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Mount a seat onto a big board for double-bladed paddling?
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sailwave



Joined: 11 May 2000
Posts: 113
Location: Redwood City, CA

PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The old Mistral Pacifico board works great for sit down with a plastic milk crate placed upside down to sit on. It has foot strap inserts you can use to fasten the milk crate. Mount the crate so you can also stand up just in front of it. I use this combo for fishing off of. Would work fine for casual double sided paddling. It is actually a planing windsurf board as well and minimal rocker, so a good glide can be had. It is 207L, 11' 4" x 30.5" wide and it is like walking on a pier when standing. Now that I think about it, if I could have only one board, this would be it: it paddle surfs, paddle cruises, windsurf planes and a nice fishing/rec platform. Note - the Pacifico Wave is a different board with alot more rocker for surfing and not nearly as stable. Planes horribly with a sail on it. I have it too.


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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You guys’ responses have been great — lots of information and suggestions, and NO SNARK. Thank you for your time. I examined every one of your widespread, box-expanding ideas and leads thoroughly, and they led to a conclusion and a purchase. I had hoped to respond specifically to each of your posts, but just don’t have the time to do it justice. Instead, I’ll address your comments and ideas more broadly.

With any luck, someone else may also benefit from the thread. WARNING: if this topic isn’t of significant interest to you, stop reading now. This is LONG.

Hydrofoil:
I bought a Slingshot WS foil setup about three years ago, gave it a season, got tons of (mostly highly self-contradictory) advice, and sold it in the fall as incompatible with my (lack of) balance. I got some encouraging rides the first day on the same size sail the WSers were using, but each successive day went downhill regardless of sail size. The last few sessions saw FAR more swimming than standing, partly because I can’t uphaul even on perfectly flat water. Besides, as long as I can foil, I can also WS, and it’s all about the swell for me.

Chop vs vision:
Chop affects my vision only at speed and only in particularly harsh chop, as it has to shake my head to impact my vision. I never noticed the problem on a foil board or my highly rockered (i.e., slow and silky smooth) windSUP, and all my WS boards (by choice) have very smooth rides even WFO in ordinary chop.

Flat water:
The nearby (downtown) delta/wildlife sanctuary is perfectly flat. It’s mostly knee deep and it’s sheltered from the wind by the forests it winds through. It’s gonna be great for learning and for quick sessions, however, and the open Columbia is just a few paddle strokes away.

Surf ski kayak:
The name sounded great, but they are 20-22 feet long, cost several thousand dollars even used, and are dedicated to a special purpose that ruled them out for me. They’re all about downwinders, which require herding cats (other SurfSki riders). I’ve honestly heard it before: “I gotta cancel. It’s my turn to scrub the kitchen floor.”

Foot-powered fishing kayaks:
As you say, they’re SLOW. Maybe if I get back into fishing, which may be all I can do in a few years. Fortunately, foot pedals are an option, not inherent. Fishing kayaks’ big plus is their stability, and the shorter ones can be quite maneuverable.

Laser or a Sunfish:
They just don’t appeal to me, but that’s largely because I don’t know squat about them. But, MAN, I’m tired of having to tow $#!+ to the playground! Decades of snowmobiling and dirt biking cured me of that, and loading them takes strength I’m losing due to these damned meds. If I’m going to tow another toy, it might be a bass boat with a Lazy Boy on it.

Inflatable kayak:
Their performance isn’t bad, but it does add another hassle I’m trying to avoid. Could you even IMAGINE having to pump up a sail every time you want to play? ( Smile ) My strapless 8’3” SeaLion windSUP is a zig-zagger in standard stroke-stroke-stroke SUP mode (it’s great for surfing with sail or paddle), so I can identify with the drawbacks of inflatable kayaks.

Putting (anything) on top of my RV:
Not with my balance! 11 feet down to the pavement, and I fall too often already just walking around my house or lawn. I park my RV indoors, and have come to value being able to mount this toy permanently on the back of it so it’s always available when the wind pukes.

Rowing rigs:
I’ve thought about rowing sculls or a sliding seat on a longboard, and may go there yet. I really “enjoy” ripping my gym’s water-rowing machine a new one in my flat-out HIIT sessions, but sculls go back to transportability and having eyes in the back of one’s head. Helmet-mounted rear-view mirrors, anyone? I’m still kicking my butt for giving away my hydraulic rowing machine. I had it set up for resistance in both directions to provide a whole-body HIIT workout.

Don’t give up:
I’ve never been accused of that yet, and keep surprising my doctors. It must look pretty funny to see a WSer stagger ashore in winds gusting into the 40s, then fall flat on his face just trying to set his board down on the lawn. I’ve been forced to curtail and cherry pick my WSing sessions and conditions for some time now, but after 74 years in the water I hope I won’t be giving up water sports for a long time yet.

Balance and strength problems temporary or age-related?
Certainly age is a factor, but far more dominant are the meds. Even the ones I temporarily ceased last March have devastated my strength and endurance, and my balance will never recover. I may soon be buying a cross-country, big-wheeled walker (aka all-terrain rollator) to get my butt down to the water’s edge as I maneuver among all the upturned fins on the grass. (I had to rig sitting down and crawl my gear to the water days after having an inner ear removed 25 years ago.)

Hilton’s 10'6" BEACH SUP-YAK suggestion:
Great idea, and they’re extremely popular worldwide and readily available at a consistent excellent price. However, I already have a wave-biased windSUP and decided to bias this selection more towards sitting. I expect my windSUP will fill a significant gap between aggro WSing and kayaking. It’s a freaking HOOT in almost any amount of wind the Gorge can throw at it, and may get me back under sail sooner after a new hip than would strapped-in WSing (twisting forces are a significant dislocation threat to hip implants).

Back/hamstring issues:
That’s a concern after a lifetime of SI joint problems and tight hams, but I think SOT kayaks with multi-position footrests will alleviate the risk, as was suggested.

Foot/thigh braces:
They’re only for sit-in kayaks, with which I have two major concerns:
1. Eskimo rolls, which presume the rider can distinguish between up and down when in the water and which stress the hell out of rotator cuffs. I can’t do the former, and my rotator cuffs are collectively 156 years old.
2. Climbing back INTO a sit-in is MUCH tougher than hauling one’s butt ONTO a SOT, elephant-seal-like.

Sitting on my SeaLion:
I’m guessing I weigh more than windward’s 6 yo granddaughter. At my adult weight, I have a helluva time climbing onto an SUP without rolling it. A GoreTex dry suit and booties compound the problem. But I gotta give it to her if she can paddle any distance sitting bolt upright on a bare plank.

BIG honkin’ SUP, like a Malibu Pacifico:
That was what I had in mind when I began this quest, but as the ideas and my needs gelled, I swung more towards a kayak for the long haul. I think/hope it will meet a wider variety of demands, but I remain concerned because there must be SOME reason the only kayaks I see on the windy Columbia are SurfSkis. Anything else and the dealers and books say that wind and yaks don’t play well together. OTOH, some expert kayakers use sails on their fishing yaks on the Columbia on “windy” days.

Land sailing:
Been there, loved it, had and still have beaucoup places to do it on all kinds of natural and manmade terrain. I gave it up because of all the broken wrists and ankles my buds were getting. I have too many surgeries as it is without self-inflicted injuries.

I wound up ordering an Eddyline Caribbean 12 SOT kayak. It seemed the best match for all my criteria from flat water to bumpy Gorge waters, and I managed to snag the only one REI had even at the HQ level. Dealers are back ordered for up to a year. My other, earlier, top choices are not available at all (thank goodness).

• It’s advertised and independently reputed to track very well for a 12-footer, yet still maneuvers well enough for surf.

• Its hull is common with Eddyline’s very stable fishing kayak, but the deck is outfitted differently. I enjoy fishing, and this one is just a rod mount away from being an excellent flatwater fishing platform.

• Wind’s a PITA with kayaks, but one spot on the lower Columbia gets breaking waves, and others get wraparound rollers, in and near shoreline wind shadows. I think I’ll be able to find adequate swell, or at least good bumps, in wind shadows along the Columbia shore 10-15 minutes from home. At the very least, trying will provide a great workout.

• Mine slides inside my wife’s minivan, and mounts on the back of my RV with no excursion beyond the usual rooftop clutter.

• It weighs 42 pounds. I can carry it like a suitcase for short distances, or slap wheels on it in a minute for portages.

• If it doesn’t meet my needs or my health REALLY takes a hit, I should be able to sell it with minimal loss. The kayak market is red hot and manufacturers can’t meet demand. I lost less than $200 on my complete foil board gamble early in that game.

• I can use this toy comfortably in the winter 10 minutes from home. I dress in my living room, go play, and undress in the tub. Nice!

• I chose the high-backed, highly- and instantly-adjustable, fully ventilated seat option. It feels great ergonomically. That and the highly variable footrest positions let me change positions in seconds any time I want.

• At LAST I have another toy not so damned dependent on fickle weather.

• Then again, I have a TON to learn. Just the art and science of basic paddling fills three long, dense chapters in the best how-to-kayak book.

Thanks again, guys. I’m very happy with my choice, and all of you helped guide me to it.
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