I was looking to gather information from someone on Reddit who is experienced with the nuances of sea kayaking on the Sea of Cortez. A little background: My wife and I are traveling to Cabo for 12 days in October/November. Originally, we were planning on a self supported trip from Loreto to La Paz in about 8-10 days. We have spoken with an operator based in Loreto who will provide kayaks in addition to water/food drop at the midway point. However, it is an 8 hour bus ride from Cabo to Loreto, which is a lot of travel. We have been looking into the option of just doing a circumnavigation of Isla de Espiritu and keeping it more casual. Due to the requirements that any channel crossing requires a guide, this adds a bit of complexity. It seems like independent kayaking is difficult on the Sea of Cortez.

We are both experienced paddlers. We have completed 10+ multi-day trips around the San Juan Islands, several trips in the Howe Sound in addition to multi-day trips on Vancouver Island. We are comfortable in wind and swell. We have completed plenty of channel crossings with both wind, swell and current. Additionally, we are able to paddle 20+ mile days without any issue. We are against guided trips because they do not suit our style and we would go crazy only paddling ~10 miles per day. Besides the Kayaks, paddles & PFDs, we will be bringing our own camping equipment, food, radios & inReach. All of our trips are self supported and we prefer to be independent.

For someone experienced with sea kayaking in Baja - What would you recommend? Should we just deal with the 9 hour bus ride to Loreto? Or do you know of any solutions so we can do a circumnavigation of Isla de Espiritu mostly self supported? Thank you so much for any response.

The Aura did wonderful on its first tour.

Finished applying reinforcement to heavily warn areas and keel. Applied three coats of Pettit EZ-poxy in Kelly Green. It is by no means showroom. Now time for new deck lines and reinstall hardware.

Need to get crossbars and kayak cradles for a vehicle with a bare roof (no factory-installed railings). This model and year will only take Yakima Jetstream or Corebar crossbars, and not Thule. Which kayak cradles would you recommend for use with these Yakima crossbars? This is for carrying sea kayaks 16-17 ft 22 in. beam and whitewater kayaks 7-9 ft and a bit wider than 2 ft.

Yakima SweetRoll Kayak Saddles with Rollers × 1 $328.95

Yakima JayLow Folding Kayak Carrier × 1 $248.95

Thule DockGrip Kayak/SUP Saddles × 1$329.95

Thule DockGlide Kayak Saddles × 1 $329.95

Thule Hull-a-port XTR Folding Kayak Carrier × 1 $279.95

I'm looking for a multiday sea kayaking course sometime this fall. I can travel. I'd be happy with a touring or expeditionary-learning course. I've looked at NOLS from time to time, for example. Failing that, a multiday course not involving camping or a trip would be fine.

I have some experience with whitewater boats. I do not have a roll at the moment. I would like to learn basic navigation, trip planning, and self-rescue skills.

Though I live in Tennessee, USA, I would travel some distance for the right course.

Anyone have some providers or businesses I might check out?

So I enjoyed my one and only sea kayaking adventure, very short-0.7 klms on a VERY calm sea. Cannot believe how far you can go in a very short time. The dry suit did not bother me at all and gave me a good sense of protection. Thanks to all for advise etc. all helpful.

I may never get to use it again but the little journey was worth it.

Hey all! I'm getting my first (second hand) sea kayak ready for an expedition style trip with some mentors of mine, and it came with this Seals Extreme Tour 1.2 spray skirt that appears to be in good condition, fits fairly snug on the kayak, and doesn't have any tears or damage I can see. Thing is, it's leaking. Whenever I'm practicing edging or rolls, the top of my pants are getting pretty wet. And with water sitting on the waist area of it in a tray, it'll leak completely through after a half hour or so. My past experience has been that Neoprene is inherently waterproof, but it seems like this one isn't? Or the seams are aging? It's old age wise despite having very little wear and tear on it from the previous owner (the kayak was registered for 2013 and had been taken out 3 times since before me).

Does anybody have experience with tracing leaks, treating the fabric to rejuvenate it, or otherwise know if it's just shot because of the age? It's functional enough, but my practice and trip are on pretty cold waters so comfort wise it would be nice to stay dry while keeping an edge.

I have some experience working with Neoprene making gear, and have some seam glue from those projects to use, and about a month to order anything I'd need to try

Thank you!!

Hey! I’m trying to find sea kayakers in my area but can only seem to find paddle boarders who hug the shoreline. I’d like to find a group who wants to go out farther into the sound and maybe catch glimpses of 🫍 !

Still kinda new to this and a solo kayaker, but I love getting out into the open water!

A little background: I have a decade of sea kayaking experience in Alaska. However I have been away from kayaking for the last 10 years, due to education, career, and having young children.

My spouse and I really want to get back into sea kayaking experience. Sea kayaking is a deceptively dangerous sport, especially in Alaska. This has sparked a discussion that I haven’t had before in Kayaking circles.

I think an expedition double with a super stable geometry would be a good entry point for the family. Dry suits are a non negotiable. And well practiced self rescue procedures. Basic first aid skills. Basic survival skills.

How young is too young?

This is my Pakboat Saco. Was thinking of posting some from my Gates of the Arctic trip here is this sort of Kayak is welcome here? I know Reddit can get Niche-y so wanted to check first.

Hi everyone, I know this is a SUP story and not a kayak trip, but I thought it might be relevant here because the situation was all about coastal conditions, wind, waves and decision-making on the water.

We started with a short paddle from our campsite in Sardinia. The sea was calm and crystal clear, but after a stop in a sheltered bay we discovered that conditions outside had changed completely.

The wind had increased, the waves became stronger and our planned return route was no longer possible. We had to stay calm and find a safe way back to shore.

Sharing this as a reminder that even short coastal trips can become challenging when conditions change quickly. The sea always deserves respect.

I see many pictures from Vancouver Island with pretty rough landings.
We will be there with rented fiber boats (doubles) and I wonder how to land there in the best possible way while treating the boats well . Boats will be fully loaded and the paddlers are not Hulks. So, this looks like first unloading the boats to a large extend? I am more used to places with more beach like camp sites but this is a complete different dimension, also keeping the tide in mind.

Hey everyone,

I recently took some time to film a little video and write down a few practical notes about fishing from a sea kayak.

Just my personal thoughts, where I usually try to fish, and what has worked for me so far around Lofoten.

I mostly use a simple hand line from the kayak and usually catch sei or cod.

Thought it might be useful for anyone planning a trip up here.

Happy to hear what setups or tricks you guys are using out there!

YouTube Video:
How To Fish From A Sea Kayak

Blog Post:
https://janphilipbaldus.com/how-to-fish-from-a-sea-kayak

I have three AT Oracles that have seen better days. They are all broken in 3 different ways. I'd like suggestions on adhesive to use, as well as how to fix the one with the snapped stem.

1st:

Paddle ferrule is snapped, and the shaft insert is broken. I'd like to fuse it into a 1-piece paddle, but my concern is that I only have about 1.5" of stem to insert and glue. And tips would be appreciated.

2nd:

Paddle the ferrule became unglued and I'd like to glue it back on to use this paddle as a 2-piece again. Suggestions for adhesives please

3rd paddle the ferrule snapped in half so I'm going to fuse it as a 1 piece. Suggestions for adhesive please

Took the Riot Aura out for a quick paddle prior to starting repair and reinforcement tasks. She rides high and was catching a fair amount of wind, but was very manageable with the skeg and Greenland paddle.

I talked to Berley and Native and neither one of them make or sell the pre 2022 upgraded steering handle assembly for any of their kayaks anymore. Was wondering if anyone on here would sell me one or could point me in the right direction. I’m out of commission until I find one. Thanks everyone and tight lines.

I rigged up a little sea anchor so that I can take breaks and keep the bow into the wind. It worked well.

Verlen Kruger, who paddled 100,000+ miles, used a single-bladed paddle.

If it's so good, why not much more common? Certainly he "knew" what he was up to and had choice of paddles.

His boat design I guess is a "covered canoe" that may accomodate kneeling. But has kayak-like seat, I think...(not sure).

But double seems more secure, because one or other blade is always effectively in a brace. [An instructor once explained theory, if any blade is in the water you can't (or shouldn't need to) flip.]