Stienstra mentioning NCKA again

Kayak, SUP, canoe for escape hatch to freedom
By Tom Stienstra February 14, 2018 Updated: February 15, 2018 1:16pm
 
 
 A kayak, stand-up paddleboard or canoe is all you need to enter a new world, like this tidal cove in the Mendocino County. Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

IMAGE 1 OF 8 A kayak, stand-up paddleboard or canoe is all you need to enter a new world, like this tidal cove in the Mendocino County.
All it takes is a few paddle strokes — or turns of a foot-powered propeller — and your small craft is propelled across the water.

With a kayak, stand-up paddleboard or a canoe, you can gain entry to a world where you inevitably have something to look forward to — like, for instance, a three-day holiday.



The premise for a kayak owner, of course, is that at any time, he or she can pop the kayak on a rig and take off for the water. It’s a secret escape hatch from the world.

If you want to try the sport, the greater Bay Area has 20 rental sites: 11 on the bay and coast, nine at lakes. Most also rent SUPS.

For those who own a kayak, you are limited only by your imagination and effort. It doesn’t matter your age or your experience. You don’t need a big truck for transport. Kayaks are easy to stow at home. They don’t cost a fortune and the upkeep is minimal.

The key is to find the right fit. I’ve tried more than 20 kayaks and canoes, and found there is no reason to settle for anything but the perfect fit. This is where you sit in the pocket in perfect comfort, and then paddle or pedal ahead with a near effortless sense of euphoria.

Some kayaks that didn’t fit me felt like an alligator was chomping my lower back.

That’s why it makes sense to rent kayaks and go for a test paddle before buying. Make sure the fit is perfect for your body and that the hull is designed for the use you have planned. Don’t settle. There are too many right choices out there.

Variety of choices

During the past 10 years, kayak sales have been the beacon in a dimly lit boating market. Kayaks used to be a cult market for high-end river runners. Now more than 20 companies market kayaks, SUPs and canoes, with hulls designed for a variety of activities. Hobie, Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Malibu and Jackson are the biggest players.


The designs span the spectrum of imagination. The prices vary just as much, new or used. The lightest kayaks (such as the Eddyline Caribbean) are about 45 pounds. The heaviest is the Hobie 17, a twin tandem with pedals, built like a tank and ready for anything. It goes about 240 pounds and needs a trailer.

And then there is everything in between. At the sport shows this winter, the most popular kayaks featured pedal-drive systems. That leaves your hands free to fish, watch wildlife or birds with binoculars, or have a picnic. Kayaks with pedal drivers tend to weigh between 75 and 120 pounds, and most owners use a tow dolly to wheel the heavier boats to and from the water.

Humpback whales "Rainblows" in a feeding frenzy with sea lions and birds. Seen aboard The Greatland tour on Nov. 13, 2017.


The sport has become so popular that the NorCal Kayak Anglers at www.norcalkayakanglers.com is pushing 5,000 members. Last weekend, the organization held a fishing tournament at Clear Lake, and seeing how members set up their boats for comfort and convenience was as compelling as the fishing, even with a great crappie bite at the slough at Clear Lake State Park.

But for each member, you could see how kayaking works because it represents that instant escape hatch.

You could drop your boat into Richardson Bay and on a calm day, paddle across to Angel Island — or during benign tides, right under the Golden Gate Bridge. Out of Moss Landing, you could paddle Elkhorn Slough, and near the mouth of the harbor, have sea otters swim right up. At Mendocino, you could play in the tidal currents in the protected cove on the south side of the Mendocino Headlands. Or you could venture to hundreds of lakes across the Bay Area and Northern California, and in an instant, be on the water, casting for trout or bass.


What are you doing this weekend? With a kayak, you could launch through that escape hatch. You are limited only by what you can think of.


Tom Stienstra’s Outdoor Report can be heard at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Saturdays on KCBS (740 and 106.9). Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom


Kayak/SUP rentals

San Francisco Bay

City Kayak, South Beach Harbor (Pier 40), access to McCovey Cove, reopens Friday, Feb. 23, (800) 725-0790, www.citykayak.com; California Canoe & Kayak, access to Oakland Estuary, (510) 893-7833, www.calkayak.com; Sea Trek, Sausalito, access to Richardson Bay, (415) 332-8494, www.seatrek.com.

Coast

Half Moon Bay Kayak Company, access to Pillar Point Harbor, (650) 773-6101, www.hmbkayak.com; Blue Waters Kayaking, access to Tomales Bay, (415) 669-2600, www.bwkayak.com; Bodega Bay Surf/Kayak, access to Bodega Bay, (707) 875-8899, www.bodegabaysurf.com; Kayak Connection, Moss Landing, access to Elkhorn Slough, trips also available out of Santa Cruz; (831) 724-5692, www.kayakconnection.com.

North Bay

Clavey River Paddle Sports, Petaluma, access to Petaluma Marsh, (707) 766-8070, www.clavey.com.

Peninsula/South Bay

Shoreline Lake, Mountain View, Shoreline Aquatic Center, (650) 965-7474, www.shorelinelake.com; Lake Cunningham, San Jose, rentals available on sporadic basis on 50-acre lake, (408) 794-7577, www.sanjoseca.gov, type Cunningham in search box.

East Bay

Lake Chabot, Castro Valley, marina, (888) 327-2757, option 3, ext. 4536, www.ebparks.org; Del Valle Reservoir, Livermore, Del Valle Kayak Rentals, (925) 440-8888, www.outbackadventures.com; San Pablo Reservoir, El Sobrante, San Pablo Main Rec, (510) 223-1661, http://rockymountainrec.com; Lake Elizabeth, Fremont, Central Park, (510) 790-5541, https://fremont.gov/317/Central-Park; Lake Merritt, Oakland, Aquatic Center, (510) 238-2196, http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/opr/s/LakeMerritt; Shadow Cliffs Lake, Pleasanton, (925) 426-0197, http://rockymountainrec.com or www.ebparks.org; Contra Loma Reservoir, Antioch: Contra Loma Regional Park, (888) 327-2757, option 3, ext. 4518, www.ebparks.org.


Carquinez Strait

Westwind Adventures, Martinez, access to Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay, (925) 372-8486, www.westwindadventures.com.

— Tom Stienstra

my old landlord is friends with him I have some books he autographed for me, really cool guy... I told him about ncka years ago.... glad to see him still contributing !

Hahahha, Ya, Tom and I spent the ISE show shleping him around and showed him pictures of the AOTY ceremony. He's been Toms fishing partner for years and a customer Of mine too... We hope to get him out to some events soon. Don't geek out to much (he's a normal guy with a public job) Forebay NEXT!!!!