So, what do you folks say ?
Should we have a Alpacka Adventure in Sweden/Scandinavia 2012 ?
Tell me/us ?
Give us some ideas of nice rivers,
i think we learned a lesson about open waters last time :D
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So, what do you folks say ?
Should we have a Alpacka Adventure in Sweden/Scandinavia 2012 ?
Tell me/us ?
Give us some ideas of nice rivers,
i think we learned a lesson about open waters last time :D
As you know, I tried Vojmån a few weeks ago. Only the last leg between Vojmsjön and Vilhelmina, though. A couple of hours gliding / paddling everyday would take us down the river in 4 to 5 days. A couple of big whitewaters with portage, I think. And hopefully it won't rain for 5 days straight, raising the river 4 dm. :scared:
Edit: Oh yeah, and a helmet is a MUST in a river like this. And a pfd, of course.
You can see what Vojmån looks like on my Google+ now.
Plenty of shelters along the way, some have firewood. Supposed to be one of the finest greyling rivers in Sweden, although the rain messed that up for us.
From Vojmsjön to Vilhelmina it's basically one and the same fishing license.
Alpacka Adventure 2012 sounds great.
My plan for this winter is to find a way to afford buying a packraft!:D
Vojmån sounds great to me!
I think there are plenty of fine rivers to paddle in, the biggest problem is transfers. How to get to the starting point and how to get back from the end point.
If we have at least two cars, it's no problem. Leave one car at the end, shuttle everyone and everything to the starting point. When done, send two people to fetch the car at the starting point. Or we can do what me and Råbert did, hail a cab. :laugh:
If i manage to find the cash for a alpacka..... i´m in.... regardless:cool:
Bieggolmai, I see this video on Youtube : It wasn't you filming in the Alpacka ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2WKt-oRWpA
What is the lenght of your paddle ?
I already have a 230 cm paddle, and I wish to buy a 4 parts paddle.
I have the choice between 220 cm (BIC Sports) and 230 cm (Advanced Elements) paddles.
I was wondering if a 220 cm will be long enough. My inflatable canoe is 96 cm wide at the max width. Does someone have a 220 (or less) ? Are you satisfied with its lenght ? (hum......)
Thanks ! :)
Yes that's Bieggolmai's videoQuote:
Originally Posted by PatHex
To my knowledge he does not have a paddle ?Quote:
Originally Posted by PatHex
I rented his Alpacka with the paddle you see on that video.
In Alpackas you tend to use long paddles, b/c you sit low and have reach far out.
My Sawyer Alpacka paddle , 5-pieces is adjustable between 205 -230 cm.
And as i understand it :
Short guy = long paddle.
Long guy = shorter paddle.
What kind of boat do you got ?Quote:
My inflatable canoe is 96 cm wide at the max width.
Ok ! :)
And you set and use your paddle at which lenght, Moski ?
What is your height ?
My canoe is this following one. It's an old model but I like its colour so I bought it in Germany (in 2010). I didn't want the lastest one, KCC 305 G, with a blue swimming pool's color...
http://www.01file.net/sweden2012/kcc305hf_small.png
Length : 310 cm - Width : 96 cm - Weight : 13 kg (appro.)
I am smurf height , 165 cm :D
And don't set at 230, more like 220 - 225 ?
Nice ride !
I bet it tracks better than a Alpacka ?
We Alpacka riders avoid head winds if we can :D
The 2005 model of the Sevylor RIO has 2 fixed little skegs, it is also possible to add a bigger one (a skeg taking from the Sevylor TAHITI or a DIY one) : So yes it might track (a little bit) better than an Alpacka.
But, the most important thing to keep a nice "tracking" is the paddling style : with a regular rythm.
More really usefull tricks about kayak paddling. Hope it will help. There is a lot of languages available.
I'm still not a pro in paddling, but taking a look at this website, really helps me for the theory aspects. ;)
I also put my gear in front of me. But I am not sure it protects me from the winds. When it's windy, it's just the opposite and I can hardly keep my track, certainly like any inflatable boats... :D
I am going to make my DIY spray deck (or deck cover) for my canoe, so I can protect my backpack and gear, under the deck cover from splashing waters and rain...
I hope it will also reduce the wind effects on the canoe...
Hehe, you know you should been on this forum a year ago !Quote:
Originally Posted by PatHex
And joined us on that video you last saw :)
Shooting that video we learned that you still get wet even if you got a spray deck .
So, rain pants was nice !
This looks nice! If i can rent an alpacka, im in! :)
As long as i dont get afflicted by that ancient curse that must not be named...
Yeah, that is a nasty one, that one !Quote:
Originally Posted by hanktehtank
But i think the word is, that i broke that spell last spring :confused:
But you never know, better to be safe than sorry :)
The thing is that it's hard enough to rent two Alpackas to the Yanks.
But those two are tall as trees, so if you are smurf hight as me,
you are in luck :D
The guy has to open up a "for sale" alpacka and rent it out.
To my knowledge he rented out four times last year.
- Bieggolmai (**** hard to SPELL this one)
- Grizz
- A guy who wanted to test before buying
- Joz pal ?
I think the rent is around 500/week.
Let's say they all rented for a week (which they didn't).
That's 4 * 500 = 2000 sek
A new Alpacka costs around 10 000 sek.
So, he aint getting rich :D
But maybe we could change to kayak/canoe instead ?
Or some go by kayak and some go by Alpacka ?
There is no Hiking planned at this stage,
so there is no reson for Alpackas really.
(Except that i promised one of the Yanks a Alpacka ride)
There is a rental shop in Åkerstyckebruk
http://www.kanotkungen.se/1.html
Fine by me! :) (im 177 cm in length so i dont know? medium height i guess.)Quote:
Originally Posted by moski
But i guess i would prefer to paddle in a canoe or kayak if its a long trip.
So i´ll just have to wait for more details i guess. I have a lot of things
planned for 2012 already so im hoping it wont collide with anything.
I'm 1,75m and with my canoe (width 96 cm) I enjoy my 230 cm paddle. Maybe 220/225 cm will fit me well, too ?
I have heard that 215 cm is too small for me WITH this canoe.
The lenght of this paddle (230 cm) allows me to paddle with not lifting my arm too high.
Not lifting your arm high, means no dripping water on the canoe/raft (and save a lot of energy in the arms).
I was thinking about what Moski said about taller guys should need a smaller paddle. It's true.... But it also depends on the way you like to paddle : lower or higher.
Kayakers in whitewaters don't care about been splashed by water... They have the right equipment to avoid been wet (and get cold).
So they choose small paddle (up to 205) BECAUSE they have to paddle fast and hard in whitewaters, anyway.
And a shorter paddle means a lighter one and a lot of energy saving.
The width of the kayak/canoe/raft is also important ! You can easily use a paddle of 205 (or smaller) with a "conventional" kayak (width 65 cm)
And... Paddling fast and hard ALWAYS means we need to lift our arm and the paddle at its higher position : The more your paddle is vertical (and the paddle is closed to the side of your canoe/raft) the more you are going to be reactive, to avoid a obstacle.
Hope the following image will help you.
(I'm having my diner and will give you a few explanations later, see you in a few minutes...) Hehe ! :D :rolleyes:
http://www.01file.net/sweden2012/paddle_lenght.png
I totally agree :D
*EDIT*
Nicely explained and nice pictures to visualize it all.
So, as you can see orange kayak paddle and red paddle have the same length, appro. 215 cm.
The green paddle is longer than the others, appro. 230 cm.
For having the same propulsion force, Red paddle needs a angle of 35°, and Green paddle needs (only) 20°. 0° is the water level.
We need to lift the Red paddle higher, 15° more.
In the situation A, the Red paddle is higher than in the situation B, when the Green paddle is at a 20°angle.
And the water drips away from the canoe/raft, when we use the Green long (230 cm) paddle.
C If we use the Orange paddle (same length than the Red one) NOT at 35° but at an angle of 20°, we use ONLY 20% of the paddle. So, in that situation, the paddle is less efficient !
A smaller paddle need a higher position of your arms for paddling (and we get wet more often...)
A long paddle need a lower position of your arms for paddling (and we get wet, less)
So, with my 230 cm paddle :
- I paddle high to paddle fast and harder (because a huge dangerous rock or a dead trunk are just, in front of my canoe...)
- I paddle at a lower position when the water is calm and I have a long trip... (and I avoid by this way, to splash myself with the dripping water during this long journey...)
Ouch................. Do somebody need an aspirine ?! :lol: