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playful splashes from Raleigh, North Carolina

Joined
Dec 14, 2016
Messages
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Location
Raleigh, North Carolina [USA]
Hello,

Having just passed the battery of anti-spammer defenses with a lazy J-stroke and my bow pointing downstream, I'm happy to join the forum and learn from y'all.

I'm Magnus from Raleigh, North Carolina (originally from Philadelphia, as few Ralwegians are actually from Raleigh). I used to paddle after work on any given good day until my family population increased, and I found myself being a dad to kids who didn't want to spend hours on the water. Those kids are growing now and finding hobbies of their own, and I'm starting to rediscover some of the hobbies that I used to love... like camping, fishing, and canoeing.

My (edit) renewed interest in canoes came from having bought a kayak this Summer and deciding I liked canoeing quite a lot more. Though the kayak that I procured was spec'd more around keeping my (then) very large belly out of the water than any other performance requirements.

Another potentially interesting twist: I've been over 300 pounds most of my adult life (no doubt for lack of paddling to exercise me). A year ago, I weighed 315 lbs. This morning, 255. I'm not done yet. Not by a long shot. I'll know what my goal is when I hit it, but I think it's safe to say it'll be south of 190 pounds. I'd been telling my family that I'm not dieting so much as training for a canoe expedition. Well now the reality of that promise is starting to catch up to me. I think 2017 is going to be spent largely rebuilding my rusted skill set in canoeing and camping, and 2018 will be the big expedition: a run down the Neuse River from Falls Lake in Raleigh to New Bern.

No doubt I'll be starting threads to seek advice.

-M
 
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Welcome to the group, good luck on your plans and look forward to the threads you start.
 
I need to get on the weight loss train myself ! More time paddling, and less time eating would be a good start for me !

Welcome !

Jim
 
Sorry for the long absence; my wife was dealing with some health issues, and I was off by her side where I belonged. All is well now, and I have a new paddling buddy... Otto the miniature Schnauzer (who's all of 15 weeks old right now).
 
Glad to hear your wife is doing better. Also good to hear about your new paddling partner. We just had our (still new to us) pooch out in the canoe yesterday for her inaugural paddle. She sat without any issues and eventually laid on the floor, poking her face under the bow seat where my wife was sitting. From there she just looked at me for the rest of the trip. I'm hoping this sets a trend for her in the canoe as she's part border collie with a lot of lab and she really loves the water.

That's all for now. Enjoy your new paddling pooch and until next time...be well.

snapper
 
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Otto is still a baby at heart, and just starting to get used to the outdoors. I had him in the backyard over the weekend, and while I stress tested my new ultralight hammock, Otto was fascinated by the chickens (more like entertained... I don't think he wanted to make a go at them). So then I wanted to see how he felt about water on a hot day so I put a few inches of water into the kiddie pool. In and RIGHT back out. Nope. He didn't want it. This is going to take a little time before he feels ok around water, it seems.

His ears get cropped tomorrow, and rabies shots next week, so it'll probably be a little while longer before he gets out in a boat with me. Those ears have to finish up.
 

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I've been getting out more and more with my family. They are all speaking pretty clearly on a few points:

* They prefer solo boats to tandem.
* "Whoa, do they come any lighter?"
* Of the boats I currently own (Old Town Camper 16 RX, Old Town Next, Dagger Axis 12.0 kayak) everyone prefers the Next.
* We like bringing 2/3 of our dogs (the English Bulldog, not so much)

After loading and unloading 60+ pound boats a few times with me, my wife finally broke down and said "if you'll promise to sell your motorcycle and use the money from that to pay for a lighter canoe, go ahead and get a lighter canoe. Put it on the credit card."

(Cue dramatic music...)
 
Just do not tell her the motorcycle would have to be sold any way to make room for the canoe collection anyway. ;) We are above capacity at my canoe collection. :( Soon going to have to make the hard decision on what to sell. :mad:

Wife saw me looking at a Mad River tandem on Craigslist. First word out of her mouth. NO!!! I can get away with a Bell, Swift, or Nothstar fast touring canoe tough. :rolleyes: If it is equal in speed and maneuverability but lighter than the fiberglass Bell Northstar we currently have. She was helping me put away the Bell Starfire we are currently reworking and claimed she had suddenly become stronger. What I asked. Well she responded this is sure easier to lift than the other tandems. Our previous tandems are all heavy fiberglass or royalex. The Starefire is Whitegold {aramid (kevlar) and fiberglass}.

Wish I could bring my dogs along. To many alligators around here who think they are snack food.
 
We have alligators in NC, but just down east. So here in Raleigh, it's gator-free. I don't have to go far to get into gator waters, though.

There's a really good chance a PBW RapidFire is joining my fleet soon. I'm having to go kinda sight unseen, which is really unsettling in this price range, but after months of eyeballing and researching, I feel pretty confident that I won't dislike it. :) I'll have my wife paddle it some, and if she likes it, I'll get one for her, too. I made the decision to get out of motorcycles to fund this. That wasn't easy. But the motorcycle was just for me, and paddling is something that 4/5 of my family really enjoys.

The kids aren't going to get anything quite so fancy. :)
 
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