Marilyn Kircus said: <<<Thanks Doug for telling my your side of the paddle with Natalie. She'll be camping witn me this weekend at Houston Canoe Club's Rendezvous. Did she tell you she was going to give a workshop on making paddling clothes and other accessories?>>> <snip> Thanks for the thanks! It was a real hoot. Yes, Natalie talked a lot, but I could have listened to the lovely lady for a week of paddling days, easily. And, she _did_ let me yak at her too. Guess she had more to say than me, 'cause my life has already been an open book on Paddlewise :-) Yes, she did mention the workshop upcoming. Our club here in Victoria does a dry bag workshop and making your own paddlefloat, too -- but I've never hear of someone instructing paddlers how to make other paddling gear, lifejackets (DOT unapproved :-) ), etc. This is an awesome thing. I've bumped into a few friends from high school, and they all have families now. When I mention current hobbies with them, they all respond the same: "Hey Doug, that kayaking sounds like a great sport, but there's no way I can afford to get into it!" This is kind of sad. And many feel this way, I'm sure. Look in any outdoor or paddling magazine, and the pages are full of "Gortex and gear pornography". Adverts bombard one's eyes with technical eye candy. The latest this, the latest that, must be had. Head to the retailers, then its sticker shock. That's where folks like Natalie come in. They provide an alternative option to spending big bucks. I knew a fellow a few years ago, who I have lost track of now. He made all his own gear. You name it. He'd take a little glue, get some wet suit material, and viola, a spray skirt. He bought non-sports specific gear cheaply, and then modified it for kayaking by adding wet suit gaskets at ankles, etc. If I remember, he used a lot of ex-military surplus gear. His tent was not the best, but with a good tarp over it, who cared? I think kayaking can be done on the cheap, if you want it badly enough. You just got to shop carefully. A used plastic boat, second hand paddles from an outfitters end of season sale, etc, all can cut overall investment signifigantly. I've even seen wet suit farmer johns in the pawn shops for as little as $50.00. Renting kayaks can add up, however (another reason for me to get my wife a used boat soon). I bet there are lurkers on this list who haven't the money for a fancy new boat and all the latest paraphernalia. I say, get going, go cheap, but do go soon. Do buy new flares, however. BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
It can be a really expensive sport (I still can't seem to afford a new boat what with college for the kid, college for the wife, misc. expenses, etc. and am waiting with baited breath for a Current Design or VCP to show up in the mail box from some unknown angel kayak supporter! I think I have a better chance of working at saving more for the future new boat!) . I also believe that there may be enough used but Unused equipment sitting around in closets and garages of folks on this list to outfit an armada of kayakers. It is a shame that more local clubs don't hold swap meets or collect unwanted equipment to help folks out. Equipment can be made from scratch, at some cost, or old equipment brought back to life. Just a thought Fred At 12:08 AM 10/8/2000 -0700, Doug Lloyd wrote: >I bet there are lurkers on this list who haven't the money for a fancy >new boat and all the latest paraphernalia. I say, get going, go cheap, >but do go soon. Do buy new flares, however. > >BC'in Ya >Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** 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 12:08 AM 10/8/00 -0700, Doug Lloyd wrote: > >I think kayaking can be done on the cheap, if you want it badly enough. >You just got to shop carefully. A used plastic boat, second hand paddles >from an outfitters end of season sale, etc, all can cut overall >investment signifigantly. I've even seen wet suit farmer johns in the > >I bet there are lurkers on this list who haven't the money for a fancy >new boat and all the latest paraphernalia. I say, get going, go cheap, >but do go soon. Do buy new flares, however. I agree wholeheartedly, and frankly, this is the time of year to do it. I also don't have a lot of money, and frankly tend to be a bit of a bottom feeder when it comes to kayaks and gear. The only reason I spent all the money I did on my new Nimbus Telkwa last spring was that two or three things had come together to leave me with a little extra cash, and I figured I'd better spend it on something important, rather than waste the money on something like a new computer. But I was looking over the web page from the dealer where I got the boat, and there are boats for sale there, right now, that are half the price they were this spring! Used boats, demo boats, rental boats -- the new stuff is still pretty high, although that is discounted, too. And, this time of year, people will be selling boats rather than having to store them through the winter. And, if you're really on the cheap and are a tool type person, think about building your own boat. Stitch and glue boats can be brought in around $500 (US), and will turn some heads. Skin on frame boats can be made for half that. I may build one for the fun of it this winter, and just to listen to my wife gripe about what I want with yet another boat. While it's possible to spend a ton of money on gear, and some of that gear may be a necessity, it's possible to overdo it on the extra gear and (dare I say it?) safety equipment. You have to do a little logical thinking about safety equipment and what it's used for, and how it could be used. For instance, there are people on this list that never put a paddle to water without their VHF radio running. That's well and good for where they are. For me, a VHF would be a useless waste of money. I mostly paddle inland waters, and no one carries VHF, or even has one on. A distress call on Marine VHF in 90% of the places I paddled this year would be sent into dead air. There'd be no one to respond. Some of the stuff is worth it -- but, for someone trying to do this on a budget, get the bottom-line basics, and add on as time and money become available. Shop used stuff, swap meets. Make some stuff. Keep an eye open for bargains. I've said before -- while the cost can be a little daunting up front, when you stop and think about it, this sport really isn't that expensive compared to some things you could do. This spring, on a kayaking trip while I was mulling the cost of buying a new boat, two friends and I ran into a guy with a brand new bass boat. The cost was $18,000 -- enough to buy all three of our kayaks three times over. He maybe will use it two dozen times a year. Each of our kayaks has had many times the use over the year. On a cost per hour basis, this really is a pretty cheap activity. -- Wes *************************************************************************** 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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