Re: [Paddlewise] BYO. (was Costa Rica Pacific Coast Kayaking)

At 09:46 AM 2/29/00 -0800, ralph diaz wrote:
>John Fereira wrote:
>> 
>> I just got back from a week in Kauai and found the same equipment
>> restrictions.  From what I saw probably 95% of those renting kayaks on the
>> island probably never paddled before so the SOT boats were good for rentals
>> and no outfitter attempted to cater to the experienced paddler.  I did find
>> one place (Kayak Kauai) that had a plastic Sealution but they wouldn't rent
>> it.  I ended up renting a Ocean Kayak "Sprinter" from them, just so I could
>> paddle something with a little more performance, but even that didn't come
>> with thigh straps until I asked for them 
>
>This best policy for vacations in which you think you may do some
>paddling is BYO, bring your own.  At a minimum, bring your own paddle if
>it is a takeapart.  The odds of finding a paddle that isn't an ugly
>useless aluminum broom are zilch.  

Their paddles actually weren't all that bad (Aquabound) but they had a
Werner Camano they let me use.  I considered bringing a foldable but I
spent five days in Northern California before going to Hawaii and had
enough luggage as it was (had to pack for two different climates).
I do bring my own paddle, PFD, etc. when I go to symposiums though.

>I also recommend that you bring your own emergency kit, sans flares of
>course since you can't fly with them.  Some of the basic 10 to 30
>essentials one should carry.  Put them in a fanny pack and protect any
>of its water susceptible items in ziplock bags.

I wasn't paddling any sort of condition that required an emergency kit.
The Na Pali coast was much too rough for any of the outfitters to allow
their boats to go there.  I'd love to go back some time in the summer and
paddle the Na Pali coast, and if I do I'll probably rent a Feathercraft for
a week and bring my own paddle and gear.

>I think if you show up with your own paddle, emergency gear and seem
>savvy, you may be able to rent any kayak they may have that is over and
>above the run of the mill ones they may be renting to the great unwash.

They told me that they wouldn't rent the closed cockpit boat because "if it
tipped over it would swamp the cockpit and nobody would be with you to do a
T-rescue".  When I told them I'd be happy to demonstrate a roll in it or a
paddlefloat reentry they said that they didn't have any paddlefloats and
that there were probably only four people on the island that could roll.
In any case, their final answer was "the sealution was not available for rent".

>Now, I bet you all thought I was going to mention folding kayaks, those
>wonderful take anywhere boats that will serve you as a faithful magic
>carpet for adventures far and wide.  That pack down small and are
>accepted as airline baggage on nearly every flight.  That have been
>paddled in both polar regions and every waterway in between.  But I am
>not going to mention all that.  :-)

And I won't mention that almost every boat I saw in Kauai was plastic.


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