any paddlers here? (kayak/canoe tips and tricks)

[cavemanrich]

TJAnonymous​

Do you have/ use skirts with these, or just open??
We have whitewater kayaks, and those certainly need to have skirts. When on flat water, keep skirts off.

 

[TJAnonymous]

TJAnonymous​

Do you have/ use skirts with these, or just open??
We have whitewater kayaks, and those certainly need to have skirts. When on flat water, keep skirts off.

These kayaks are meant for Class I - II rapids... Anything higher, I would definitely use a more stable kayak with a skirt... We do have some Class 3 rapids on the Buffalo, I think, but we don't take the kids through those... These pictures below are from some of our trips on the Buffalo. Kids are required to wear life jackets but it is optional for adults. You do have to have them in your boat though... We also have a canoe, in addition to the kayaks. This year we are exploring a couple new rivers so I'm excited about something new...

 

[Artichoke Lover]

We do a lot of river kayaking here. I think the highest level I’ve paddled is just class 2 maybe a short stretch of class 3. I don’t have the equipment or desire to go any higher at the moment. Always where a life jacket if you are alone in unfamiliar water or are in anything over class 1. And don’t make the mistake of thinking you don’t need one because it’s shallow. That makes it more likely that you could hit your head if tip over and if you are unconscious or disoriented you can drown in just 2 inches of water. I have taken a few hits to the head over the year but luckily nothing that knocked me out or required a hospital visit.
Fishing from one takes a little practice but you can reach areas you never could from the bank. We bought anchors for ours so we don’t have worry about drifting off.

 

[cavemanrich]

Here is something to consider if you need stability in a canoe. This is intended for relatively flat water canoeing.
I made a few of these setups. Stabilizes canoe when you have small children aboard. (of course everyone wears life vests )
These are my canoes, but I have outfitted my friends Grumman Aluminum same way.
This setup has the advantage, when we go into deep water swimming, it is easy to get back aboard. Climb ladder and just step into canoe. The ropes from bottom of ladder to opposite pipe make the ladder ideal position for easy climb up.
The white pipes are 2 inch PVC capped at both ends.. Will not sink if fall off canoe. The tube, is a Truck inner-tube. Yes, they are still available. Most common truck tires now are tubeless. Tube type tires are still used by few.
The ladders,, one is a boat hang on ladder from marine supply. Other is a repurposed ladder from my retired van. Those seen on rear door.
The attachment to boat, and inner-tube is made from 4 inch nylon strapping.
When just being lazy on a lake, the inner-tube can be a place for a passenger also.

 

[Wolfie2]

Just found this forum. I bought a used 10' yak 5 years ago and so far have only used it once. And had to haul it 200 miles to the Hill country to do that. I got it to fish the bays & bayous arround here but wit 2 power boats and other people in the famliy who love to fish the yak has just sat. Both boats broke right now. We went bank fishing yesterday and I did not think about the yak until we were fishing. Need to try it soon!