Wayne S.

Aquabound Swell Carbon. 215-230 CM telescoping ferrule with infinitely adjustable feathering. Mint condition; a few surface scratches. Works flawlessly with absolutely no play in joint. Rinsed after each use and hardly used at all the past 7 years. Cost was around $400 when new 10 years ago. Located in Central Mass. $175 or B.R.O.

Definitely interested. Thanks.

Joe, Thank you so much. This is just the kind of tool I've been looking for. It would not be unreasonable for you to charge a nominal fee for the site if you were so inclined. Thanks again and keep up the good work. Wayne

I was out on the Goslings a few of weeks ago in nice weather. Granted, it was a Monday but there was only some day usage on 1 of the 3 islands and no other overnighters. Can't say whether this is par for the course.

Well, here you go: https://www.paddlinglight.com/articles/sea-kayaking-on-the-decline-and-canoeing-bounces/

Jeez, another place to purchase real kayaks falls by the wayside. I get the rec boat and SUP thing of late but I'm surprised they thought the way forward is canoes. Don't get me wrong, I really like those guys (purchased my Prana from them) and they certainly know the business better than me. I guess I'm just getting a little nervous about what places we'll ultimately be left with to go 'shopping' at. Are Charles River and Osprey hanging in there (didn't Carl Ladd retire)? Supply issues make the whole sea kayak world look weird at the moment, I know. Not sure what the vibe is at Kayal Center (RI) is of late. I certainly hope MIKCO, the 2 places in CT, and Nanuq hold on and do well.

This is my friend's boat and I helped him buy it about 6 or 7 years ago. It was purchased brand new. It's the 17-7 (largest version) of the Etain; standard Valley composite lay-up. It has Valley's removable deck pod. The keel strip is a Keel-Eazy. This boat has literally been in the water only a few times. I'll reach out to him to check this board and update.

I'm thinking about and overnight trip out to Jewell/Whaleboat mid-week. I've done this trip a few times in the past parking at Sandy Beach at Cousins Island but always in the fall when, as you'd imagine, parking was a non-issue. What about mid-week summer? I'd like to park at one of these other locations, preferably Harpswell, and am wondering about which is the best bet (note: the group is just one person/one car - me). Harpswell: Bailey/Orrs Island Bridge; Lands End beach/lot; Dolphin Marina (don't mind paying but when I called a couple of years ago they basically gave me the blow-off saying they usually didn't have room for kayaker parking). Falmouth Foreside: the non-resident spots up the street from the landing Portland: Bug Light boat ramp; East End Prominade boat ramp As always, thanks in advance for the collective wisdom.

I have been pretty sympathetic to the locals argument throughout but I totally agree with Prudence, come the end of summer will be the test. When these places are empty in the fall and the signs remain it will really make one wonder if the obvious need for social distancing with summer crowds didn’t, in fact, turn out to be rather handy for those wanting to implement some real “social distancing”.

Gary, Thanks so much for the info.

Man, that sucks. I had a plan later this year to paddle out and camp at Duck Harbor on Isle au Haut. I figured I could use OQ has my jumping off point; good place to safely leave the car even if I had to spring for a possibly empty campsite. Any suggestions for an alternative plan now?

Here’s one: “the last gentleman adventurer”by Edward Beauclerk Maurice. He gets yanked out out of an English boarding school when his father dies and signs up for two years with the Hudson Bay Company at an outpost in the arctic. Apparently he was finally persuaded to get his story down on paper before he died about 10 years ago in his 90s. A fascinating last picture of when the Inuit still lived as we imagine them.

I'm kind of intrigued by this boat. While its obviously a hard-chined Greenland type boat, other aspects of it look a little weird to me when compared to established boats like the Zegul Greenland T, NDK Greenlander, etc. Any thoughts on how this thing might behave compared to those and others? https://paddling.com/gear/norsaq/435251

Has anyone launched from there this time of year and left a car there for a night, or two. I was curious about all the usual issues: overnight restrictions. gates left open, any fees collected, vandalism, etc. As always, thanks in advance for all of your collected wisdom.

This thread always fascinates me as well. I did a lot of road tripping around New England this summer and saw a lot of kayaks being car-topped but very very few were actual sea-worthy boats; tons of rec kayak junk. A couple of weeks ago I was at Tom Holt's Top Kayaker shop and he told me that Necky will be going away entirely. As we know, they've already gotten out of the composite business. I do think some producers of real kayaks will remain but it'll be an increasingly niche product. I think the real ocean side of the sport will remain as well among devotees and some out-of-the-mainstream newcomers but I don't foresee significant growth. One paradoxical outcome of that unfortunately might be that the elitist subculture mentioned above and often decried by John Dowd and others becomes even more entrenched. Is that a possibility, inevitable, a problem??? Who knows? But as someone else said, at least you'll have more parking at the launch site and an assured campsite at your destination.

In the last three years I have purchased two paddles from them directly and have been very impressed by both their products and their customer servive. I received both in about 10 days. Wayne

I walked into their "showroom" and company headquarters, no less, a few years ago in Freeport hoping to check out their full-sized touring boats only to be told "they didn't have any around". Let's hope their marketing and salesmanship has improved. It would be nice to actually see a Schoodic or Isle Au Haute in the flesh.

Believe it or not I've had great luck with clear weather seal tape found @ home depot and others. I believe the brand is Frost King, or something to that effect. I tried it about a year ago as an experiment and to my surprise it has held up great, salt water and all.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. The consensus everywhere is that once a good repair job is done by the surgeon, PT and one's dedication to it is the key. Believe me, I'm dedicated. The treadmill question is entirely reasonable but what can I say, the hamster atmosphere of treadmills is something I find kind of disagreeable. Beth, I switched to a Greenland paddle last year and use it almost exclusively. Love the thing. That's one thing I've got going for me in this.

Six weeks ago I took a bad fall six weeks while on an early morning run and thought for sure I had broken my upper arm. ER staff sent me home after determining there was no fracture and told me to follow up with primary care in a few weeks to rule out rotator cuff tear. Well, ortho doc and MRI just confirmed a torn subscapularis tendon. Surgery appears only option. Was basically told there was no way I could PT my way out of this injury. Have yet to meet the shoulder specialist who'll do the surgery but his PA has told me that given my fitness level, healthy shoulders, and motivation I'm as good a candidate as any to resume my previous activities and that includes kayaking. He's saying the process will take 3-4 months. I'm not expecting miracles and am reconciled to the fact it may never be 100% but I'm hoping to some paddling this summer (okay maybe not the Blackburn). Am I crazy, or what?

About 7 or 8 years ago we used to vacation for a week every August on the Maine coast. I was an EMS staffer way back and had some experience with rec boats but mainly stayed on the hiking, climbing, and skiing side of the house. One day I saw rental outfitter in Maine, got intrigued, and promptly rented a plastic Aquanaut for an afternoon. Hiking on the ocean! How did I not appreciate that fact before. Well, that was it - totally hooked. That was three boats and many miles ago. First time poster, relatively new member, but longtime lurker here from almost day one. You guys have been an invaluable resource and inspiration. Thanks! I hope to hook with up you soon.