Fort Wayne is the land of rivers, so we thought it would be really fun to get a kayak and start kayaking on some of our days off. Alas, as you may have noticed, all outdoor toys are either outrageously expensive right now, or they're out of stock altogether. I've heard that trampolines, pools, and playsets are impossible to find, and bikes are the same! Kayaks are hard to find - and they are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of our price range, especially if you want a tandem kayak, which we did. Plus, we don't really have a place to store a kayak here.
So we were super excited when Ryan found an inflatable tandem kayak that was much more affordable - and it came with paddles. We've gotten some strange looks when we've told people about our inflatable kayak, but if you think about it - whitewater rafts are inflatable! The material for our kayak is really similar to those. It's not like a beach ball.
It took us a while to find life jackets, which are also apparently a hot commodity, but we finally found some fishing jackets. I loved them, because they had pockets EVERYWHERE!!!
So last week, we made a plan to go on our first voyage with our new kayak - and we named him Fletcher, by the way.
Ryan got him all set up before we left home:
And then it was time to load up the truck and head to the boat launch!
We had a GORGEOUS day to set sail for the first time:
We were out on the water for about two hours and had the best time.
Ryan said I did well. (I'm not known for arm strength, but I like to think I helped row a little of my own weight!)
I can't wait to explore in the weeks we have left before it gets too cold. I think some of these waterways are going to be gorgeous once the leaves start to turn!
10 comments:
Love the name and so much fun!!
I had to chuckle at your perfect writing...I had a weird look on my face when I read "inflatable kayak" and then your next sentence was that you had gotten weird looks. Adam always says everything is written on my face and I think it was. Mind you, I know nothing about kayaks so the pictures really helped, I found it interesting that this inflatable one even has seat backs! - Michele B.
so each time you want to use it you are going to set it up in your apartment after it has been in the water (disgusting) and store it there also. Is renting an option?
Is not leaving rude comments an option?
That WILL be beautiful when the leaves change!
How did your kayak handle? We have two individual regular kayaks, but the idea of a tandem inflatable is intriguing. It would be much easier to haul around! Did you go back upstream, use two vehicles or have someone meet you at your haul-out point? That is always our dilemma.
Tamar - Thank you! :)
Michele - Hilarious! See, you're not alone in the strange looks! :) We know a regular kayak is more ideal, but you gotta go with the budget and what fits! And yes! There are seat backs!
Anonymous - No, we will not be putting it back in our apartment now that it has been out in the water. We just did that the first time so we could figure out how it works. From now on, it will be inflated and deflated outside, and it will not be stored in our apartment. Renting is an option, of course, but since we are hoping that kayaking will be a regular adventure for us, we wanted something more cost effective over the long haul.
Tracy - I think so!
Karen - We thought it handled really well! We've kayaked regularly before, and I honestly didn't notice a difference other than when we got out and the bottom had some give to it when I stood up. (We use boat ramps to get in and out, though, so we jut pull up far enough to be stable.) So far we have done loops, so we've always gone back to our truck. We are working on a plan for someday when we don't do a loop. When that day comes, I'll let you know!
That sounds like fun, seeing the leaf colors will be so pretty. Let us know how the inflatable stands up.
Mayday
That's awesome! I'd love to do some kayaking.
Eeeee this is so exciting to me! We have 7 lakes in our little village and I've been wanting a kayak but I'm not sure one will fit in the SUV and there's nowhere around here to have a roof rack put on etc etc etc. It's all too stressful for me to even try to work out. So, I had WONDERED about inflatable ones. I will be following your adventures closely to see if an inflatable kayak might be a good option for me.
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