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Other Hobby, Kayaking Questions

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    • Foresight wrote:

      Foothills.

      Dmax, if you're ever wanting to kayak in this area and need to borrow a yak feel free to holler at me. I have 2 jacksons, a coosa and a cuda 12, that I would gladly let you use to keep from having to leave someone out.
      Thanks for the offer!!

      Is Devils Fork the only put in at lake Jocassee?


      We're hoping to up grade our boats in a month or two. She's looking at a Jackson and I've been looking at a Jackson or a wilderness systems. We've enjoyed our beginners rec boats. We even spent 4 nights camping and paddling on Watauga lake two weeks ago. ... We can't wait to upgrade to longer boats. ...
      We're hoping to hit a end of season boat demo day to try a few out.
      Also, Tangent, a member here and someone I've hiked with has the WS I wanted to check out. I need to head up his way to give that one a try.
    • Yes, Devils Fork is it.

      The lake is dangerous in ANY boat if the wind gets up. And since you can't see the storms approaching the summertime is especially treacherous. Ideally you would want a pontoon that you could portage the kayaks back to the rivers since the put in is all the way down at the dam and right on the biggest part of the water.

      [IMG:http://www.adventurefamily.us/old/trips/K0104/jocasseemap.gif]

      [IMG:https://s3.amazonaws.com/download.avenza.com/VendorMaps/171/20131009101719_1600_Lake_Jocassee_preview.jpg]

      Of the two kayaks I have, you definitely want the Cuda 12 on Jocassee. The Coosa is a river design in that it has a good bit of rocker built into it to handle rapids. When you get the Coosa on open water you will be fighting a good bit to maintain direction if the wind kicks up (and, again, if the wind kicks up on Jocassee it gets ROUGH). The Cuda is a flatter boat and is much more stable. Jackson also makes a 14' Cuda which I would own if I wasn't on rivers as much as I am. The Cuda 12 is a great compromise for me.

      If you wanna try out either of mine to help you make a decision let me know and we'll try and work it out.
      If your Doctor is a tree, you're on acid.
    • If I took a boat shuttle to the end, how far of a paddle is it back to the put in? We're looking at spending around 4 nights on the lake.
      The lake map is blurry, but I'll be sure to pick one up of my own.

      When ever anyone says the water gets rough during storms, I have flashbacks. I can't tell you how many times I've been on Santee Cooper on a pontoon boat or bass boat when it got ROUGH.
    • I called and found out more about Double Springs since it's new to me. There's 13 sites total and they have 1, 2 and 3 tent pad sites available (didn't ask the numbers of each). Also, reservations must be made for the sites. I don't know Duke's policy on stealth camping, but I would bank on it being frowned upon.
      If your Doctor is a tree, you're on acid.
    • Found this which adds a bit more info for you....

      Boat-in campsites are offered seasonally at Devils Fork. (Closed for winter season, Dec.1 - April 1.)

      There are a total of 13 boat-in campsites, all of which are located in the same general area. Each site has either one, two or three tent pads. There is a fire ring located at each campsite. There is no dock or ramp at the boat-in campsites; boats must be anchored or beached at this area. The approximate distance from the main boat launch area to the boat-in campsites is two miles. The cost for camping at the boat-in campsites at Devils Fork is $18/night for a single pad (max 6 people), $28/night for a double pad (max 12 people) and $38/night for a triple pad (max 18 people). Pets are not allowed. Camping is not permitted along any other areas of shoreline or on any of the islands located on Lake Jocassee.

      These sites must be reserved for a minimum of two nights and may be reserved by calling our toll-free number at 1-866-345-7275.

      No water, electricity, restroom or dock access is available for these sites. Pets are prohibited on these campsites. Gas/electric generators, radios or other noise-producing equipment is also prohibited.
      If your Doctor is a tree, you're on acid.
    • That's more detailed info that I've been able to find so far. .. I'm suprised to see that's the only camping area allowed on the lake. .. As of right now I think we will take the boat shuttle up the NE arm and get dropped off around Laurel Valley. We might spend the first night up the toxaway arm on the FT if the water is high enough to get there.
      We'll spend the second and maybe the third night at Laurel valley and paddle up the horsepasture arm.
      If the weather isn't bad we'll paddle to the island for two more nights. If the weather is bad we will call for a shuttle and bail.
      This is our memorial trip for Autumn. Every year we try to spend it at waterfalls. So, hopefully they are flowing into the lake for us.

      I see a lot of fishing ahead for me on this trip too!!!
    • I've been thinking about all those MN lakes and streams that tie together, it would make for a great 2-4 week paddle, I rented a kayak when I was up there and floated the Pine River, beautiful trip, all types of wildlife and crystal clear water with schools of 2'-3' pike at every shoal, if I had someone to make the trip with I'd get another 17' touring boat.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Tortoise Wife and I are looking to retire on a lakefront lot in a few years. We stopped by Blue Mountain Outfitters in Marysville (just below Duncannon) and they gave us an education on kayaks that would suit our needs. And since their rental fleet includes the yaks they recommended for us, we scheduled a 6-mile demo trip on the Susquehanna River last weekend. She was in a Perception Tribute 12.0 and I was in a Wilderness Systems Pungo 120. We had a blast and confirmed that these yaks were stable and fun to paddle on moving water.

      Approaching the Rockville Bridge - the world's longest stone arch viaduct that still carries rail traffic
      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Kayaking/i-k8pSWCn/0/d79e4a74/L/RIMG0713-L.jpg]

      Hugging the edge of Wade Island - a very active rookery
      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Kayaking/i-7z9NJzx/1/e525a7f1/L/RIMG0732-L.jpg]

      Harrisburg skyline comes into view
      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Kayaking/i-zXfTG2W/0/93f34a5d/L/RIMG0742-L.jpg]

      The Tortoise
      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Kayaking/i-4X89MsG/1/12c8e889/L/RIMG0747-L.jpg]
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • I've upgraded to a Jackson Cuda 14. After borrowing foresights Cuda 12 for a week I was hooked. Tons of room in the haul for all my gear and some of my wife's. And I love the framed seat. Very comfortable. My wife went with a Jackson Tripper 12. She want more of a sit in style with a big cockpit.
    • With my REI dividend in hand, my thoughts turned to kayaks. But the Perception Tribute 12 that my wife test-paddled last summer was no longer listed on the REI website. A quick search on Perception's site let me know that this specific model was discontinued.

      Next step was to call the shop that recommended and then rented this model to my wife and I. They had three in stock and agreed to give me 10% off as part of their early spring sale that starts next weekend. So it was time to trudge through the snow, dig out my racks from the shed, and take a quick road trip towards Duncannon.



      C'mon spring!!!
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

      The post was edited 1 time, last by StalkingTortoise ().

    • Had this 17 footer I really liked but sold it because it's made for long hauls and I could never find anyone to take long trips with. was hoping to do the Florida Circumnavigational Trail but my buddy backed out, was a super fast, super stable, super comfortable boat, took a three day float with about 200 others and there was no boat that could keep up with this one, very fast and could carry 400 lbs.
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      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      was hoping to do the Florida Circumnavigational Trail but my buddy backed out,
      i learned about that 10-15 years ago and was considering doing it once the boys got outta the house. i'm not sure why i eventually lost interest; in all honesty it probably seemed like more "work" than i wanted to do. not an easy trail if i remember correctly.
      2,000 miler
    • Drybones wrote:

      Had this 17 footer I really liked but sold it because it's made for long hauls and I could never find anyone to take long trips with. was hoping to do the Florida Circumnavigational Trail but my buddy backed out, was a super fast, super stable, super comfortable boat, took a three day float with about 200 others and there was no boat that could keep up with this one, very fast and could carry 400 lbs.
      looks a lot like a P & H sea kayak i had back in the '90s. my friends called it the beer barge because of all the stuff it could carry. my buddy had a much slimmer P & H and he could paddle rings around me with that. those brit boats were known for speed but not so much for stability.
    • I got jealous looking at my wife's new yak. Blue Mountain Outfitters gave me 10% off retail plus another $25 for buying a second yak.

      2019 Wilderness System Pungo 125.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard

      The post was edited 1 time, last by StalkingTortoise ().

    • Took the canoe out for a paddle and some fishin. The Pamunkey River is tidal even where I live and is swift when the tide is running out. The river was up about 3 feet from recent storms. Because of the current I always go up stream until I'm pooped and then drift and fish my way back to the landing. But I could only get 100 yards up stream today because a blowdown from each side had the river completely blocked. The fish were jumping everywhere except in the canoe. They didn't like anything I threw at them. I did go down stream just a little ways and paddled back to the blowdown and then fished back to the landing again. No fish but I got a good upper body workout.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • My wife and I took our most adventurous kayak trip to date. We hauled the yaks down to Mathews County, VA for a 4.5-mile trip along the East River. Why was it adventurous? Big water, as in the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. As we paddled to the end of the creek feeding into the East River, a look to the right provided a view of Mobjack Bay and the lower Chesapeake.

      Mathews County offer 100+ miles of water trails. Some are only suitable for touring kayaks, but many are just fine for recreational kayaks in the 10' - 12' range.



      We had planned on having our daughter shuttle us to the town of Mathews so we could paddle back to the dock of our rental house, but the tides and the winds told us to paddle from the house to town. Wise choice, as the wind was at our backs the entire trip.

      First up was a little playtime with the kids and the dog in the creek. Our German Shorthair finally realized that she can swim. I think we'll have a hard time keeping her out of the water now...


      Then the wife and I turned north and followed the East River towards its headwaters. I was relieved when we came to a fork and took the smaller branch.


      When the town of Mathews came into view, we turned up Put-In Creek and finished at the launch located next to the fire house. Paddling up and onto a floating kayak dock with rollers and handrails is dee-lux!


      Tracking data shows we paddled a total of 4.68 miles including the play time at the start. 1:48 total paddling time. Good stuff!

      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • A couple of weeks ago we went to Harrison Bay State Park for a week of camping and paddling. It's located right outside of Chattanooga, Tn. Our 8 month old Australian shepherd loves the water. If she's out with just me, she will stay on the kayak. If my wife is out with me, she loves swimming back and forth between our boats.
      We leave Saturday for a week of camping at north myrtle beach. The weather looks like it's perfect for paddling.
    • We pulled the pop up to Harrison Bay. I’m pulling the big camper to the beach. I’m nervous to pull the camper that far. This will be the first time for me to pull it far on the interstate. I’m already having panic attacks. Planning on leaving at 5am so I can get through Asheville and Columbia before the traffic gets bad......
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    • We rented a house right on the Pamlico Sound on the Outer Banks this week. Thought about hauling the kayaks with us, but the reality of 12 hours each way with air dams on the roof made renting an easy choice.



      Miss Izzy swam out and guided me into port.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard