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Topics - cyclocross

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1
Travel, Trips, Destinations / Paddling UK canals?
« on: January 16, 2020, 01:01:48 PM »
I'm heading to the UK to paddle from Milton Keynes to central London on the Grand Union Canal. It's 66 miles over 6 days and my plan is for this to be more of a floating pub crawl than any sort of athletic endurance event.

1) Has anyone from the USA done this and if so, did you get a CRT license to do so? I want to do things on the up and up which means paying for a license. I'm fine with that since the fees support maintenance on the canals. Challenge is they require you to have boaters insurance.

2) Is anyone familiar with the conditions? It's a canal controlled by locks so there will be no current but I'm also wondering about weeds and wind conditions.

3) How time consuming is it to portage around the locks?

2
Hi all,

I'm thinking of planning a multi-day paddling trip. My plan is to take Amtrak down to Portland and paddle down the Willamette River taking the left fork around Sauvie Island, onto the Columbia River and finally up the Cowlitz River to Kelso where I can catch the Amtrak back home to Seattle. This maps out to 55 miles and I'm thinking I could do it in 4-5 days. There appears to be plenty of parks along the way to camp at (Burlington Bottoms, Coon Island, Sand Island, Sandy Island and Prescott Beach) Of course how things look on a map can be deceptive and I've never spent anytime paddling in this neck of the woods. I know Portland receives shipping traffic so I'm assuming this stretch of the Columbia is free of rapids and I'd be going with the current. Any idea how bad headwinds are along this stretch? Any other considerations I should think about? Best time of year to try this?

3
Gear Talk / Solutions for carrying an isup?
« on: May 21, 2015, 02:11:19 PM »
So i'm loving my new inflatable board and thinking about taking it on the train then inflating it and paddling downwind back home. To do this I need a way to carry the board with me. The bag which came with the board is really more of a rolling suitcase. It will be great for flying or driving somewhere but what I need is something that will let me carry my board and pump but then once I've got the board inflated it needs to pack down small enough to carry on my board. I have a strap to keep the board rolled up an was thinking I could just use a shoulder strap from a gym bag and sling it over my shoulder. Any other ideas?

4
Gear Talk / Imagine Surf Compressor Mission 12'6" - anyone use one?
« on: April 25, 2015, 12:20:14 PM »
I'm looking at picking up the Imagine Surf Compressor 12'6" and wondering if anyone has any experience with them. I'm looking for an inflatable board which will be mostly used for rivers where I dare not take my wood board. I also plan to use it for one way trips where I can deflate the board and then take public transit to get back home. Finally, it would be nice to have a board to take with us on our annual Hanalei trip. I know Red and Uli boards are nicer but $1000 is my absolute limit in terms of budget. The Imagine looks better than the budget boards from Isle or Tower. Any others worth considering in the sub-$1000 range?

5
Gear Talk / Isle inflatable SUPs - anyone use one?
« on: February 22, 2015, 01:48:58 PM »
Hi,

I'm looking to get an inflatable board. Ideally, I want to keep it under $1000 and I've been looking at the Isle Explorer. Specifically, my usage will be (in order):
1) A board for my wife and kids to take out on the Puget Sound which is mostly flat to choppy.
2) A board I can take on rivers that I'm reluctant to take my wood board on.
3) A board we can take with us on our annual trip to Hanalei. Most of the paddling there would be rivers and maybe getting out on the ocean to try and surf some smaller waves.
4) A board I can use for touring, mostly over night outings though my dream trip is fly to the UK and paddle the Thames.

Any big reasons to avoid Isle? Any other options to look at?

6
Gear Talk / Inflatable SUP for flatwater?
« on: January 09, 2013, 01:21:17 PM »
Anyone tried the new Naish One inflatable board or know of any other comparable boards? Thinking about making my next board an inflatable so on windy days I can head downwind one way, deflate the board and then hop on the bus home. Mostly it would be used on the wave free Puget Sound. Just starting to research inflatable boards and the reviews seem very mixed. I know none will be as good as a solid board but the convenience factor is pretty nice.

7
The Shape Shack / Cork deck pads
« on: November 06, 2012, 03:12:51 PM »
I built a wood Kaholo board earlier this year and not crazy about how the foam black deck pads look on it. I've seen some people use cork and was wondering about that. Are you just using adhesive backed cork from a hardware store cut to shape? Anything else you had to do to it? One layer or two? I paddle in the Puget Sound so no real waves to surf on so traction isn't as big a concern for me.

8
Gear Talk / Clothing strategy for PNW winters?
« on: October 15, 2012, 09:40:18 AM »
Our too brief summer has finally ended here in Seattle and board shorts and a t-shirt are no longer cutting it out on the water. I've been looking at wet suits but most seem to be for traditional surfing where you spend most of your time in the water so the temperature guidelines probably don't apply for SUP. Beyond that, I've only fallen in the water on a couple of occasions so is a wet suit even necessary if I'm only paddling on flat water? Was thinking booties plus paddling pants under which I could layer wool or capilene underwear to match the conditions. Anyone in the Seattle/PNW area care to chime in on what works for you on flat water in the winter?

9
The Shape Shack / Extruded polystyrene sheathing as building material?
« on: September 11, 2012, 07:34:57 PM »
I was in the local Home Despot and looking at some 2"x2'x8' extruded polystyrene sheathing and thinking "wonder if I could carve a board out of that?" I've seen a couple of blogs where people have done this and it seems like a cheap way to try shaping a foam board, especially as a first timer. I want to build a 14 foot board for here in the Puget Sound. No real waves to speak of but definitely plenty of chop and headwinds. Somethign like a Bark Dominator but maybe a touch wider and with a bit more of a kayak nose to it. I was thinking I could rip a sheet in half and epoxy it to a full sheet to give me a 3'x8' sheet. I could then put to of these together to make a 3'x16' sheet and then stack 2 of those together. I'd also epoxy in a 1" thick sheet along the top for more volume. I'd alternate how their stacked to avoid any continuous seams. At $20/sheet I'd only be in for $140 to give me a blank big enough to make a 14' long blank. Is this crazy? Anyone here go this route? Issues to be aware of? Best epoxy to use?

10
The Shape Shack / Wood plans/kits and tools for designing a SUP?
« on: August 16, 2012, 12:31:35 PM »
I ***finally*** finished my Kaholo 14 and now I'm thinking about building another SUP. Anyone know of any other plans/kits out there besides the CLC Kaholo? Ideally something more suited to flatwater since we don't have one of them ocean things here in Seattle. Nothing wrong with the Kaholo, just looking for variety.

Alternatively, are there any tools/software out there to help design a board? I know there are profesional 3D tools out there but they also come with steep price tags and learning curves. Wouldn't mind doing something similar to the Kaholo but maybe a bit narrower but don't know how to go about creating a set of plans from scratch. Starting to see the appeal of foam since you can shape it as you go along - something you can't easily do in wood.

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