|
|
|
|
Archive for December, 2009
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Well, it’s the last few shopping days before Christmas 2009, so get ready for all the great things that come with the season: the end-of-year work crunch at your BDJ, daily trips to the airport, and of course, circling for hours looking for a parking spot at the mall when all you want is to buy some freaking batteries.
If there is a kayaker on your christmas/hannukah/festivus gift list, consider yourself lucky. There are a lot of gift ideas for kayakers, and they range in price from the cheap and lowly paddle leash to ridiculously pricey kayaks. But in order to hone in on the perfect gift, you’ll want to start by considering the basics.
1. Set your price range – There are gifts for kayakers in almost every price range. This shouldn’t be too hard.
2. What kind of kayaking does your kayaker prefer? Obviously, it helps to know a little about kayaking if you are buying something for a kayaker. A shiny new rudder, for example, would be appreciated more by a flatwater kayaker – not so much by a whitewater kayaker.
3. What kind of kayak does your kayaker have? You might be thinking about getting some kind of kayak fittings or accessories – for example, a compass, deck bag, or map case that can be strapped to the deck. But what your kayaker’s kayak is a sit-on-top kayak that doesn’t have a deck?
4. What does your kayaker do while out kayaking? Birdwatching? Photography? Fishing? Blogging? Maybe your kayaker is inclined to try out something new, like kayak fishing, and hasn’t yet. This may be your chance to gently suggest that your kayaker go catch a tiny fish whose size can be exaggerated to friends. Maybe it will be tiny, but it will taste like… satisfaction.
Maybe your kayaker is not a kayaker yet. You can also consider getting a coupon or voucher for a kayak tour or rental. A lot of people really want to try something new but need that extra push to actually make the leap. Do a search for local kayak tour and rental companies, then just call and ask if you can pre-purchase something like this.
OK, hopefully you’ve made some progress on that list of gift ideas. Good luck!
Technorati Tags: christmas, gifts, presents, kayaks, kayakers, compass, deck bag, map case, birdwatching, photography, kayak fishing, hannukah, festivus
Posted in Kayak Rentals, Kayaking Gear, Kayaking Photography, Kayaking Tours | No Comments »
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Hmmmmm… Were too many kayak buyers indecisive and waited too long, or didn’t hear about the sale in time in the first place? Well, for whatever reason, Folbot is reduxing (I just made up a new word) their cyber monday deal of 20% off everything except 10% off the citibot. I’ve never seen Folbot sell anything for more than a 20% discount, so this is probably the best deal you can hope for on a new Folbot.
The date to remember is Wednesday, December 16, 2009.
Technorati Tags: folbot, folding kayak, kayaks, for sale, cyber monday, citibot, discount, sale, kayaking
Posted in Folding Kayaks, Kayaks, Sales and Coupons | No Comments »
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
 - Decavitator
The Decavitator is an old MIT project from the late 80’s and early 90’s. The goal of the project was to build the fastest human powered watercraft in history. The team was pursuing the $25k DuPont prize, which they won in 1993.
The Decavitator avoids the problem of propeller cavitation that affects other boats at high speed because it’s propelled by a giant fan. Furthermore, you could (allegedly) lose your head if you stood too close to said giant fan – hence the name “Decavitator”.
Anyway, the point is:
1. I want one.
2. Please
3. can I have one
The more likely it is that some giant toy will end up in a flaming wreckage or cause irreparable bodily harm, the more some dude is going to want it. It may not be as dangerous as the name suggests, but I’m sure it doesn’t feel great to stick your hand into the Decavitator’s giant rotating blades. Safety issues aside, this would be a hell of a lot of fun to fly around over your local pond. And you could also overtake those smug rowers. They think they are so fast.
Here’s a link to the Decavitator project page. Follow it for more information (including lots of pictures) about the Decavitator project.
http://lancet.mit.edu/decavitator/Decavitator.html
Technorati Tags: decavitator, mit, dupont prize, cavitation, propeller, boats, human powered, hydrofoil, speed record
Posted in Boats | No Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
I don’t know jack about train watching except that sometimes you can get a pretty good view of certain railways while sitting on the water in a kayak. There are many situations where a kayaks allows you unobstructed and/or uncrowded views of certain subjects of interest, and this includes the massively powerful trains that run along the coast.
 BNSF at Golden Gardens, Seattle Many of the parks in Seattle – such as Carkeek and Golden Gardens, for example – are traversed by a portion of the extensive Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway that spiders across the western United States. For much of their length along the shoreline north of Seattle, the trains and tracks are bordered on the land side by forested areas so that the only clear view of the trains is from the water. If you feel like having a calm picnic-on-the-water sort of day, you can launch your kayak from a Seattle park, bring your lunch, and paddle up or down the coast to watch the trains.
View Larger Map
Some of the parks, such as Richmond Beach and Carkeek, have pedestrian overpasses for crossing the tracks. For a slight thrill, you can stand on the overpass directly over the trains as they pass. Some of the cars are double-stacked and look like they are close enough to hit you.
Technorati Tags: kayaks, kayaking, seattle, trains, burlington northern, bnsf, santa fe, picnic, carkeek, golden gardens, richmond beach, railways
Posted in Kayaking Travel, Sea Kayaking | No Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
NRS is having a promotion for most of the month of December. Here’s the banner!
Every day, NRS will have one item for sale at a 20% discount. Every day, a different item will be on sale at said 20% discount. It’s a little like woot.com. This means that you bargain hunter types will be visiting their site every day just in case something interesting goes on sale. What will be on sale tomorrow? NOBODY KNOWS.
Even though nobody (sane) goes kayaking in the cold of December, you can always take advantage of sales like this to find presents for your kayaker friends and/or significant others.
NRS also has this gift guide thingy  on their website to help you buy stuff from them.
Update: Here’s another coupon code for 15% off at CampSaver:
Click here for a coupon good for 15% off all regular priced items. Excludes C.A.M.P., Rab, Evernew and Mont-Bell. Not valid with any other offer. Coupon Code: AF15-NICE
Technorati Tags: NRS, sale, promo, coupon, 20, discount, kayak, kayaking, christmas, gift, gift ideas
Posted in Kayaking Equipment, Sales and Coupons | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
NOVORCA makes beautiful carbon fiber and wooden Greenland style kayak paddles at reasonable prices. Their carbon fiber paddles ($375) are comparable in price to some of the more expensive kayak paddles on the mass market (such as the carbon fiber Werner paddles , for example), while the Novorca wooden paddles ($160) are even more affordable. No doubt the carbon paddles are nice, but I would definitely get one of the wooden ones first since they are so much prettier. I’m shallow like that.
And yes, one (or more) of these would make a great gift for any kayaker you know or… whose… blog you might read… and stuff.
Be sure to browse around their site for more interesting information about making Greenland paddles and also about how to use a Greenland paddle.
Technorati Tags: christmas, gift, idea, kayaker, novorca, greenland, kayak, paddle, kayak paddles, greenland kayak paddles, werner, carbon fiber, wooden paddles
Posted in Kayak Paddles, Kayaking Equipment | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Kayak Noise.
Kayak Noise is a blog that presents the unique perspective of a kayak designer. It is what I imagine to be a rare source of information about the kayak design process. I particularly like all the drawings and sketches. Lots of great action shots too!
Not only is Spike an experienced kayaker, but also a lead designer for Necky, Ocean Kayak, and Old Town – three of the most well known names in recreational boats.
Technorati Tags: kayaks, kayaking, kayak design, kayak blog, necky, ocean kayak, old town, canoe, kayak noise, kayak drawing, kayaker
Posted in Fiberglass kayaks, Kayaks, Ocean Kayak | No Comments »
|
|
RSS 2.0 Feed