HikeArizona.COM

ust to get things started here i figured i would go ahead and do a brain dump of some websites and other info I have collected over the last 3 or 4 years. I used to live up in the Pacific NW and Kyaking was huge, it seemed as common as mtn biking is in most other parts of the country. I do not own a kayak myself and actually never have, but i have been out a few times and seen some increadable country. At some point i may get into this sport as it is a lot of fun and the ability to access some of the more remote points is very attracitve.

Kayak Types:
Badarka's are probably my favorite kayak design, they stem from the Inuit population of Alaska and carry south to canada and west across the bearing strait. George Dyson (son of Freemon Dyson) wrote a book called Badarka and I highly recomend it for Kayaking information and the wonderful history it provides. George still builds aluminium and carbon fiber Badarka's in WA and is a very interesting gentleman to say the least.

In addition to George thier are several Native tribes in the NW that offer Hands on classess on building your own skin on frame kayak at a very reasonable rate - perhaps a bit more accessable if your local but all the same good info here as well.

Tom Yost also builds skin on frame Kayaks that are a bit more portable than most, they fold down into a golf club carrier. He also has some neet clear designs that you have to take a look at.

The web is littered with people who build cedar strip Kayaks and Canoe's and these IMHO are the most beautiful boats out there. While this is somewhat expensive to buy to build you own can be very cost effective - it turns out you can build a kayak from just about any type of wood

Im not going to discuss the typical rotomolded kayaks that you can find in every sportingoods store as Im certian you can find pleanty of infomration just about anywhere. The Composites are about the same with obious benefits - be sure to check out Ray Jardines Boats - we have all heard of him at this point though.

Links:
Kayak Dyson Style
Yost Werks
Ray Jardine Kayak
List of BYO Kayak Texts
Wooden Kayaks - Commerical but lots of good info as well
Skin On Frame School
Kayak Building forum - Forgive the posting of another forum, I do feel that this site has lots of vaule for any DIY people though and does not cover Camping just building, design and reviews.

* I am not affiliated with any of the above sites, nor do i stand to proffit from tthem, the links are provided to save you time in the search engine and promote new ideas and Discuss here.

Met three young fellows doing the Mississippi River this last night and this morning on the east shore of the Mississippi in Nauvoo, Il. One fellow from Mississippi (the state) had a yellow kayak and had started at the headwaters of the Mississippi and is going all the way to the sea. Another fellow was from Illinois and had a Hobie kayak with sail, outriggers and a foot powered paddling device. The third was in an old aluminum canoe that his brother had fished out of a river in Ohio. All are going the distance and had just by chance met on the river.

They communicate via text paging with their cell phones and don't expect to stay together but often meet up with one another. The locks give them priority over the big boats and charge no fee. We shared stories and had a good time including my taking them into town so they could shop and have a breakfast at Grandpa Johns here in Nauvoo. To bad they don't have a website and could share with us their daily adventures. Oh to be so young again, as I wished I could have joined them as they paddled off this morning!!!