Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 03:00:49 -0800
Reply-To: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Subject: Re: Kayak Transport on a Westy
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Congratulations on winning the kayak. I was in the final 5 drawing for the
Missouri Whitewater Races canoe raffle, but the luck ended there. On to
your questions(some of which have been well answered already).
The Old town Sea Otter(there are several models of the otter) is an okay
boat for paddling recreationally, but real sea kayaks made of frp and kevlar
run anywhere from $2000 to $3500 and add another grand for a comparable
tandem rig. This 112" otter is made of a 3 layer crosslinked polyethelyne
and is quite heavy for its length. I'm guessing it retails for about$4-500.
To get a good paddle for it, you m might want to check out Rutabaga's
website(Madison, WI). They are one of the biggest paddlesports stores in
the country. Another big player is Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City
NC. They cater more to whitewater, but would have knowledgeable staff to
discuss paddle needs. Harmony, Werner, and Mitchell all make excellent
paddles for your boat. Typical touring paddle lengths run from 220 cm to
245 depending on boat width, paddler size, and personal preference. Some of
the fancier ones not only come in take a part configurations, but some
actually breakdown into 3 pieces. entry level paddles run about $125 and
the good breakdowns(light and strong) will get a little over $200. You can
spend much more than that.
I have a pair of the Yakima kayak saddles I'd sell for $45, but not sure if
they could be adapted to the Thule rack. If the hull is relatively flat,
you may not need this option. Stay away from the foam carriers on longer
trips with crosswinds. Have funnnnn.!
Max Wellhouse aka Dimwitted Moose and Flying Squirrel
-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony L. Mourkas <frankenstein@TELPLUS.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2000 7:29 AM
Subject: Kayak Transport on a Westy
>I won the Old Town Sea Otter kayak being raffled off last weekend at my
>son's basketball tournament!!! We are pumped!!! I have had plenty of
>with canoes but I must admit to being a totally ignorant first time kayak
>paddler. We would like to take it along on a road trip in a few weeks
>and would appreciate some tips on how to best carry it up top on a Westy.
>
>
>We will also be carrying four bikes on our new rear hatch mounted
>Paulchen rack and an assortment of gear in a dry bag that takes up the
>entire luggage rack and is about one foot in height from the bottom of
>the luggage rack.
>
>We brought the boat home (60 mile trip) from the tournament by scavenging
>some rope from teammates vehicles and lashing it to the Thule crossbars,
>and front and rear tow hooks, on my wife's Jetta. The boat was inverted
>and the flat area around the cockpit was what actually rested on the load
>bars. This seemed very stable on a short 60 mile trip.
>
>The simple no cost solution would be to set my extra tall Thule uprights
>and load bars up over the pop top and lash on the boat as above. Or I
>could spring for the artificial rain gutters and bolt them to the pop top
>and use my lower profile uprights that I used with this setup on my
>former Westy. A little additional cost, a little additional angst in
>drilling holes in the pop top, but as long as the boat would clear the
>bikes in the rear, I could raise the pop top without dismounting boat or
>rack.
>
>Other questions:
>
>- Are the luggage rack tie downs of sufficient strength to anchor a tie
>down line from the bow of the boat?
>
>- I have the Thule canoe carrier kit. Anyone use this to secure a kayak
>using the stock configuration? Alternately, can the four mounting
>attachments in this kit be installed on the bars "backwards", rotated 180
>degrees, so that they serve to locate the boat on the crossbars from
>inside the cockpit, and preventing F-B and L-R movement?
>
>- Can I use the foam blocks and just lash the boat to the roof?
>
>- Oh yeah, the boat did not come with a paddle. Any buying tips
>appreciated. Also are most paddles one piece, or are there some that
>break down for transport, or are adjustable for different users?
>
>- Where do you carry your paddle in your fully loaded Westy?
>
>Thanks for any and all suggestions.
>
>Tony
>
>Anthony L. Mourkas
>Hampden, Maine, USA
>1984 Vanagon Westfalia
>1987 Vanagon GL Syncro
>1991 Jetta Eco Diesel
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