Does anyone on the list have a Stearns inflatable kayak? Comments please. I just bought the single ($299) as a lightweight, folding alternative to transport in and on the VW camper van until such time as a K-light comes my way. :) Any product reviews? I asked Stearns about reviews and they told me that the Eco challenge people are using them - and gave me the URL. She also told me that they have sold 12,000 in the first year and have only had a handful of "complaints." Sandy Kramer Miami *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I saw one on the Ocoee River a couple of weeks ago doing Class III and IV rapids. cya *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
-----Original Message----- Sandy, I have a Stearns double. I have only used it once. I bought it to use as a fishing and stream exploration boat. To get good tracking when I am in it solo I need to sit between the "normal" front and rear seat locations. The boat tracked OK when I was in the middle. I did a wet exit and reentry without much trouble. I had problems with a slow leak in the valve for the bottom of the boat, the leak was so slow that I needed to put the valve under water to locate it. Also, there appears to be a leak inside the bottom, when I deflated the boat the bottom would not fully deflate. I bought the boat from REI-outlet as a used demo boat. I have not yet contacted Stearns to find out if Stearns will honor thier warranty. Dana Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:22:35 EDT From: Gypsykayak_at_aol.com Subject: [Paddlewise] Stearns Inflatable Yaks Does anyone on the list have a Stearns inflatable kayak? Comments please. I just bought the single ($299) as a lightweight, folding alternative to transport in and on the VW camper van until such time as a K-light comes my way. :) Any product reviews? I asked Stearns about reviews and they told me that the Eco challenge people are using them - and gave me the URL. She also told me that they have sold 12,000 in the first year and have only had a handful of "complaints." Sandy Kramer Miami ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:28:11 -0400 From: Bob Denton <BDenton_at_aquagulf.com> Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Alligator Etiquette April/May is the season to be careful. Stay away from small gators, mom is usually around! usually the gator is more afraid of you then you are of them. I sometimes paddle a canoe trail in the Everglades and the larger access canal is loaded with big gators. You'll hear a splash every 20 or 30 yards as you paddle by. It's not uncommon to see two or three ahead of you in the water, but they usually submerge. A kayak is bigger than anything they can put in their mouth. All the above applies to gators that have NOT been fed. As for charging, never seen it happen. Make sure your roll is bombproof! Another point always to keep in the back of your mind; a gator can jump straight out of the water 1/2 it's body length. I've never seen it myself, but did see it on video and it's common at the parks. Once on the Loxahatchee reserve trail, I was paddling around a corner and a baby gator, about 8" long jumped off a stick it was sunning on, on to my deck. I deftly swept it into the water and I was out of there in a hurry! cya ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 07:29:07 -0800 From: "Seng, Dave" <Dave_Seng_at_health.state.ak.us> Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Bow and Stern tie downs Mark wrote: > How many people really use bow and stern lines? Count me as another one who always uses bow and stern lines. Almost all of my driving trips these days are very short, but the bow and stern lines are there every time - it may add an extra 3-5 minutes to the job, but could help to prevent an accident......weigh the risks and benefits for yourself. Still working on a _good_ way to carry the two kayaks on my skiff (I've got to run out of bad ways soon!) Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:29:57 -0400 From: Bob Denton <BDenton_at_aquagulf.com> Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Stearns Inflatable Yaks I saw one on the Ocoee River a couple of weeks ago doing Class III and IV rapids. cya ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 08:31:47 -0700 From: Jerry Hawkins <jhawkins_at_cisco.com> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Bow and Stern tie downs The main purpose of the bow and stern lines while cartopping is to help keep your boat from twisting. Looking at the carrying handles on my boat, I see they are held in place by little wood screws -- #10 I think -- in 4 mm plywood. Don't bet your life on the strength of that! Many boats are equally lightweight. Do not expect the carrying handles (of most boats) to hold the boat if the straps fail. Put your effort into properly tightening your straps over the boat fore and aft of the cockpit. Check your towers if you are using an aftermarket rack like Yakima. It is way too easy too leave them loose. Having seen my bicycle leap off the top of my buddy's Porsche some years ago, I can tell you that a loose Yakima tower is a real hazard. I don't bother with bow and stern lines at all unless I'm going on the freeway. jerry. At 09:30 AM 07/18/2000 -0400, Steve Cramer wrote: >On Tue, 18 Jul 2000, Sailboat Restorations, Inc. wrote: > >> Any comments? How many people >> really use bow and stern lines? > >I do, although I will on occasion leave them off when I'm driving a WW >boat < 5 miles in town. You want them just tight enough not to flap. Don't >crank them down tight. > >Steve Cramer > > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not >to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission >Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net >Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net >Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ >*************************************************************************** > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 11:37:03 -0700 From: ralph diaz <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Bow and Stern tie downs Chad Parrish wrote: > > To clear up the record, the rack came off of the car, but the kayak > remained attached to the rack, so it was not the straps that hold the kayak > to the rack that failed. I hope this clears things up for those of you > that e-mailed me off the list. Secondly the boat was a CLC 17LT. I am > really surprised I still have a kayak. As you pointed out, the bow and stern tiedowns would have likely kept the rack from flying off. The rack would have started bouncing to scare the hell out of you and getting you to pull over. Bow and stern tiedowns also have several other benefits. They reduce sideways wind sway that occurs when the unsupported ends of your kayak are subject to the blast from passing trucks etc. They also will keep a boat from sliding off the front of the car in a sudden stop. Even a stop from just 20 mph puts so much pressure on racks and side straps that a stern tie down to the rear bumper will help compensate for. One can drive thousands of miles without stern and bow tiedowns and never have a problem. Then one day... Same as driving withoug a seatbelt. You may never need it, but why take the risk? ralph diaz, who always uses stern and bow tiedowns when cartopping his foldables. > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not > to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net > Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** - -- - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of PaddleWise V1 #1175 ************************** *************************** PaddleWise Digest *************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
My friend bought one at the same time. She took it on a trip, inflated it and it looked great and the weight was good, too. She took a shower and when she returned it had done quite a bit of deflating. She took it back. I'm taking mine back today. sandy kramer miami *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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