My New Kayak

jeffashman · Aug 27, 2022

I got this kayak to see if I could get some better bird shots from the lake, or on the local waterways. As it is, out in the open, the birds still scatter, but I plan on making good use of this kayak in other places as well. It's a very lightweight origami kayak from Oru, weighing in at 18 lbs. It is very stable and turns quite easily. Next time, I will be launching from a dock or boat ramp, because I discovered that the mud along the lake edge is six inches deep and very, very soft.

1 Nicely packaged up.

aug27202201 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

2 Unpacked and folded into shape. It is about 9 feet long.

aug27202202 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

Ozzie_Traveller · Aug 27, 2022

Hi Jeff

Sounds pretty nifty ... I presume it's strong enough for you / someone to go around carefully
Phil

Jeff15 · Aug 27, 2022

Nice boat..... :onthego:

jeffashman · Aug 27, 2022

Ozzie_Traveller said:
Hi Jeff

Sounds pretty nifty ... I presume it's strong enough for you / someone to go around carefully
Phil

Yes, it is very sturdy in spite of it's weight, and it has a flat bottom, so it is very stable on the water. It easily holds myself and my gear.

Dean_Gretsch · Aug 28, 2022

I can imagine the choice words thought/spoken in that mud

terri · Aug 28, 2022

Looks like fun! Just getting out in the water should give you lots of new and different angles from which to shoot. Pointing towards the shoreline instead of from it could be interesting!

Robshoots · Aug 28, 2022

Nice Kayak. You should have some fun with it. My wife and I got a couple of inflatable kayaks and enjoy them. I look forward to seeing your shots. Good luck with it.

Warfarin · Aug 28, 2022

I'd still tip it over. But looks cool

Warhorse · Aug 28, 2022

Pretty spiffy!

PJM · Aug 29, 2022

Congrats and good luck. Can't wait to see some of the shots you get from it.

John 2 · Aug 29, 2022

Clearly a man of confidence. I think I would also worry about ending up in the water trying to save my gear. Looks to be a sort of origami construction. Presumably very light weight?

jeffashman · Aug 29, 2022

Dean_Gretsch said:
I can imagine the choice words thought/spoken in that mud

Yeah, it was not fun. Almost lost my water shoes in the stuff.

terri said:
Looks like fun! Just getting out in the water should give you lots of new and different angles from which to shoot. Pointing towards the shoreline instead of from it could be interesting!

I'm really hoping for some new opportunities. I've been house-bound for the past month due to the extreme heat, so I'm looking forward to getting back out there.

Robshoots said:
Nice Kayak. You should have some fun with it. My wife and I got a couple of inflatable kayaks and enjoy them. I look forward to seeing your shots. Good luck with it.

Looking forward to getting out, that is for sure!

Warfarin said:
I'd still tip it over. But looks cool

Warhorse said:
Pretty spiffy!

Thanks!

PJM said:
Congrats and good luck. Can't wait to see some of the shots you get from it.

Thanks!

John 2 said:
Clearly a man of confidence. I think I would also worry about ending up in the water trying to save my gear. Looks to be a sort of origami construction. Presumably very light weight?

Yes, it is an origami kayak, made of a single sheet of treated double-layer polypropylene. It is flat bottomed, so it is very stable, and one would really have to work at it to flip it over. That's not to say that it is impossible. It weighs in at 18 lbs, so very easy to carry from the car to the water's edge. It's open nature makes it susceptible to taking on water from boat wake when at the shore, but is ok out on the open water. My Canon 90D and Tamron lens are water/splash resistant, so I'm not overly concerned, and I have a waterproof backpack for the rest of the gear. I probably would not take my Sigma lenses out, since they are not water/splash resistant.