Here are some easy ways to get your kids into kayaking | Idaho Outdoors | Idaho Statesman

Here are some easy ways to get your kids into kayaking Idaho Outdoors Idaho Statesman

We sailed the new Hobie Tandem Island the other day!

I had my first opportunity to check out the brand new Hobie Tandem Adventure Island last Sunday with My family. The Hobie Tech Rep. Walt had just picked up his demo from the factory in Oceanside California and drove through Boise en-route home. We were the first in the state to try it out! And what great conditions we had. Lake Lowell by the wildlife preserve offered us consistent 12-15 knot winds that made sailing a huge amount of fun!

My first ride was with my daughter Lauren, who had always ridden in the stern of the single Island or on the tramp. You can definitely feel the drag of the extra weight even with a kid on the single; but with the Tandem, the boat glided beautifully. Tacking was easy and when we got broadside to the wind, you really felt the magic that the boat offers. When we went back to shore and picked up my daughter's friend, we were still not dragging even though Lauren rode on the tramp.

It is super easy to use. In fact, I had my daughter do the sailing from the back cockpit. Both cockpit s have full rudder and mainline controls. The boat comes with Turbofins instead of the standard fins so getting off shore is a simple procedure.

I can't waith to get our demo, rental in so I can get it back out!

Chuck Cremer
Alpenglow

The boys from Clear H2O productions are at it again. They are on the finishing touches of their latest production, 'Hotel Charley V: 1st Descent'. With 1st. Descents in the deepest canyon in North America, India, and Brazil, look for some crazy paddling.

Alpenglow will be hosting the Boise premier of Hotel Charley V on Saturday, June 12th. Tickets will be on sale starting May 25th at Alpenglow.

In addition to the '1st. Descent' premier, Stone and Water Productions will show the first teaser of 'Campfire Stories': from Mike Copeland, who brought the video of Exploring Idaho to rave reviews in 09'.

Check out the teaser of Hotel Charley V: 1st Descent

Villain review on multi day SF Salmon

Mike gave a great review of the large Villain loaded on a multi-day South Fork Salmon trip in Idaho. Check it out. Paddles great with or without extra gear!

Villain Review by Mike Moser

I was able to take the Villain down the SF Salmon for a multi-day trip this last weekend. In my original plans, I was always going to take the Super Hero, my current creek boat. Chuck Cremer called me up and told me that he got the large version in and I should come by and take a look. I stopped byAlpenglow on my way home from work the next day and got very excited about how it looked. I was anxious to try it out on the water, so I called him up and asked if I could take it out that weekend for my multi-day. He was kind enough to say yes.

First let me say that this boat has a ton of room in the back for all my gear. Usually I like to pack my weight all around me and I was actually able to fit a couple more dry bags right behind my seat than I usually can. My float/dry bags that I put into the stern of the boat fit in really easy without any hard pushing. There was plenty of room up front too, but you have to either unscrew the foot pegs or put small enough items in around them. Someone told me that Jackson had put a different type of foot pegs in the Mega Rocker which enables you to flip them up to put items in. I wish they had those in this boat. As much as I wish they had those, it still wasn’t too bad.

When first starting out with this boat, I felt a bit shaky. I was used to the flat hull like the Super Hero has and not a semi-displacement. I was also concerned a bit about how long the nose was. Once I started paddling it down some of the first rapids, the shakiness and the concern for the long nose quickly disappeared. The tracking on this boat is amazing, I would point it where I wanted it to go and it would go there without much need to paddle. It crossed lines with authority and gave me confidence that I had wished that the Super Hero had given me.

This boat was super fast at making moves. There were multiple times where I was above a huge hole and easily made the move around it at the last minute. When I did have to run them, the boat was able to fly through them without much effort. I found that it somewhat auto-boofed across the holes when I wasn’t trying.

On the paddle out on the Main Salmon, I was able to catch quite a few big, green waves. The thing caught waves that I thought for sure that I was going to miss. It was so fast that I found it accelerating down the waves. The boat handles well too. It was easy to surf it from edge to edge and stay on a good wave for a long time.

The other thing I liked about this boat was the secondary stability. I found that I could put it almost completely on its side and not have to brace at all. That helped me too when I was shaky in the beginning, because I didn’t know how to use the boat in then and it helped to keep me upright. Speaking of upright, I didn’t roll the whole trip, so I finally gave it a try down on the Main Salmon. It rolled like my old Huka, which rolls extremely easy.

Overall, this boat impressed me. I am still going to give it another demo on the Upper and Middle of the North Fork Payette to see how it handles up there, but I think it will do better than I could ever expect. I am extremely stoked about this boat and look forward to paddling it again soon.

Kayak Demo Daze this Tuesday, May 18th!

Tuesday, May 18th. Kayak Demo Day. 5:30 pm until dark, Alpenglow will be at Discovery State park below Lucky Peak Dam hosting a kayak demo day that is flat water oriented. The Demo Day is free, although you must RSVP with Alpenglow in order to reserve a spot as we want to make sure we have enough boats for everyone in attendance. Admission in to Discovery Sate Park is $4/vehicle, or you can ride your bike along the greenbelt for free. Let us know what you want to demo and we will make sure we bring it for you!

Villain Large review-NF Payette

Alpenglow just received the Large Villain from JK a few days ago. Here is the first review from Micah Kneidl, regional team paddler. Sounds awesome!


This last week I got a much anticipated phone call from Alpenglow, our local Jackson kayak superstore informing me that my Villain had arrived. I was very excited and rushed down to the store to pick up my new boat. I chose to order my boat with custom colors blue and yellow, and I must say, it looks SICK!
The following days I had planned on testing the boat on the North Fork of the Payette. As I took my first paddle strokes, I asked myself if I could attain a small section of rapid. A few paddle strokes later, I had completed the attainment. I was now convinced of one thing - the boat is FAST!
I have been paddling the Super Hero and have always liked the security I have in paddling the boat. The Super Hero is stable, it holds a line really well, and it gets along well with eddies. But recently I have been craving some of the characteristics found in more of a creek boat design.
Don't get me wrong - the Villain is a full on creeker. This means that the Villain boofs everything, has a forgiving shape that deals well with the rocks, and recovers well if you find yourself off line. But I was so surprised and pleased with it's ability to hold a line, it's speed, and it's stability (particularly it's secondary stability) - all features that I loved in the Super Hero.
Perhaps what I like most about the Villain is that it truly is a hole punching machine. The bow has a tendency to resurface in a manner that pushes the boat downstream and towards the surface. I found that the Villain would easily bust through any reversal I could send it through. The Villain likes to find itself in a battle against intimidating hydraulics. I look forward to seeing what kind of holes I can send it through as our high water season approaches.
It goes without saying that the Villain is like all Jackson Kayak models so it's very easy to roll, the outfitting is simple and comfortable, and it is dry.
In summary, the Villain met and exceeded all of my expectations. It has the security that I've always loved in the Super Hero, mixed with the forgiveness I like in a creeker, making it a kayak that delivers the best of boat worlds. It's versatility combined with It's speed, stability, and ability to handle large hydraulics make it my new favorite kayak!





Here is a great pic from Mike Leeds of Micah @ Taffy puller on Jakes. http://www.mikeleedsphotography.com/Kayaking/DownriverCreeking-Kayaking/5814835_mVaby#861522117_owYkA-XL-LB

Jackson Day Tripper-1/2 kayak, 1/2 canoe

What a 4X4 pick up truck is to automobile, The Day Tripper is to the kayak. A wide open cockpit that makes it ½ canoe ½ kayak allows for easy entry and exit from the boat, as well as ample room for your gear, your 4 legged friend, a kid, or all of the above! The Day Tripper has some awesome features and comes in two versions, the Elite- and Standard.

Both versions comes standard with the “Day Tray” which is a built in sliding tackle box, two beverage holders (one large and one for the 12 ounce type), fish measuring, and rod holder locations.

The Advanced Frame Sport, a 26lb Portable Kayak!

The AdvancedFrame Sport is a light-weight and compact kayak. It sports a large cockpit opening for easy entry and exit. The proven aluminum ribs in the bow and stern provide increased paddling performance in this sporty design.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Hull Design: Built-in aluminum ribs define the bow and stern and improve tracking.
Durable: 3 layers of material for extreme puncture resistance.
Easy To Set Up: Simply unfold, inflate, and attach the seat.
Style: Looks and paddles similar to a rigid hard-shell kayak, with the portability of an inflatable.
Compact: No roof rack needed! Pack in the trunk of your car or fly it to remote destinations.