Loch Lomond

[Grooveski]

Anything will run grade 2, that just means the water's moving. Even the pack handles grade 3(at a push - doesn't like drops - fills up easily).

You'd get a better answer on SotP. I don't have much river experience, mostly gung-ho and if I don't swim it's a bonus. I'd happily try grade 3 in one of those(or either of the inflatables we had out at the weekend) but there wouldn't be much skill involved.
The tricky thing about rivers and inflatables are the fins catching on rocks in shallow water. Don't know if the palava has any but if not it'd be an advantage.

As you can see on the pic the seats are high for paddling canoe style instead of reclined for kayak style. Totaly different beasties really, that and the colorado.

 

[w00dsmoke]

I was off for a wander at that point and only seen him from up the hill as he was clearing the islands. There are others around of a similar design and that one did look a bit short.

The palava is slimmer but longer. Don't think there'd be much in it capacity-wise. Palava struck me as more suited to tandem but I only had a five minute hurl in one at Inverary while the owner had a spin in the pack.
In rough stuff I'd rather be in the colorado. It had more of a 'bring it on' feel to it while the palava would have the edge for calm cruising.

You think bud? A palava is a way lot safer and easier to handle in the rough stuff than a colarado. My mate and I used to regulalry do the Forth islands (even at night!), he would use his solo and I would use my hypolon eurocraft inflarable. We used to have imeasurable fun riding unbelievebly big swells along the rocks and cliffs off North Berwick and Dunbar and I know he regulalry did the tweed and the Tay in his and I wouldn't want to go anywhere near Stanley Rapids in acolerado while a Palava will handle it no probs if you have the skills.

 

[Grooveski]

Yeah, just my personal preference though. One of the things I liked best when I used the wee sevylor was that planted feel that comes with having your bum down at the water level and the almost sea kayakish seating position. With some luggage in it it had a weebly feel and the colorado struck me as feeling the same but with a touch more width.

I certainly took on conditions in it that I've never tried since moving to a proper canoe. The palava felt more proper canoe to me, I'd have trouble getting low enough for my liking. In the pack if it gets wild/gusty I drop to my knees but with them splayed out so my bum is on the hull too. That feels comfortable enough but in the palava I doubt I'd be able to get my knees far enough apart for that. Would have to sit down and I didn't try it on the day because it was mirror calm....
I'm glad you piped up. Was feeling a bit uncomfortable giving adviced based on five minutes in one boat and fifteen in another.
...plus we're all so different. The Pack is no more than a toy to some folk yet I love it to bits. I know it's not the perfect canoe(I suspect gills might be but have yet to try it) but it feels so much better to me than grown up boats, maybe because I came at it from the wee sevy. I like small.

We had a westerly force 6 forecast for sunday and it was blowy on saturday night. While nervously joking and making rafting plans for getting back I remember thinking that if I were on my own and making a run downwind across the loch my boat of choice would have been Andys. Had there been a palava there I'd have still gone with the same choice.
Had I tried it in both that might have changed of course. Best you can do when you haven't in either is guess.

p.s. you can do the kneeling stance with legs splayed in the colorado. That's maybe what I liked so much about it. It's the same position I use sometimes on rivers if I'm swamping or going through bouncy stuff.

 

[Gailainne]

<snip> ........it was blowy on saturday night <snip>

That must be the most understated comment I have ever seen the fire was reaching blast furnace level at one point, and sending sparks 15-20 metres downwind easy. I was preparing myself to have to stay on till Monday to let it blow over. To wake up on Sunday to the glorious morning we had was just amazing.

Truth be told I had a "slight" concern about the whole raft up, float downwind idea, not about being chucked overboard as such, I swam my first mile at 13 yrs, but the water temp would have made things ify to say the least :Thinkingo .

Still up for Andys idea of same with a sail, but during the summer I can always get off and swim to shore.

Stephen

 

[w00dsmoke]

Yeah, just my personal preference though. One of the things I liked best when I used the wee sevylor was that planted feel that comes with having your bum down at the water level and the almost sea kayakish seating position. With some luggage in it it had a weebly feel and the colorado struck me as feeling the same but with a touch more width.


I

I can appreciate what your saying and you are bang on about the Palava being too narrow for proper splayed apart canoe style paddling. I removed the seats and put my dry bags as a bum rest and the huge dry bags strapped in as a back rest and sat in it using a lendal kinetic touring long kayak paddle. It really is tricky to kneel proper style in a palava uinless you put one leg under the seat and one leg forward and using a canoe paddle you can feel very very stable. I was pleasantly surprised.

I quite fancy trying one of these, if only in cammo...

http://www.riversandclouds.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=87

 

[Shewie]

Don't write it off yet bud, seriously try and get a hold of tearaid, you get one kit for pvc and almost anything and the other specifially for vinyls. The kit is around £6 and they are essentially patches and a strip of tape which is meant for sealing awkward hooes and is pressure tested for inflatables. I would try that in addition to glueing the seams back together. It should give you a very good repair.

WS

The repair kit didn`t do the job unfortunately, tried inflating again last night and it`s still leaking. Got some Tearaid on order so we`ll see how that goes.

Had a great offer on a Pack though which is gonna be quite hard to turn down, just need to talk SWMBO into it now.

 

[Gailainne]

If I had the capability of carrying one, I'd have a Pack like a shot, great little boat.

Good luck with the negotiations. :swordfigh

Stephen

 

[Mistwalker]

Those are awesome shots, thank you so much for sharing, I much enjoyed them. Is that "rush string" made from bull rush leaves?

 

[Grooveski]

The stems of soft rushes.
They grow just about anywhere there's boggy ground round here. You run a thumbnail along them a few times 'till they split, scoop out the pith then few more runs along has them falling apart into strands.

 

[Shewie]

The stems of soft rushes.
They grow just about anywhere there's boggy ground round here. You run a thumbnail along them a few times 'till they split, scoop out the pith then few more runs along has them falling apart into strands.

And you get a nice bowl of noodles to eat afterwards

 

[Grooveski]

That was funny.

"Who's been spilling noodles about the camp?"
"Must be Rich, he's the only one who had noodles"
"Bad Rich!"

....ten minutes later....

"Hang about....."