Baylee River, self bailing

Quite a few modifications have been made on the Baylee line of inflatable boats, which we are very excited about! I thought I’d run through the list:

BAYLEE 1 (whitewater)

The boat has been completely revamped and has many changes which will make it a whitewater machine.

– the new River Raft now sports a rigid self bailing floor and eliminates the need for a spray skirt. No need to ever stop mid rapid to empty your heavy water laden boat.
– as with all Baylee boats, we have modified our welding techniques and the boats will hold air at pressure for extended periods of time (easily a week or more, depending on the temperature and air bleeding out valves).
– we have reinforced the inflatable seat-back to eliminate tearing.
– attachment points have been rearranged so as to not impede a paddler’s strokes. The old Rowing frame lash point which contacted a paddlers hands during heavy strokes have been eliminated, the rowing frame is now only an option, instead of standard.

-the inflated floor is 4″ thick fully inflated; to hold the paddler above the waterline, with another 4″ seat on top of that.

BAYLEE 2 (whitewater)

Yes, our midsize inflatable now has a riverboat edition!

The skeg and longer waterline allow a paddler to cover distance over flat water, this boat will track easily across that backcountry lake.

-the same self bailing floor as mentioned above.

-a mid boat seated position balances the paddler better in heavy whitewater, as well as allowing for added storage.

BAYLEE 3

We have taken our idea for a self bailing floor and tuned it up for the Baylee 3 to give it a rigid floor; for those who don’t mind carrying around an extra stick of butter (one pound weight increase over the soft floor).

-with the added fishing mounts, the row boat makes for an exceptional fishing platform for those who want a light weight backwoods machine.

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Feet comfort

I know a lot of people like to wear their Shoes in a kayak, but I wish you would try and branch out!

If you remove your footwear and paddle in bare feet or with a neoprene sock on or a paddling shoe…

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441894713&FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302700471

… you will find that your feet will have a lot more room and will bind less with the seasock.

Also the seasock will last longer.

Winter paddling is too cold on the dainty feetsies?

Try using a pair of Goretex socks with some warm woolies underneath!

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441772599&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302734333

I know the Mec might be irrelevant for some…. try the REI site. They have a better selection anyway

A Fly above the rest.

We got kinda sick of heavy, crappy flys made over-seas that just were not getting the job done for us on our trips. Heavy, bulky and weak, and just not up to the modern standard of  gear-tech. So with some of the very high tech fabric we have here at FC, we made our own. Its a beaut.

It packs into a 5 or a 3 liter drybag with ease, weighs little more than 2 lbs and is made of silicone ripstop fabric. Covered area is 10′ by 10′ with 8 reinforced attachment points, reinforced with our kayak hull fabric.

I personally love the combination of hammock and fly for camping, so small, lightweight and…… exposed?

This fly was mostly meant to be a homemade project, just to test how good ultralight flys could be. It has drawn ALOT of interest though, and I’ll see what I can do about a production model. Although this could take a few weeks.

If you like this idea and cant wait (usually my problem) check out these similar models (though inferior in fabric material and reinforcement strength, the primary reason we made our own)

-Integral Designs SiShelter

-Kelty Noah’s Tarp

Raven Paddling Pants

A few months ago a good friend of mine, Shiro Ose, gave me a pair of Raven Paddling pants to put through the gauntlet. Shiro is an awesome kayaker/athelete (one of our Japanese dealers) and had input on the design of these pants, and I was very keen to try them out.

They have quickly become one of my favorite pieces of equipment. Here’s why.

They are a breathable fabric akin to Gore-tex (the Japanese equivalent) and have integrated socks. This means that basically from waist down your are waterproof, without sacrificing mobility or comfort at all. This could be the biggest plus for me; I hate the constriction of Drysuits/wetsuits and the impediments they place upon me while I am active. Kayaking often involves impromptu sojourns into other activities (hiking, climbing, ultimate frisbee yadda yadda yadda) and I love being free to explore without feeling like a Michelin Man. These pants are quickly forgotten once worn, they even look good.

They have a band of neoprene across the waist that is secured with Velcro closure, so that even if I submerse my waist, limited water enters the pants.

Protecting the bretheable socks is a priority with me, I worry that I’ll wreck tham in no time…… but slap on a pair of old sneakers and you are good to go. They seem to be holding up musch better that i had anticipated.

The best part of these pants

Obviously these aren’t a replacement for a good dry suit or even a wet one, but are perfect for the times where suits are overkill. I’m not even sure where to get these specific pants, but I do know Kokatat has their Tempest pant, which is a very similar product. I have heard that their sizing is a little wonky (small socks and too large waists), but you should check that out for yourself.

The link: http://www.kokatat.com/product_detail.asp?code=ttp

There are pants with bibs as well, but I have never liked the feel of a bib……..insert joke here.