paddling, racing, photography, video by Mountain Wayfarer
paddle,race,bike,trek,hike,sail,shoot home paddling: destinations, trip reports, boats, river and lake guides, kayak building, Colorado paddle training and racing,Texas Water Safari, WaterTribe Challenges, reports, virtual race race mountain biking in Front Range of Colorado Rocky Mountains bike inline skating skate sailing open boats sail paddling video clips, panoramas, self timer photography, technical tips, weather pictures photo & video books,video,dvd,gps,electronics books & gear paddling links,canoe and kayak clubs in Colorado,discussion groups,racing boats links weblog: paddling and photography blog fitness paddling fit2paddle

My Paddling Fleet

Feathercraft - Dillon Lake

I have been paddling folding kayaks since 1970 when I got my first boat - a double folding kayak "Neptun". During next 20 years I made thousands of kilometers on rivers, streams and lakes in Poland using that kayak and its succesor.

Feathercraft K1 Expedition [16.6' x 25", 51lb] bought in 1992 follows this tradition, used mainly on lakes in Colorado is still awating the big expedition.

Patuxent 19.5 (19.5' x 21", 45lb) from Cheasapeke Light Craft is the fastest and the most photogenic boat in my fleet. I built it from a kit in spring of 1999 - a stitch-and-glue construction from okoumee plywood. Mostly day paddling in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Patuxent 19.5 - Lake Hattie
Seawind - Dismal River Sea Wind from Kruger Canoes (17.2' x 28", 60lb) is a nontraditional, decked canoe with a rudder, very tough kevlar construction, designed and built by a legendary paddler Verlen Kruger. I brought her from Michigan to Colorado in July 2001. A great expedition boat, it is featuring in my stories from river paddling including Dismal, South Platte and Colorado Rivers and in several video clips. My favorite boat for winter paddling. I finished WaterTribe Everglades Challenge 2004 in Sea Wind with a small downwind sail. I paddle her with a single blade paddle.
Another new boat in 2001. X-treme Solo from Spencer Canoes (20' x 28", 28lb), a racing canoe designed by Jack Spencer specifically for Texas Water Safari (TWS); carbon/kevlar construction, very light and fast boat, but still quite comfortable for a long distance paddling. Newer models may be partially decked. Spnecer X-treme canoe
A popular solo boat in TWS and other races in Texas featuring a solo unlimited class, the winning solo unlimited boat in the last three years of Texas Water Safari (2001-2003). I paddled her (boat #13) in TWS 2002 and 2003 both single and double blade paddles, recently mostly with wing paddle. The boat is also suitable for some overnight paddling, e.g., a weekend trip through Labyrinth Canyon on Green River, UT.
surfrigger Surfrigger (24'x13.5", ~28lb) built by John Diller from Savage River Works arrived to Fort Collins in the very end of January 2003. This solo outrigger canoe designed by Kris Kjeldsen, a New Zealand designer and has won many races in that area and in the west coast. I intend to use her for fast cruising and expedition races: A very light and stiff carbon/kevlar lay-up, rudder, the small volume cockpit with sprayskirt. Two small hatches allow me to do some light overnight paddling. I am paddling her on local waters in Colorado including Horsetooth Reservoir, Boyd Lake, and Lake Pueblo. I also paddled her during WaterTribe Everglades Challenge 2003 in Florida. Surfrigger is an interesting platform for photography and videomaking providing very different shooting angles: Surfrigger and Surfrigger II movies.
Sisson Nucleus 100 (17'3"x18.9", 30.8 lb) - a multisport kayak from New Zealand designed and built by Grahame Sisson from Sisson Kayaks. I plan to use her on local rivers in Colorado including some racing. I started to paddle her in May 2004 on Saint Vrain Creek and Poudre River and she is already featuring in my video clip Fun of Paddling Upstream. Sisson Nucleus 100 multisport kayak
Thunderbolt-X (21'x18", ~28lb) built by Doug Bushnell from West Side Boat Shop arrived to Fort Collins in the first days of December 2006.

Links

Sisson Kayaks Ruahine Kayaks
West Side Boat Shop Savage River Works


... MarekUliasz.com