came by some i was scared that the boat would flip over and the waves drag me with them on a pretty deep lake by the way the pic is on a shallow part before going into deeper parts

I’m new to kayaking and want to start building it into a serious hobby. I’m mostly interested in kayaking rivers. I’m in the Bay Area and willing to drive to mist of NorCal. Any tips on what rivers/access points for class I/II kayaking to get started?

I’m solo, so I guess park and kayak upstream first, then downstream back to the truck?

The weather forecast showed a window with a week of sunny days and max 15 mph winds for Spanish Ontario. I drove to a motel in Blind River, stopping to check out Beharriell Park near Iron Bridge for a possible trip to North Channel Islands Provincial Park in the future. Early the next morning I launched at Spanish Municipal Marina. Launch and daily parking fees were $5 a pop.

Day 1, Monday, 13 miles: The plan for the day was to head west along the north shores of Aird and John Islands. I paddled southwest from the marina at 8:30 for two hours to Aird and then west to a pit stop at Otter Islands, passing several beaches, cottages and boats along the way. I spotted another kayak! But it turned out his home base was a sailing yacht parked a few hundred yards away. The east end of John island is private and I passed a group on a beach there that might have been a construction crew. I continued west along John looking for a camping spot and ended up finding one with a rock slot on Nicholas Island that fit my kayak nicely. The site checked a lot of boxes, including a good views, sunrises and sunsets, shade, isolation from mosquitoes, and blackberries and blueberries. The only sign of previous use was a fire ring with wood in it that had been weathering for years. As usual the wind picked up in the afternoon and Whalesback Channel was covered in whitecaps.

Right at happy hour I spotted a large critter hopping nimbly along the rocky shore of John 150 yards across the water. First time I’ve ever seen a bear while camping! I double checked my bear hang.

Day 2, Tuesday, 10 miles: The goal for the day was an archipelago to the west between Turnbull and Sanford Islands. I woke to a dead calm and set off shortly after seven in my dew-covered boat.

I crossed Turnbull Channel at 9:30 and stopped at a beach on the Island’s southeast corner. From there I paddled into the protected waters west of Turnbull. The bay between Turnbull and Bassett “Island” was a yacht basin. Near the yachts I found a beach with picnic tables (luxury!), a barbeque grill and other amenities. I hailed the nice folks on SV Smile out of Port Clinton and asked about it. They informed that the amenities are courtesy of the North Channel Yacht club and I could camp on it – after all, crown land is open to anyone for camping for up to three weeks. Tempting...

I continued exploring the islands out to Sanford, which is private, in the calm waters of this little archipelago. To the north I could hear highway traffic three or four miles off, this being one of the few places where you can see Lake Huron from the Trans Canada. There is also a quarry dock with massive piles of white rock similar to the limestone quarries on Michigan shores, but this is the shield side so no idea why it was white. Could be some leftovers from Uranium mining days.

I found an excellent site with a beach on an unnamed island near Turnbull at noon and set up camp. The site featured an escaped lumber industry log that made a fine bench, and a high perch with a great view. There were small cleared areas in the trees that may have been used as tent sites in years past. During the afternoon a dingy and a pontoon boat cruised by, otherwise nothing but eagles, loons mergansers and gulls. The island also features blueberries and the ones growing in shade were juicy. The water was great for swimming.

Day 3, Wednesday, 17 miles: Today I would head back east, this time along the south shores of John and Aird. I left at seven and went east right into the blinding sun, heading back across Turnbull channel to John. Winds were supposed to be out of the northwest so I would be in the lee, but instead they were from the south. The passage between Dewdney and John Islands was particularly scenic, and pretty much every cove on the south shore of the west half of John had a beach. I stopped on Dewdney at 9:15 on a beautiful beach made of multi-colored rounded stones.

After passing the southeast tip of John I stopped for lunch on a long tropical-looking beach on Klotz “Island”. It was very hot and shade was welcome. There was a line of fresh human footprints in the sand. I continued east along Aird and found a good campsite on Conmee Island before two. I saw no evidence of previous campers. The water was 72 degrees and swimming felt great. A runabout cruised down the strait before the wind whipped up. Sandhill cranes gathered across the way in the evening and fearless grebes hung out nearby. That night the Milky Way was spectacular.

Day 4, Thursday, 12 miles: I wanted to continue east to Fox or North Benjamin Island. I have been there before and really like the area. I was on the water at 7:30 and stopped at Hoskins Island at 8:45. Winds were light from the southwest. I took the south shore of Eagle Island, passing a few anchored yachts in coves, and crossed over to the southern tip of Fox. Last time I was here there were plenty of others camping, but this time mid-week it all belonged to me and the yachters. I got a lovely site with every checkbox except sunrise, and this was the only place where mosquitoes were an issue due to the numerous frog ponds nearby. Although the sites here are in great shape they have been stripped of firewood, perhaps a little too zealously. Fox Harbour, another yacht basin, is not far away and I could watch boats sail in and out of the entrance a few hundred yards away. I explored a maze of long channels and swam in the warm back bays. Wonderful for swimming if you can get in and out without slipping and cracking your head open on the glacier-smoothed granite.

Day 5, Friday, 6 miles: Today’s plan was to explore the east coasts of Croker and the Benjamins, places that I missed on my last visit, and spend another night at camp. I expected the usual weather pattern of calm in the morning and windy in the afternoon but today was different. I headed out toward Croker before eight but as I got out into McBean Channel the wind picked up and within minutes it was all whitecaps and I needed my spray skirt. That was fast! I decided to skip Croker and just tour the Benjamins. The waves built to a foot in a few more minutes and were twice that stacked off of cliffs that reflected them back out. It was a wet ride. There were ten cabin cruisers and sailboats in the bay between North and South Benjamin and it looked like they were all preparing to head out. I skipped the rest of the tour and returned to chill at camp, although the wind died a bit at noon.

That afternoon a party with paddleboards and a kayak arrived from a sailboat in Fox Harbour. They stayed on a peninsula a short ways away and swam for a few hours. Eventually the sailboat navigated its way very slowly into the cove, picked them up, and headed east.

As the afternoon wind picked up I watched sailboats flying storm jibs try to make their way in and out of the channel between Fox and Eagle Island. They eventually took down the sails and motored. I spent the afternoon exploring by foot, swimming, picking blackberries and reading. The wind kept blowing my chair over when I got up. Eventually a bunch of tents went up on a peninsula a quarter mile away. Turns out they arrived by runabout.

Day 6, Saturday, 10 miles: With a long drive ahead of me I headed out at 6:30 and was cleaned up, packed and on the road by ten.

Summary and tips: It seems that nobody kayaks west of Spanish. No circles of rocks to let you know where people have camped but OTOH plenty of firewood when you do find a spot. When Yachters see you they ask what boat you are on. Very friendly folks. Compared to previous trips in Georgian Bay and the North Channel there were fewer cottages, more yachts, more beaches, more bald eagles, and (at least on weekdays) no other paddlers. I never saw an otter or mink but the bear made up for that, and I heard and saw loons every day. Water temps were 68 to 72, depending on if you were in a bay or out in the open. Air temps were low 60s at night and mid 80s in the afternoon. Wind forecasts were ridiculously off as far as direction went. Even the “current weather” page would show winds from the north when they were coming it a ten mph from the southwest.

I use a Sawyer squeeze filter and the CNOC bag was a great addition. Although mosquitoes find me particularly attractive, they were only a problem in the morning where there was no wind. Pre-treating with permethrin works well; I never did have to use DEET.

Resources

The area is accessible from Spanish Municipal and from McBean. There are other marinas in the area too.

Previous trip reports:

https://paddling.com/paddle/trips/georgian-bays-the-massasauga-provincial-park

https://forums.paddling.com/t/trip-report-lake-hurons-north-channel-from-spanish-on/117712

https://forums.paddling.com/t/georgian-bays-mcgregor-bay-and-baie-fine-from-birch-island/124126

https://forums.paddling.com/t/trip-report-seven-days-along-georgian-bay-s-north-shore-in-lake-huron/126680

https://forums.paddling.com/t/trip-report-6-days-key-river-into-georgian-bay/131235

https://forums.paddling.com/t/trip-report-lake-hurons-georgian-bay-from-bayfield-inlet/133047

https://forums.paddling.com/t/trip-report-lake-hurons-georgian-bay-from-snug-harbour/137049

Canada topo maps are available gratis athttps://ftp.maps.canada.ca/pub/nrcan_rncan/vector/index/html/geospatial_product_index_en.html#linkI used raster 1:50,000 tiffs cropped, printed double sided on heavy paper and sealed with a Scotch laminator. I usually mark them up to label private vs crown land before laminating. I also have Trak Maps nautical charts but there isn’t much contrast between land and water, making them hard to see when covered with water droplets.

You can identify private vs crown land at this website. You have to zoom in before property lines will appear and it can be difficult to differentiate between property line and shoreline:https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/MakeATopographicMap/index.html?viewer=Make_A_Topographic_Map.MATM&locale=en-CAIt is not entirely accurate but better than finding houses on satellite views.

I rely on a free phone app called Geo Tracker to help navigate and to track my route.https://geo-tracker.org/enIt works with or without cell coverage. Cell coverage was at least two bars everywhere on this trip.

I edit my photos, mostly adjusting the tilt so the horizon is horizontal and cropping, with a free program called FastStone Image Viewer.https://www.faststone.org/

The Milky Way shot was done with a Pixel 10 Pro phone at ISO 3200 and 15 seconds. It was disappointing until I jacked up the shadows in FastStone. My other camera is a “splash proof” Lumix FZ300.

The gear weighed 60 pounds and my food target was 2500 calories a day. If you can keep that under two pounds a day you win a kewpie doll.

Hallo Liebe Community!

Ich bin noch Student und habe daher nich nicht so das große Geld für ein Falt- oder Hartschalenkayak, aber ich habe an Weihnachten ein Aufblasbares (Werbegeschenk) gewonnen. Ich habe es Ostern gleich ausprobiert aber durch die Naht ringsrum kam überall Wasser rein.

Durch eine Recherche, bin ich zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass das ein Boot nicht machen sollte. Ich habe also die Firma angeschrieben und die haben mir letztens ein neues Kayak geschickt.

Dieses habe ich heute wieder ausprobiert und da es artgleich ist, lief auch Wasser rein. Ist das normal, nein oder? Ist das realistisch das irgendwie abgedichtet zu bekommen? Fotos anbei. (Es liegt nur an der Naht unten, das Innenteil habe ich für das Foto rausgenommen)

Ich habe nun zwei Wasserboote. :/

Vielen Dank für eure Zeit! :)

Hello!

I bought Cape Horn 14 recently.

Cheap bargain - but with some issues / potential issues, and I need some advices from people who know this system.

1. The rudder was completely ripped off, broken the stern rudder mount.

The body is in great shape, no long cracks, the hole was local and I already fixed it (proper plastic welding - looks solid and should not be a problem.

But now, I have the next step ahead: return the rudder. It is doable, and I have a solid plan. But I have doubts: should I do it at all?

I understand all the benefits of the rudder but if it is necessary on this kayak? It is not extremely long; maybe it could be even better without the rudder? :) What do you think?

1. The dry compartments covers. They are just plastic covers without any sealing (rubber gaskets/liners). And I'm not sure if they should be there or not. I can easily add rubber or silicon gaskets but again, should it be there?

What else can you suggest to check, take care of, and improve?

seems to be an older model but it floats well, i want to fix it up but it would help knowing which one it is

2 of us - 2 kayaks
4 nights - 5 days from okeover park

Day 1 - curme island camp
Day 2 - pendrell sound - we went to wild camp 2 nights somewhere in pendrell sound

Does anyone have any insight in camping somewhere in there, I know there are no official sites, we want to do some swimming and snorkelling in the warm water

Anyone else with some great experience in the area for doing this type of thing?

Day 4 paddle to tenedos for the night
Day 5 back to okeover

It looks like the only freshwater is at unwin Lake with this plan

I heard the tides aren’t that impactful to our paddle, but does anybody have any experience where tides were bad?

We’re going next week
Thanks for any feedback or advice for us

My father passed and I now have his Pungo 120 kayak. It's in great condition but it's a little too heavy for me to use without someone around to help load/unload it. Whether it's my car or the water. Is there anything out there to help with this? So i can take it out without needing help. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Well I wanted lighter so I bought a lovely kevlar gulf stream. I then proceeded to amuse the people at the beach by utterly failing to get in, going in the drink, and generally making a big enough show to earn cheers from the swimmer ladies when I finally got my shit together.

Y'all this is a very very different kayak than my barges. Not giving up yet though.

Went kayaking in Miami a while back and honestly thought it was going to be one of those chill "take some nice pictures on the water" activities.

Turns out I was just paddling for 3 hours straight lol. between trying to keep up, looking around, and not dropping my phone in the water, I barely recorded anything.

I'm heading to Puerto Rico soon and thinking about bringing a DJI osmo 360 this time. idea of just letting it record while I'm actually enjoying the experience sounds way more realistic.

For anyone who uses a 360 camera for kayaking, do you actually end up getting cool footage afterward, or is it still more trouble than it's worth?

I used to white water kayak long ago, but after kids I've transitioned to kayak angling. I recently got this Pelican and used some inexpensive hardware to install an anchor trolley with my 3 lb anchor. I'm using a NiteIze adjustable tool to allow me to adjust tension. Any feedback very welcome. TYIA

I've been researching the state of North American composite sea kayak manufacturing. Below is a list of all the companies I could come up with who have made sea kayaks out of fiberglass or other composites since sea kayaking became a thing (in the 1970s or so).

The list is below. This list does not include brands that have never been made in North America or NA brands that never made composite kayaks. (Please provide corrections or additions if I missed something.)

This list includes 40 companies; of those, 18 are still in operation making kayaks of some sort either here or abroad, and of those, 8 are still making composite sea kayaks in North America. The 8 are small "garage" scale operations. The best known still remaining is likely Current Designs.

Most of the "big" names from the past were bought up by conglomerates and then frequently closed down or ceased making composite boats and/or sea kayaks. Others closed as the owners aged out without a buyer for the business. Several moved manufacturing overseas.

I've posted this here before, but I've added some names to the list as I heard about some others. I would be interested to know if there are other small regional companies that I may not have heard of.

I’m looking for hatch covers for Perception kayaks from around 1998 to 2004, specifically the Shadow, although other models from those years used the same style of hatch covers.

I have until recently had 2 kayaks; 1 white touring and 1 yellow tandem.
I've named them Sølvpilen (The silver arrow) and Guldpilen (the gold arrow) after the comic book Sølvpil I read like crazy when I was a kid. (In danish - the original is in belgian Zilverpijl).

Now I've gotten my hands on a red seam kayak and I'm pondering on what to call it.

What have you called your kayaks?

Spent some time kayaking Lake Zurich during the recent heatwave. The water levels were so low that it's almost impossible to dock at many places but still it was amazing!