Recent content by Punkinhead

I opened this thread thinking it was about powering a canoe with a parasail. Boy was I wrong.

Got her properly broken in.

I agree with the previous two. It's hard to tell from the video but I don't think the victim was irresponsibly close.

Is it really that big of an issue? In my early whitewater days I kneeled on a regular webbed seat and don't recall ever feeling like I'd get stuck and I had plenty of swims. I switched to foam pedestals later so I could add thigh straps but I never felt like the regular seat was a snag hazard...

Years ago we were in Kruger National Park in South Africa and a ranger told us that pretty much every single animal in the park can outrun you so don't even try. I don't know about bison, but rhinos have bad eyesight and rely on movement so standing still is your best move. It's still...

Last week a group of friends planned a paddling trip for today. All dropped out except myself and wife in a canoe and one friend in a kayak. Two dropped out because they said their knees and hips were hurting so getting in and out of their kayaks is getting too difficult. We lost two friends...

I drove to Wisconsin last weekend without a canoe on top and averaged 37 mpg for the 6 hour drive. On the way home with a newly purchased canoe and a headwind I got 15 mpg. If most of your driving is low speed and local it probably doesn't matter. We spend months at a time traveling in our...

They're building a data center near us and they have hundreds of diesel run lights on 24 hours even though they don't work at night. They've had a ton of complaints. At a recent commissioner meeting the county's lawyer said we have regulations against excessive lighting but it only applies to...

Old thread, but I finally bought a tandem. My wife and I were having lunch with some friends on Saturday and they mentioned wanting to paddle a local river later this week. My wife said she wouldn't be coming because she's had a couple swims that have her spooked away from paddling her kayak...

I can't remember the last time I saw someone under 50 in a solo canoe except for whitewater. I'm sure there are younger people who would take to it if they had a chance to try it.

One of the most popular recreational kayaks is the $1000 Wilderness Systems Pungo 120. I see them on the river pretty frequently. They're 50 lbs, so not crazy heavy. About the same price and weight as a Discovery 119. I don't think weight or price have anything to do with the disparity in...

My friends kayaks always have water in them from getting out to get unstuck due to their refusal to learn to read the river.

On the flip side, a lot of my older friends have a lot of trouble getting in and out of a sit-in kayak due to aging knees and hips. They'd be better off in a sit on top or a canoe.

I'm the only one in my friend group who paddles a canoe. My friends don't want to learn more skills, they just want a day out in nature with friends. Skill-wise, kayaks have a low barrier to entry which is what my friends want. It's not about price with them. They could all afford a high end...

Years ago I was at REI thinking I was going to buy a cheap boonie hat. Just for grins I tried on a Tilley hat and, by chance, I'd picked up the perfect size. I've never had a hat that really fit and it changed my perspective. That's what I like about Tilley hats - they actually come in...