Around this time last year, I gave up on paddling Canadian canoes, as every time I went for a paddle, I had to fit the roof bars, hump the boat out of the garden and onto the car, tie on securely and then when I got to where I was going, reverse it all then do it all again at the end of the day and in spite of knowing exactly how to do it all perfectly well and having a top line, lighter weight boat, was still getting hurt and having near misses with passing traffic when trying to load and unload etc etc .
Anyway, I sold my boat, paid for a new central heating boiler with the proceeds and slowly, ever so gently went slightly doolally! I refer to it as "chewing the furniture", my wife as: "a bear with a sore heed".
So I needed to get back on the water, couldn't justify the £1000-£1500 cost of a folding boat or an ultra light weight Alpacka raft, so went for the Gumotex Palava 400, inflatable canoe.
I give it the title "canoe" because that's exactly how it paddles. It's no pool toy, just check out some of the Czech expedition videos on youtube, particularly the Canadian rivers and you'll see what I mean.
So anyway, I took myself once again over to Ullswater and headed straight for Glenridding and the steamer car park. This destination would have been avoided like the plague in the past, with a hard shell canoe. The risk of hitting someones car and the difficulties around loading and unloading made it a non starter for me but with this boat, all you need is to be able to open the boot and a bit of flatish space to assemble and inflate it!
I had the boat ready to go in about 30 mins all in and was soon on my way up the lake to Silver Bay. It took me about 35 to 40mins (I think-I wasn't really keeping check) to get there but in the past it's taken over an hour, the difference being I could use a kayak paddle with this boat and fairly belt along.
Silver Bay;
looking back to Glenridding
Looking north (ish)
general paddly picture
A friendly young swan, who had paddled right up to the boat for a look but tootled off a bit before I could get the camera out
This gives an idea of how quick the thing goes if you're motoring with the kayak paddle. You get a lot of splashes and drips but you get the wind in your hair too! I'd set off from about 100 yds off the steamer pier at Glenridding and was headed for Side Farm opposite.
[video=youtube;RMYk3dFetRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYk3dFetRA[/video]
Then a bit later I took myself up the beck that feeds in from Brothers water, a little trip I last did in 2014.
[video=youtube;fOAngCo9gMM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOAngCo9gMM[/video]
In short, I had a great day out, the first of many paddling this excellent little boat.
Cheers
Steve
Anyway, I sold my boat, paid for a new central heating boiler with the proceeds and slowly, ever so gently went slightly doolally! I refer to it as "chewing the furniture", my wife as: "a bear with a sore heed".
So I needed to get back on the water, couldn't justify the £1000-£1500 cost of a folding boat or an ultra light weight Alpacka raft, so went for the Gumotex Palava 400, inflatable canoe.
I give it the title "canoe" because that's exactly how it paddles. It's no pool toy, just check out some of the Czech expedition videos on youtube, particularly the Canadian rivers and you'll see what I mean.
So anyway, I took myself once again over to Ullswater and headed straight for Glenridding and the steamer car park. This destination would have been avoided like the plague in the past, with a hard shell canoe. The risk of hitting someones car and the difficulties around loading and unloading made it a non starter for me but with this boat, all you need is to be able to open the boot and a bit of flatish space to assemble and inflate it!
I had the boat ready to go in about 30 mins all in and was soon on my way up the lake to Silver Bay. It took me about 35 to 40mins (I think-I wasn't really keeping check) to get there but in the past it's taken over an hour, the difference being I could use a kayak paddle with this boat and fairly belt along.
Silver Bay;
looking back to Glenridding
Looking north (ish)
general paddly picture
A friendly young swan, who had paddled right up to the boat for a look but tootled off a bit before I could get the camera out
This gives an idea of how quick the thing goes if you're motoring with the kayak paddle. You get a lot of splashes and drips but you get the wind in your hair too! I'd set off from about 100 yds off the steamer pier at Glenridding and was headed for Side Farm opposite.
[video=youtube;RMYk3dFetRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYk3dFetRA[/video]
Then a bit later I took myself up the beck that feeds in from Brothers water, a little trip I last did in 2014.
[video=youtube;fOAngCo9gMM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOAngCo9gMM[/video]
In short, I had a great day out, the first of many paddling this excellent little boat.
Cheers
Steve
Last edited:
