Old Problem – New Solution – Gearlabs
However hard I try I cant seem to prevent it. There is a certain inevitability or destiny about the damage that ocurs to the tips of my Greenland paddles. Whether it is scratches, bruises, chips or cracks, over time the paddles wear. Carbon fiber and wooden paddles...
What is your reason to qajaq?
It was natural that I would kayak, just as it was inevitable I would sail. When you are born into a water family, being afloat rapidly becomes your happy place. I am as happy lying outside the break, waiting to take a ride in the Green Room, as dipping my Greenland...
The tuilik
The Inuit know a thing or two about staying warm and dry afloat. The modern spray skirt evolved from the ancient Inuit design for their summer spray skirt the akuilisaq (a-cool-y-sack), the modern spray cag descended from the Inuit tuilik (to-y-leak). Other than changing the materials from the original seal skin, the designs have remained very similar
A trifecta of Qajaq USA events
Across the United States and around the globe new traditional paddling events are appearing. Many commercial events are taking advantage of the growth in popularity of the Greenland paddle and Greenland kayaks and including focused sessions to attract these passionate...
Eastpole Paddle test
Not long after my recent article about my pursuit of my perfect Greenland paddle was published in Ocean Paddler Magazine, I was contacted by Eastpole Paddles, a Greenland paddle maker, to take a look at their paddles and give them feedback. Eastpole Paddles are...
Pursuing the perfect Greenland paddle
When the ancient Inuit first took to their craft along the shores of Greenland their paddles were already influenced by generations of previous paddle carvers. The Inuit migrations from the east and west bought traditions and techniques developed along the shores of...
Building an ultimate rolling kayak
“Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.” - Henry Ward Beecher. It is possible that the kayak can make the roller, or at least greatly improve her or his rolling? For me, this has been a three...
Qajaq Camp 2014
It’s easy to find kayaking events to attend in the mid-west of the United States, it is harder to find events specifically focused on traditional paddling skills. The ISK, our local paddling club, is no exception. Of the numerous training events offered throughout the...
Launching the Shrike Kayak
In November I had finished building the Qajaqpak and so had idle hands. My father and I had been working on a concept of an adaptable stitch and glue kayak design that would allow people to build a great sea kayak with limited funds and experience. Adaptability was...
Kayak cockpit ergonomics for rolling
Independent of the style of kayak rolling you partake in it is very helpful to have a kayak that fits you. Kayaks roll because we apply force to the kayak through the connection between our body and the hull and deck, and this force is resisted by the opposite force...
Greenland kayak rolling, fad or functional?
Greenland rolling is like yoga, you can go through life without doing it, but if you do it your life will improve. That sentence alone should have been enough for some to stop reading further. Many people that I speak with have dismissed Greenland rolling for a...
My wife doesn’t camp, but if she did she would use a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm.
I love camping, I especially love kayak camping. Traveling by kayak allows one to carry far greater loads than on foot. When I pack my kayak I rarely have an issue with weight, but I do occasionally run into a space issue. When I took my very first kayak camping trip...