One of the pioneers of kayaking in the Northwest is closing this week, a victim of poor timing and changes in how people spend their recreational dollars. [ Read more: Why The Golden Age Of Sea Kayak Symposiums Might Still Be Ahead Of Us ]. The economy had pulled out of the early 80s recession and entrepreneurs who had been struggling along since the 70s found themselves with viable businesses. The Intrepid reviewed was not equipped with a rudder. It is a big boys boat and it very stable. GL and KN would find that the Low Profile Intrepid fits better, is more secure and is easier to lean and lay back on the roll. Has normal scratches on the bottom. The bow widens quickly to its 28.5-inch maximum width, offering reassuring stability but compromising speed and glide. Read reviews for the Sea Otter R by Yostwerks as submitted by your fellow paddlers. Sea kayaking using the sit-on-top kayak is pretty forgiving. mat, 8-oz. Cargo hatches fore and aft, day access hatch. The Old Town Otter kayak spray skirt is available to stretch over the kayaks 38- by 19-inch cockpit to keep waves and chop out of the kayak and provide protection from the elements; spray skirts are available in lightweight nylon (best for sheltered waters) and robust neoprene (best if you want to paddle the Otter in whitewater). It was covered with dust and had the name of a Tukwila, WA Dive Shop on it and "SEA OTTER" on the rear deck. There is a small crack in the gelcoat behind the seat. The forward hatch is set in a recess to reduce spray from water coming over the bow. From manufacturer. Deep bow entry, tracks well, fairly stable andboring. It was for Nimbus, anyway. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community! -- Finis Mitchell Sea otter and osprey kayaks Last week I wrote about how I bought some new kayaks. Canyon Lake is located in a National Recreation Area. The Old Town Otter kayak is best described as short and squat; its overall dimensions contribute to modest speed, excellent maneuverability and rock-solid stability. A solo carry was surprisingly easy. It protruded down into the water off the stern, and the bolt allowed it to flip up if it hit anything and not snag. [ Read more: The NordkappLordy, Lordy, Look Whos Forty ]. I did give the guy a ballpark figure of $500.00 for the Sea Otter; not for myself but to resell. Ocean Pacific PFD. The next kayak Uncle Paul bought was a Pacific Water Sports Sea Otter. The sea kayaking industry as we know it did not happen by accident. Pick up an Old Town Otter kayak cockpit cover to keep creepy crawlies out of your kayak when its in storage. The flare and volume in the forward quarter provide lift going into waves and a dry ride in sloppy conditions. Address Get race and event updates delivered straight to you. The aft hatch is large enough for easy stowage of bulky items. Just Northwest: Outdoor Tourism Blog featuring the Pacific Northwest: Sea otter and osprey kayaks We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking. I decided when Icame back I wasnt going to be a construction worker anymore. Sometime in 1981 or 1982, a group of would-be career kayakers met in Werner Furrers basement in Seattle and deliberately created it. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you! Thanks for the kind words. We launched our kayaks from the boat launch area . Reentry into the large cockpit opening was easy. (They get heavier as you get older!) Combined with the low-volume stern, this also gives predictable handling in following seas. The Intrepid is also available without the third bulkhead and hatch for several pounds and $150 less. Both are fiberglass and in excellent condition. His business trajectory paralleled that of the West Coast companies, with sales taking off in the early 1980s. The upswept native-style ends are still low enough to shed the wind, while the shallow rocker and long waterline give tracking and speed. cloth, 17-oz. So suddenly everybody was able to make a living at it.. Call for the nearest dealer. So together they strived to develop adesign that was stable, roomy and comfortable, that the average paddler could take out on the ocean. For straight paddling, the seat was comfortable throughout a five-hour paddle (GL). A wave of layoffs at Boeing had left a lot of unemployed engineers floating around Seattle in 1972. Straight keel line reduces yaw for more efficient paddling. The thigh braces fit and functioned very well, and the foot braces performed solidly and are easy to reach and adjust from the cockpit (GL). I thought, We started building the wrong kind of boats. The industry was still in its infancy, but companies saw that touring had a potential mass appeal that whitewater didnt. I worried that when the previous owner retired, these kayaks would disappear. The Intrepid touring sea kayak is designed to be paddled efficiently at fast touring speeds, carry a moderate gear load, handle well without a rudder and be neutral in the wind. Around 1979, he went on a month-long paddling trip to the Queen Charlottes, a rare thing at the time. Starved out, decimated by smallpox, swindled by the fur trade, and seduced by religion, rifles, whiskey, sewing needles, sedentary comforts. J. 1. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you! Standard Lay-up:Standard Lay-up: Hand-laid glass with vinylester resin. This is a lovely little boat. Lee Moyer took his first sea kayak trip with the WKCs Bob Morris in 1970going north out of Tofinoat a time when the dirt road across Vancouver Island was so new you needed to duct tape your car doors shut to keep the dust out and pack extra spare tires. The weight was reasonable for its size. Price:Manufacturers suggested retail $2,450 Day trip in calm conditions. It does a fine job of doing what it is designed for (KN). The Old Town Otter kayak is best described as short and squat; its overall dimensions contribute to modest speed, excellent maneuverability and rock-solid stability. In 1975, Ken Fink, an oceanographer in Maine, started paddling his whitewater slalom boat on the Atlantic Oceana not-uncommon way for whitewater kayakers of the day to discover touring. Schleicher recallsthat they built their first touring kayak around 1974 and that it actually had hatches and a rudder. Well balanced for wind. Other specialty kayak shops across the continent were not far behind Ecomarine, Ocean River Sports and Sea Trek. The Old Town Otter offers excellent value in a basic, entry-level recreational kayak that fits a wide range of paddlers and performs well in flatwater conditions. A dry ride except going straight into the wind, when a moderate splash would come up over the bow (GL). The first sea kayak we made at Pyranha was 1973 and was for the Dutch market, about a year after P&H also had started making them and it has been called sea kayaking for at least the 50 years Ive been in business. A wave caught me as it broke and I tumbled a few times before I got out of the kayak and (to my surprise) stood up in about 3 feet of water. No other leakage was reported. . Sea Birds & Sea Otter Pupping Season by Kayak: Elkhorn Slough. Fiberglass kayaks are much tougher than most people think they are. The overall feel was one of solidity and good craftsmanship (KN). The boats strong turning ability when on edge helped keep the bow pointed down the face of the wave (TE). This kayak was a whole different beast. It is 16' plus a couple of inches. Required fields are marked *. But unlike Recreational Equipment Incorporated, which started as a group of amateur mountaineers and grew into the international chain known as REI, the company remained specialized. It is 22 feet long, very fast in the water, has a huge storage capacity, color is yellow on top with a white bottom. Rudder is controlled by sliding adjustable footpegs. The two tethered plastic hatch lids have rubber gaskets and are held in place with bungies. This article was first published in the Late Summer 2004 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. The intractable designer called his first sea kayaks Turkey Boats because he couldnt think of a better name, or maybe its an indication of what he thought of the people who would be paddling them. Well into the 80s, if Fink saw a kayak on the highway it was probably one hed sold. Double Fiberglass Ocean Kayak. Foot pegs were added to the Old Town Otter XT kayak model, offering good support that adjusts easily with a push buttonjust be sure to avoid tracking too much sand and grit into the cockpit, since this can jam sliding foot pegs. Henry opened Ocean River Sports in Victoria in November 1981. The bulkheads are all curved panels of translucent fiberglass. The backrest is a self-inflating fabric-covered foam pad. 1984 was also the year that plastic kayaks came out, with the introduction of the Aquaterra Chinook, made by whitewater boat giant Perception. Wear sunscreen. Besides trolling yard sales in cottage areas, your best bet is searching Old Town Otter kayak Craigslist for a bargain on this classic entry level kayak. , He also designed the Chinook for Aquaterra, one of the first roto-molded kayaks. Your email address will not be published. The Southwest had its own kayak builder too: Josef Sedivec atEDA Products had been making whitewater racing kayaks and canoes since 1969 and came out with his first sea kayak, the Vagabond, in 1975. Ken Fink was distributing British boats through his Poseidon Kayak Imports from 1978 on. My teenage son can tuck the paddle under the toggles and cowboy back in, but I'm not as nimble as he is. It has one little broken glass part as shown, a little resin will fill it. Rudder. Theres a lot to like about the Old Town Otter kayak. Highway 1 Discovery Route is a destination in its own right! Where fiberglass moulding took at least a day, plastic mould could produce a kayak in about two hours. Sea kayak and standup paddleboard rentals, guided tours, classes and sales at two amazing wildlife locations, Monterey and Elkhorn Slough @ Moss Landing! This recreational kayak is easy to handle in flatwater conditions and up to Class II moving water, if equipped with a spray skirt. 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