Hello List, I just posted a reply to Fred Thomas' post about his not finding paddling opportunities in England when it occurred to me that it might be useful to poll the list, especially our non-US members, to get their comments on the ease of kayak rentals for an individual coming in "off the street". I have walked in to kayak rental places in New York, California, Florida and Victoria, BC and, after a short chat with the person there, have been able to rent anything in the store. This was not true for me in England. I know this list has people in Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, Finland and New Jersey. Other countries, too. So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day. Thanks, Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 10:32 AM 8/2/00 -0400, Bill Leonhardt wrote: >Hello List, > >I just posted a reply to Fred Thomas' post about his not finding paddling >opportunities in England when it occurred to me that it might be useful to >poll the list, especially our non-US members, to get their comments on the >ease of kayak rentals for an individual coming in "off the street". > >I have walked in to kayak rental places in New York, California, Florida >and Victoria, BC and, after a short chat with the person there, have been >able to rent anything in the store. This was not true for me in England. It would also be worth considering what "anything in the store" means. In many warm water climates (Florida, Hawaii), "anything in the store" is often limited to large, stable, sit-on-top kayaks. There just aren't too many place you can walk into and rent a Nordkapp. >So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your >local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day. A good friend of mine owns a kayak rental shop and will generally try to put people in a boat that *fits* them best. Unless he's pretty convinced the person knows how to wet exit he'll send them out without a spray skirt and ask them to remain inside the inlet. If someone were willing to demonstrate a wet exit and a reasonable amount of boat control out in front of the shop they could pretty much take out anything he's got (most of the Prijon and Seaward line of boats). Unlike many places he doesn't charge more to rent his fiberglass Seaward boats than he does the plastic Prijon kayaks. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bill Leonhardt wrote: > > So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your > local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day. > > Thanks, > > Bill Leonhardt I don't know, Bill. You have a pony tail and are pretty menacing looking. I would send you on to a website where you could rent a folding kayak, i.e. get you out of my shop quick. :-) http://www.foldingkayak.com is the site for renting a folding kayak anywhere in the US ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> > So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your > local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day. > In New Zealand if you turn up by yourself you would have to be pretty convincing before you got anything (wear your PaddleWise tee shirt). If you turn up with a friend you can have 2 singles, normally plastic, or a double, usually fibreglass. Rudders compulsory, but using them is not. Allan Singleton *************************************************************************** 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 know this list has people in Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, Finland and New Jersey. Other countries, too. So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day." Bill: You can hire from 3 or 4 places here in Melbourne, Australia, one by the water, one by the water in summer. Anyone can hire anything, with not many questions asked as to experience or equipment. The renter operating off the beach in summer imposes an small area limit as to where you can paddle, as most of his business is SOT's to kids. But, if you ask nicely, and persuade him you are competent, he'll let you go anywhere for the day. In fact, my first sea kayak experience was renting a yellow plastic Skerray from him, and ignoring the area limit. Great fun, glad no drama. I have hired boats further North, in New South Wales. One hirer, from whom I had a lesson, imposed an area limit, confined sensibly to a lagoon/lake. Another, in Sydney, at The Spit, Mosman, also imposes an area limit in Middle Harbour. This doesn't necessarily stop problems. I was out on Sydney Harbour with my brother last January in his aluminium runabout, fishing. As we puttered towards the outer limits of the paddling area, I noticed something yellow in the water ahead. Drawing closer, it proved to be an Ocean Kayak SOT double, with two inexperienced paddlers in the water beside it. They had decided to try capsizing and getting back on board, but couldn't. We rafted up and helped them on. I could have been an interesting day for them, as they were about a kilometre from any shore, and a "southerly buster" came up soon after. Regards, Peter Treby. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Peter Treby wrote: > > "I know this list has people in Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, Argentina, > Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, Finland and New Jersey. Other > countries, too. > So, please report what you would expect to happen if I showed up at your > local kayak rental facility and asked to rent a kayak for the day." > Here in the country of New Jersey, province of Bordentown, the local retailer will rent you a kayak- generally a fair plastic, skirt, pfd (which they require) and a paddle for an unsupervised day. Also canoes and sots. They require a safety video watch and will question as to competence and intentions of the renter to attempt a judgment of suitability. They have an impeccable safety record to this day. They are also a good source of locations for a wide range of skill levels and it seems that most of the rental paddlers are looking for such recommendations. -- : : Gabriel L Romeu : http://studiofurniture.com furniture from the workshop : http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR life as a tourist, daily journal : http://users.aol.com/romeugp paintings, photographs, etchings, objects *************************************************************************** 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: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 12:13:33 +1000 From: "" <DHW_at_Mail.amsa.gov.au> Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Ease of renting a kayak David Whyte wrote... > NSW, Victoria and Tasmanian have large active and very friendly clubs... There are clubs in other states too: in South Australia Investigator Canoe Club has existed by that name since 1983, having begun as Bon Voyageurs in the mid-1970s. There are several places in Adelaide where you can hire too. Come to South Australia and you have a choice of interesting places in the Gulfs, spectacular open coastlines, and lots of offshore islands. Cheers, Peter pcarter_at_acslink.net.au allegedly <www.acslink.net.au/~pcarter> temporarily <users.senet.com.au/~pcarter> 34deg 55' 24.1" S 138deg 32' 9.8" E (GDA-94) *************************************************************************** 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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