The Pensive Paddler

I do believe a ticket to ride is required for this boat because it can go Interstellar! I mean wow this craft can attain Humgonormous air!

Look:

                This boat sure deviates from the original mold, I mean wow, it so much more bulbous. I set it next to my previous All Star, and the new one trumps it in almost every way! The new boat is shorter by a few inches, and when it comes to knee room, it does not lack one bit. You can defiantly tell where the volume comes from, in the front and the back.

Fit:

                After a few on river adjustments this boat fit like a dream. I am relatively tall for the All Star, at 6 foot and I was even more comfortable in this boat than either of the two other stars. Great changes Jackson Kayak!

Feel:

                This boat is defiantly not a river runner, but this review is not on its river running ability. This is a full on play boat, and a pretty kick butt one at that! I have always been good at looping, but now I think I am able to break the inner atmosphere. Does this boat have antigravity thrusters? I was able to Loop and Space Godzilla higher than ever. I awed the audience with aerial moves that didn’t even bother to touch the water. Not only did this boat go huge, I was able to stay in the hole longer for better rides. It set up perfectly. A friend even said to me “Dave, you are not allowed to use this boat in our freestyle competition this year. You need to be in your own separate category because that boat is cheating”

Speed;

                Wow is this boat FAST! It took me a while to learn how to keep up with this thing on both cartwheels and simple spinning. But once I was able to do that there was little issue. Because of the speed, cartwheels for me at this time are not as fluid as last year’s model, but I really believe that will come with time.

Overall Rating;

                One trip on the river with this boat and I give it 4.9 Stars out of 5. I think that last .1 star will come with practice. I don’t think I will get rid of my old All Star because it is a better river runner but like I mentioned before, the new All Star is not a river runner, it’s the Play boat from the future. I don’t know, but if I was to venture a guess, I would say that EJ was able to get it up to 88 miles an hour and snag the plans for it from the future.

David Lemke

What a treat, Joe Jacobi who I may add is one cool guy graced Wausau with his presence for the Ray McLain Memorial Training Camp in Wausau. This guy is a class act, and is an advocate of paddling. Though I was unable to attend both days of the event due to my new child needing care, Joe was gracious enough to set up a Slalom Survivor on the last day of the event. This event was free and encouraged everyone to participate! This event was sponsored by www.WorldKayak.com. Just about everyone that was there competed in the Survivor event, and were able to snag prizes ranging from Shred Ready helmets, Smith sun glasses, Nuun energy drinks, T-shirts, and Mountain Kahkis!

Check out this link to see more about Joe and the Slalom Survivor!

http://wausauwhitewater.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/joe-jacobi-guest-coaches-at-ray-mclain-training-camp-in-wausau/

Wausau will be host to 6 Hometown Throwdowns, what is a Hometown Throwdown you ask? Well the Worldkayak Wausau Hometown Throwdowns are a series of FUN events aimed at bringing communities of recreational boaters together in the spirit of simple competition. We will have play boating events, downriver races and more! If you participate you are eligible for the myriad of prizes, from pairs of Smith sun glasses, a new IR drytop, Helmets from Shred Ready and even Crocs!

You ask how can I sign up for this sweet deal? Follow the link below and sign up, there is NO COST! All you need to do is show up and paddle! Hey wait! What about me, I don’t paddle? Don’t worry I have you non paddlers taken care of as well, all you need to do is signup and help out and you will also be able to win some prizes!

http://worldkayakblogs.com/throwdown/register/78/#

The point here is to get people paddeling, if you haven’t tried something try it now, the event will only last an hour or so, and we will not impede the other on the course. We are doing this for fun, and of course for bragging rights! (I am gunning for you Jim)

Throwdown Dates:
Wausau Whitewater Hometown Throwdown #1 09′: July 12th, 2009
Wausau Whitewater Hometown Throwdown #2 09′: August 8th, 2009
Wausau Whitewater Hometown Throwdown #3 09′: August 13th, 2009
Wausau Whitewater Hometown Throwdown #4 09′: September 5th, 2009
Wausau Whitewater Hometown Throwdown #5 09′: September 19th, 2009

If you have any question Contact me David Lemke, Cya all on the Water!
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Wausau Whitewater needs your support in these challenging economic times. If you would like to donate to the tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization, Wausau Kayak / Canoe Corporation use ChipIn to get a visual of where we are with our goal.

http://www.wausauwhitewater.org/

This world-class resource at Whitewater Park is yours, all yours. They’re your events. Compete, volunteer or sit back and watch the excitement – no matter what you choose, you’ll be glad you got involved. Join us for a day of fun on the water during recreational releases or take it to the next level at a training camp or clinic. Consider this your invitation to join Wausau Whitewater – the local paddling community with an international reach. Learn to paddle. You won’t be sorry you did!

Please Help!

May 2-3 – Marge Cline & Ray McClain Memorial Spring River Races
Canoe and Kayak Slalom Race on Saturday and hosted by Bear Paw Outdoor Adventures. The Slalom Course will be set at Hanson’s Rapids on the Wolf River . This race will also be part of the Buttercup series this year, and all kayakers are welcome to try in this fun citizen race. The Downriver Event will be held on Sunday, the course will be determined depending on water levels. Awards for each event will be held at the Bear Paw Pub after the races. $10 per day

For the last few years my buddies and I have run the down river race at Bear Paw in our playboats and each year we have done well, but this year we wanted to spice things up a bit. My buddy Matt and I decided to give the new Jackson Dynamic Duo a try.

First off this boat rocks, the secondary stability is amazing, the day before the race my other buddy Brandon and I took this boat on its maiden run. It took a while to get used to because the person in the back has all of the control, but after about 5 mins we figured it out and omgoodness this thing can fly! It eats holes in waves!

The Duo rolls like a champ, if the person in the back has a strong roll they can roll this boat by themselves. Nevertheless its really easy to roll with two people as well. The most important thing to remember with this boat is to keep it straight because it is long and does not like to hit rocks on its side. I highly reecommend this boat, just make sure to take it on something small your first few times paddeling it so you can get the hang of it.

Lastly this boat is so darn fast! We rocked out 4 miles in about 40 mins! 10 Min miles in a kayak is really impressive in my book!

So if you paddle flatwater, or like the rapids this boat is your you and who ever you want to bring with! This is a great boat to get that friend or family member out on the river! Go get one, it looks good on ya!

Has that ever stopped me before? Well yes… but since I am a man, and if anyone asks the answer is NO! Sunday night was a blast all be it frickin freezing.  The water temperature is still around 37 degrees (that’s Fahrenheit for you Celsius freaks) but the kicker was the air, we were pushing low 20’s. Needless to say while down in the river valley things were bearable, ooh but did I forget to mention the wind-chill? I still can’t feel my face. Okay enough griping the river was at a great level about 10,800 cfs and with that kind of flow who can complain! (well besides me that is)

Was out with Matt Johnson, Cole Jacobson, Brian Tungate, and Tom Schrader, and no matter what anyone tells you they are a good group of guys.  We had a blast, the only down fall of the Fox is the fact that it’s a bit shallow in spots and that prevents big moves, but hey beggars can’t be choosers. Hope you enjoy some of the video from Mill Wave!

Dave

David

Cole

Its game on in Wisconsin, the local river is running at 11,500 cfs! The fox is a great time, its big water feel in a little down town. Each day I met up with friends with the same addiction of paddling that I have.  Most of the time was spent playing catch on the fly waves and regular play spots. The spots on the Fox are sometimes shallow, but they still allow cartwheels, split wheels, roundhouses and spins in either direction. It’s a great pre season warm-up and edge control clinic. I have just enough time to dry my gear before tomorrows after work paddle sessions! I have to get as much paddling in now before my baby comes in two months, so if you’re in the area drop me a line on here and I will get back to you so we can meet up!

Dave

The Fox (1000 Islands in Kaukauna) is up and ready to rumble. It’s pushing 11000 cfs as of April 1^st. It’s a great place to get some pre season paddling in. It has big water feel and has some nice play as well. I am heading out there tomorrow night! WoooHooo! But keep note, do not go alone! This run can have consequences!

General Overview

A fine stretch of sloping bedrock between and below a couple of dams allows boaters some convenient ‘in town’ exercise. In fact, this stretch has grown quite a following. With its east-central Wisconsin location, boaters are coming from throughout the state (and beyond!) to catch this when it has good flows.

A few features may be regainable (depending on water level, hull speed, and boater skill). Most of the features, however, will be catch-on-the-fly one-shot play. Eddies are very few in this reach, especially as water levels increase. Most of the river (at most sane boatable flows) will be too shallow for vertical moves in most features, but various waves and holes should allow a great mix of surfs and spins.

Caution: A potentially dangerous dam interrupts this reach of river. The dam (between Part II and Part III, as defined below) angles across the river, river-right to river-left. The rightmost river-channel (above the dam) is the outflow from a powerhouse which will almost always carry significant flow, causing strong crosscurrents as the dam diverts virtually all that flow across to river-left. Excellent water reading skills and full knowledge and confidence in setting a ferry-angle to paddle across strong flows will be necessary to successfully negotiate this section of the river.

The braided channel and significant walled-in, fenced-in, and private property areas along the river make getting out of the river not an option through most of this reach. For these reasons, it is highly recommended that this section should not be boated alone, nor by beginner boaters without the company of experienced boaters for safety. (That said, experienced, skilled whitewater boaters should not be at all intimidated by this reach.)

The Lower section (Part III below) can be paddled down to around 4,000 cfs. Access for that is typically by parking at 1000 Islands Nature Center, paddling/ferrying over to an island, to carry across and up into the “Hidden Channel” to surf Mystery Wave. Levels of 4,000 to 7,000 cfs make this wave quite fun, with fast carving and spins/roundhouses possible. River right eddy service is available at the lower flows.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_3685_