Researching and planning for an adventure such as this is extremely exciting and lots of fun, I am really enjoying the journey of discovering new products and enjoying the ride of a steep learning curve from knowledge shared by many passionate sea kayakers.
One of the first obstacles I encountered when researching sea kayaks was how traditional a sea kayaker I become, do I stay with what I am comfortable with, going out in the ocean and surf which leads to a background of surfboards and ski paddling, both fast and exciting and use of rudders and fins. Or do I chill out a little more, take my time and indulge in a little nostalgia and take on a more traditional's style of sea kayaking.
I guess we're looking for a kayak that can do it all. A long distance cruiser to coast along on those pleasant days, flow down rivers, or glide across still water at comfortable a relaxing cruising speeds, handle big ocean rolling swells, tackle waves while having fun in the surf and above all, handle and be reliable for expeditions.
I have been riding surfboards since I was10 years of age and hope to be surfing in my 80s. I also love the experience of getting a rush out of selecting a swell and heading into shore with it as it gradually gets steeper morphing into a wave and having this 5m long missile to control and trying to russell the craft into the shoreline.
First stop Nudgeei kayaks
While reading blogs and forums on sea kayaking, while following links I discovered the incredible Freya Hoffmeister. She has completed a circumnavigation kayak paddle unassisted around Australia on epic and is now circumnavigating South America. I noticed the kayak she was peddling, "wow what an amazing looking kayak" it looks like a cross between a Epic V12 and a mirage 580.
Within minutes I was googling Epic 18x Sport looking for images and reviews that could inform me about this vessel. It looked very impressive and by all the reviews it sounded extremely fast though didn't sound like it appealed to the kayaking purist as it is very unconventional in its shaped and looked like it was very dependent on rudder which always makes me nervous specially when you hear stories from StuartTruman (who circumnavigated Australia) where a shark bit and damaged his rudder. I have also seen videos where people drag heavy loaded kayaks up rocky beaches. The thought of being exhausted after a day's paddle having to babysit the rudder does not appeal to me. And my other question was, is the Epic expedition proven
After emailing Paul the links to the epic website he was bitten and was very attracted to the Epic 18x. I guess with our ski paddling background the Epic appealed to us, especially its ability to ride along the ocean rollers and play around in surf.
Paul was sold, this sea kayak was what he had been looking for, it honestly ticked the boxes for him and I could tell he had eyes for no other.
I guess we're looking for a kayak that can do it all. A long distance cruiser to coast along on those pleasant days, flow down rivers, or glide across still water at comfortable a relaxing cruising speeds, handle big ocean rolling swells, tackle waves while having fun in the surf and above all, handle and be reliable for expeditions.
I have been riding surfboards since I was10 years of age and hope to be surfing in my 80s. I also love the experience of getting a rush out of selecting a swell and heading into shore with it as it gradually gets steeper morphing into a wave and having this 5m long missile to control and trying to russell the craft into the shoreline.
First stop Nudgeei kayaks
My first email in quest of searching for the ultimate adventure vessel was to Lawrence Geoghegan of Nadgee kayaks, unfortunately I have never paddled a Nadgee kayak, though what I have read and learnt about Nudgee kayaks is that they are first class sea kayak, Lawrence is extremely passionate craftsmen who is proud and builds a kayaks with first-class materials and lots and lots of love. I think as far as quality goes one could not go past Nudgee kayaks, They are designed and built strong and well worthy of being in the classification of a expedition kayak.
Lawrence has put a lot of thought into his kayaks and one of his designs that I think is still the best in the world is his trolley system. It is like no other , light weight , simple and quick to set up to enable it to be carried in or on your kayak when touring. A fully laden kayak can weigh as much as 80- 90 kg , to simply add wheels to your craft and move it up the beach certainly out of harms way saves a lot of time and effort then having to unload the kayak and make several trips back and forth karting ones supplies.
He is a wealth of knowledge and happy to share his experience and assist us in getting the right sea craft for our expedition, he has many years of experience and is well-known through the sea kayak fraternity. Lawrence offered us to visit him down south where we could stay and discuss our journey and share in his experience he had to offer. Regrettably we never got a chance to test the Nadgee kayak. I think as a group with a background in ski paddling the less traditional type of kayak with rudders appeals to us
One of the worries I have in researching for our ultimate vessel is trying not to be seen as a tire kicker. Discussing sea kayaks and learning and asking lots of questions, The people I speak to are always so forthcoming with their knowledge and I kind of wish I could afford to buy off each of them for exchange of the knowledge they have shared with me.
Discovering the epic sea kayak
Lawrence has put a lot of thought into his kayaks and one of his designs that I think is still the best in the world is his trolley system. It is like no other , light weight , simple and quick to set up to enable it to be carried in or on your kayak when touring. A fully laden kayak can weigh as much as 80- 90 kg , to simply add wheels to your craft and move it up the beach certainly out of harms way saves a lot of time and effort then having to unload the kayak and make several trips back and forth karting ones supplies.
He is a wealth of knowledge and happy to share his experience and assist us in getting the right sea craft for our expedition, he has many years of experience and is well-known through the sea kayak fraternity. Lawrence offered us to visit him down south where we could stay and discuss our journey and share in his experience he had to offer. Regrettably we never got a chance to test the Nadgee kayak. I think as a group with a background in ski paddling the less traditional type of kayak with rudders appeals to us
One of the worries I have in researching for our ultimate vessel is trying not to be seen as a tire kicker. Discussing sea kayaks and learning and asking lots of questions, The people I speak to are always so forthcoming with their knowledge and I kind of wish I could afford to buy off each of them for exchange of the knowledge they have shared with me.
Discovering the epic sea kayak
While reading blogs and forums on sea kayaking, while following links I discovered the incredible Freya Hoffmeister. She has completed a circumnavigation kayak paddle unassisted around Australia on epic and is now circumnavigating South America. I noticed the kayak she was peddling, "wow what an amazing looking kayak" it looks like a cross between a Epic V12 and a mirage 580.
Within minutes I was googling Epic 18x Sport looking for images and reviews that could inform me about this vessel. It looked very impressive and by all the reviews it sounded extremely fast though didn't sound like it appealed to the kayaking purist as it is very unconventional in its shaped and looked like it was very dependent on rudder which always makes me nervous specially when you hear stories from StuartTruman (who circumnavigated Australia) where a shark bit and damaged his rudder. I have also seen videos where people drag heavy loaded kayaks up rocky beaches. The thought of being exhausted after a day's paddle having to babysit the rudder does not appeal to me. And my other question was, is the Epic expedition proven
After emailing Paul the links to the epic website he was bitten and was very attracted to the Epic 18x. I guess with our ski paddling background the Epic appealed to us, especially its ability to ride along the ocean rollers and play around in surf.
Paul was sold, this sea kayak was what he had been looking for, it honestly ticked the boxes for him and I could tell he had eyes for no other.
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