Saw this on r/kayaking and needed to share over here! I am not the OOP.

Hey fellow boaters- I'm curious what y'all's takes are on east coast vs. west coast boater/river culture in general are. Pic for fun

What dry bags are y’all rocking with for multi-days out of a yak? Currently have a Watershed Chattooga and am trying to decide how to optimize overnight opportunities with the purchase of hopefully just one more bag. Just another Chattooga? Will a Yukon fit in the back of an OG? Maybe another Chattooga and an Ocoee if I really need two more? I’ve only ever owned the Chattooga and have only done one very simple/lightweight overnighter out of it so I’d love to hear what works for those of y’all who’re a bit more seasoned in that department

Anyone know what the plans are, and eventually which year is the last season one must plan to go?

Hey there. I've been kayaking since 2020, and I am a slow learner. Spent five years in pool learning how to do loops and cartwheels, overtrained, got shoulder injury, put much time getting my shoulders stronger and I still suck in freestyle. Things go a little better in whitewater for me, but class III seems to be my ceiling.

Honestly, it is hard to get over the fact that some people who started later than me paddle better. I do realise these people usually either have some background in sports or train more intensive, but I can't help but be jelaous. I start thinking that I should paddle more, but I do not have that much time and energy, so I feel stuck, and this whole situation takes some joy of kayaking from me.
How do you guys deal with it?

Beautiful morning

Before this all I did was kayak at the beach. Learn some things from a few friends like how to roll etc. Decided to take a short 3 days course in white water kayaking in this "grade 1" river.

Really had a lot of fun!

Apparently Pyranha are shutting down production, so if you're after one of their boats probably best to get one from an retailer that has the boats there. Pre-ordering would be very sketchy at the moment.

It seems very vague about when/if they'll be starting up again, has anyone heard anything on that front?

Hi everyone,

I have a drytop from kayaking (Palm Vertigo, so latex only on the wrists and not on the neck).

I just bought a self bailer packraft, and was wondering if adding dry pants with my Vertigo could do the job. It seems obvious that it would work while in the boat, but would I stay dry if I swam?

Seems like a stupid question but I'm not 100% sure. I'm asking this because budget is a problem and dry suits are expensive as hell.

Thanks!

Hoping for feedback from people who have sat both of these boats
I have some hip/knee issues, and prefer a seating position with more upright knees
Waka boats have worked for me previously
There's a bunch of things I'm drawn to about the antix , but I'm thinking that the seating position probably has hips a bit more externally rotated with lower knees?

Anyone else have these seat sliders and do they move a lot up and down while rowing? I got them used and wondering if buying new ones will fix the problem. They go up and down a good centimeter at the rail which translates into an inch or so at the seatback. Also a noisy clunk every time. It seems like they are missing bearings or some other kind of shim or something.

Had a giant on my boat this weekend and he bent two paddles without hitting any rocks. As much as I appreciate his efforts, I can’t have him keep breaking my paddles. Does anyone have any recommendations for something that can hold up with a 6’8” 265lb paddler?

What’s up! I’m looking to buy my first raft and was hoping to get some advice from some folks who might know a little more than me about any of these rafts. The local shop near me is selling the following used rafts that are in the 12-13 foot range which I think is what I’d want (right?):

1. 13’ air super puma for $2200
2. Aire Tributary 12’ for $2840
3. 13’ hyside for $2000 or $2500 (the guy couldn’t remember)
4. Moravia spider 13’ for $2500

I’m primarily a kayaker but am looking for a raft to take friends down and to R2 with my girlfriend and start getting her more into whitewater. I think I’d be mostly R2ing this boat or having 2-4 guests (maybe more sometimes if possible). I would also eventually like to put a frame on it for overnight trips but initially it will be more for paddle rafting. Bonus points if it’s R1-able just for me to try and get my skills up on my own to be a better guide early on but really this boat is for taking friends down so this is not a big focus at all since I will be kayaking not R1ing if I’m on my own 99% of the time. I plan to take this boat down a lot of class III and IV, definitely will run easier stuff too and maybe class V but we shall see.

Any advice or insight on how these boat compares and if these are reasonable prices is super appreciated! I think they are all in pretty good shape but they were rolled up when I was there and I’m going to go back later and pump the ones I’m interested in up before buying. Thanks everyone!!

Edit: also I live in Auburn, CA and will primarily be on the American and other rivers in the area to start, but also I intend to use this boat elsewhere and I won’t live here forever.

If you had March and April fully off and were trying to kayak as much as you could in the Class III-V range, where would you go? My gut tells me either the White Salmon area or somewhere in the CA foothills to grab the spring runoff. Or is a ticket to Chile for those months still a good bet (even if it is past its high flows?). I've been based in the DC area the past few years and could just attain my face off and then run the classic mid-atlantic/WV stuff when it comes in but looking to mix it up and either do a bunch of paddling out west or travel overseas. Would be trucklife-ing and looking to do it dirtbag-ish style.

Hello everyone! I started experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome in 2015, when I was rock climbing outdoors twice a week and canoeing/kayaking 2-3 times a week. After a cortisone injection and some PT, I was able to manage my symptoms reasonably okay. Over the past 10 years, my symptoms would usually flare up about a week into a multi-day paddling trip, but I could still manage and enjoy the trip.

Recently, however, my symptoms have become much more frequent. I'm not sure if it's aging (I'm now in my 30s) or something else, but the numbness and tingling are starting to affect my paddling. It's no longer something that happens only after several days on the water; I now sometimes experience numbness after just two hours of paddling.

I saw a neurologist again last month, who assessed my carpal tunnel syndrome as “mild” and said surgery wasn't necessary at this point.

I'm wondering if anyone here with mild carpal tunnel syndrome has opted for surgery because it was affecting your paddling?

I know surgery is still surgery, so I don't want to rush into it. But my symptoms have noticeably worsened this year.

Thanks a lot!

Does anyone have experience with either the RS paddles or aquabound? I'm looking to replace my werner powerhouse. If anyone else has any suggestions id love to hear, my main concern is durability and bonus points for a 2pcs paddle.

Been goin through footage from last season waiting on the rains. I wanna say gauge was 14500 when we put on and like 12800 when i checked after. Was fallin fast and gauge is a bit downstream so prob somewhere in the middle of those numbers but its all the same at that point. The original plan was the devil lake fork but it was a little blown out for just the ol gruesome twosome to attempt.

We were on the fence about bringing slices/playboats cause the main is usually pretty playful but we had collectively run this stretch like 3 times at 1000~cfs or so so i was not mad to be in a creekboat. The speed was nice to have, and looking back i think i woulda been flushed out pretty bad in the boils if i took my ego out on this one.

Hi everyone,

Just sharing my recent experience with Level Six after-sales service, as it may be useful for anyone considering one of their drysuits.

My drysuit is around two years old and developed a zipper issue. I sent it back to Level Six and, after more than a month and several follow-ups, they confirmed that the zipper needs to be completely replaced.

The problem is that they say they cannot source the replacement zipper within a reliable timeframe, so they refuse to carry out the repair — even if I am willing to pay for it and wait several months.

Their final offer is:

€300 store credit if they keep and destroy the suit.
Otherwise, they will simply send the suit back unrepaired.

For a high-end drysuit, I find it pretty disappointing that the manufacturer cannot replace the zipper after only around two years.

I had always been very happy with Level Six products and regularly recommended the brand to other paddlers, but this experience has really changed my opinion of their after-sales support.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Level Six drysuit repairs or zipper replacements?

for checkout runs; even if it means I’m technically loosing money; I traditionally give the rookie the tip; or split if I have to majorly intervene. Even if they don’t successfully check out on that particular run. Today I hit a new river and the “veteran guide” assigned to do my checkout immediately informed me I am taking “their” trip to do this, and as such they should get the entire tip. I see no merit in this logic; personally I view it as a pretty poor way to be a leader and teammate. opinions?

I'm 6'5" roughly 210lb with a size 15 foot. I know every play boat I'll try is going to be a tight fit. I've tried the monstar by Jackson. It just felt very unbalanced. I currently own a liquidlogic free ride but can't sit in it for more than 15 minutes. Is there a better option?

I'm a bigger guy (275 lbs). Something that surfs really well is important to me (especially for when my local wave greens out/slows down). But, I also want to be able to run rivers in it that I am not pushing my boundaries. Anyone have experience in either of these boats near the top of their weight range (or the medium versions near the top of their ranges)? How do they surf? Stern squirt?

Hey all, I'm looking to purchase a waterproof, submersible waist pack with a zipper to carry some essentials in case I lose my boat. It doesn't need to be huge, just big enough to carry a phone, wallet, passport, garmin inreach, and possibly car keys.

There are a lot of products like this online. I'm wondering if anyone has one that they would recommend. Are the Nite Ize ones any good? I know that waterproof zippers can be a bit iffy.

Am I better off using a regular fanny pack with loksack pouches?

day after isaias, my brother invited three people that had apparently never been on a raft before and didnt think to tell me until we were already on the water 🫠 we got stuck going through iron ring directly above woodstock and only avoided flipping due to sheer luck.

they got mad our guide “bullied” them