SKUK-NDK Explorer

Over and over I find myself saying to customers “If I could only own one boat, just one boat, it’d be the Explorer.” Out of all the boats I’ve owned and all the boats I’ve paddled, why the Explorer? 

I knew there was an Explorer in my future, after I climbed in Dale Williams’s carbon/Kevlar Explorer High Volume (HV) on Tybee Island in 2014. I found it surprisingly agile, shockingly light, and playful. I was hooked and I bought my first Explorer in 2016. I recently bought that very same boat I borrowed from Dale and had it refinished. It now looks nothing like the boat Dale paddled. But underneath those bright colors, lies the heart of the same playful, light HV I borrowed all those years ago.

“The author in her HV” Credit R San Luis 2020

The Explorer’s design is iconic. It is not a stretched out Romany. It has less rocker than the Classic and a longer water line. It has a roomy cockpit, and with three sizes on offer (Low Volume, standard, and High Volume) many people will find it is a boat that fits them comfortably. So iconic is the design, in fact, that “word is” the WS Tempest was modeled after the Explorer. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

“Stock photo” credit SKUK

The Explorer is the choice of expedition paddlers world wide for a reason. It is built to travel, to chew through the miles. Whether on club paddles, or camping trips and expeditions, this boat shines. It can easily swallow 150 pounds of gear, or more, and still perform politely. A sixty pound load (say a two night, unsupported trip) isn’t even noticeable. 

Given the choice for a long trip between the Explorer and a Latitude, say, I’d choose the Explorer every time. You might remember my story of our Hatteras Circumnavigation? “Suffering in Hatteras,” was published in the first issue of this newsletter. In that article I talked about the Latitude, and why it might not have been the best choice for a long, grinding trip in swell and wind. Two of the other paddlers, Rob and Dawn, were in Explorers. They brought guns to a gunfight, I brought a knife. D’oh!

It all comes down to the tracking. The boat’s long water line and reduced rocker results in straight and true long distance paddling. The Explorer just goes straighter with less effort over long distances. And of course, it has great capacity for gear. Those two things make it a true expeditionary machine.

There isn’t one boat for everything, and no one boat that fits every body type. But the Explorer has a range that allows some variance and it really does so many things well.  For instance, like to down-wind? This boat is a down-wind machine. It is my and many other paddlers choice for tide races. It surfs surprisingly well for a long boat, agile and easily controlled for the skilled paddler. It rolls and sculls beautifully.

The various models:

The Low Volume has an approximately ½ inch lowered deck. It is created from a standard Explorer by cutting the deck down. These boats could once be custom ordered, and can be found used on the market only occasionally. Nigel says he will not make them anymore. Paula Reigel of Kayak Waveology, comes to mind instantly when considering paddlers who paddle this boat. She makes the boat dance in the tide races of both North America and Europe.

“Paula Reigel, Explorer LV.” Credit L Shore 2019

The standard Explorer has many fans. It is quite a popular boat and can be found in most NDK boat shops, as well as the used market. Examples of dedicated fans of this boat are Dawn Stewart, Rick Weibush, Greg Paquin, and Mitch Mitchell.

“Dawn Stewart in her Explorer,” Credit R Kruger 2019

The High Volume Explorer really isn’t “high” volume. It is quite similar to the standard Explorer in most measurements, other than those knee bumps. The knee bumps allow someone like me, with lower back issues, to comfortably paddle all day, every day, for many miles. Paddlers like me, who aren’t really “high volume” people, but need a high knee position may find this boat a great fit. Dale Williams is another example of a paddler who loves this model, for the lower back benefits.

“Dale Williams, Explorer HV,” Credit D Humphreys 2013

HEY! That boat Dale is in is my HV, the one that’s gold, orange, and pink now!

Yes, this really is the one boat I'd own if I were forced to be faithful. Ah, the one true benefit of being a paddling dirt bag, many boats and other floating toys. Check back for more reviews. Until then, paddle happy!

Don't Pack Your Fears

I’m standing at the launch watching a dear friend, an older paddler with much experience, pack

everythingbut the kitchen sink, into his boat. I’m not kidding; he put two huge bags worth of stuff in his boat.

All three hatches are stuffed. His boat has to weigh a hundred pounds, loaded.

I, on the other hand, have so little in my day hatch that I use a whitewater stern float to

stabilize my kit so that it doesn’t roll around.

This dear fellow is one of several, you could say he is an amalgamation of my friends, my peeps. And they all follow the same behavior. It is self-sufficiency, correct? Carry everything you yourself may need? In whitewater we practice the “team carry.” X number of first aid kits for Y number of paddlers. Example: one spare paddle for every four paddlers. And so on. This allows us to keep our boats light. Portaging a full boat a quarter-mile on your shoulder sucks. 

When I take students long boat surfing I tell them to make their boats light. I learned about the light boat from my own teacher, Dale Williams. Experience has taught me he is right, light is better when trying to catch waves. But I myself, being the instructor, pack another ten or fifteen pounds of safety gear in my boat. Things like a well stocked first aid kit, extra clothing, extra water and snacks, all seem reasonable and don’t add more than a few pounds.

There’s a motto in ultra-light backpacking “Don’t pack your fears.” On the opposite hand the sea kayaker is apt to say “Better to have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it.” As I watch my friends pack all this gear I’m tempted to ask “do we need this?” or maybe “what fears are you packing for?”

It comes down to safety. I’d rather pack a radio, a mirror, and a PLB, all of which fit inside my life jacket, than carry all this extra gear. I’ve used the radio a number of times. I’ve never used the PLB or mirror. But they are tiny items that could easily save a life, most likely my own. I’m saying I get it, I get the desire for safety.

But beyond that stuff, and a good first aid kit, what else is really needed on a day trip?

Is there really anything that you absolutely need in that 50 pounds of gear on a 15 mile paddle? 

Never mind, go ahead, pack whatever you want. I, however, will leave my fears on the shore.

Collecting yesterday

Rob asked me why I am not "making hats" right now.  He's right. I'm not sewing as much as I had planned. I did finish this hat and list it this week. I have some plans for aggressive paddling this fall and making hats doesn't feed into them. In fact, I'm rather an obsessive hat maker and once I start I have a hard time stopping. I don't paddle and make hats on the same days.

But I WILL collect sea glass, clean and catalog it, and paddle like a maniac on the same day. Hunting shells and glass feeds into my walk-about nature. That's probably why I started collecting sharks teeth and rocks all those years ago.

Logo much?

Little 'ski at boat ramp

Yesterday I went out and did an average of 4.25 miles an hour, for a total of 10 miles. I stopped on three beaches, and then came home sandy, accidentally sunburned, and happy. I cleaned and sorted the glass. Here's my find:

Pile of loot

These rows are Grade A specimens. Thick, colorful, and quite "sugar coated," like a gum drop.

There's some pretty shell fragments in there.

Close up of a bonfire piece that's twisted. It's quite pitted, but looks like it's suffered a more recent break on the near edge.

This white piece marked by the arrow is going to be devilish hard to photograph. It's shape and missing edges indicate great age, as well as the pitting and sugar coating.

I like this. I enjoy being outside on the windy wide river, with sand in my shoes. I wouldn't have it any other way. During the hard winter I'll wrap some of this glass in silver and sell it. Some other pieces will be sold in batches on etsy. Either way, I'll send it to the new appreciative homes it deserves.

Stages of Sea Glass

It all started in my twenties when a friend, a geologist and avid shark tooth hunter, showed me how to spot shark teeth on beaches. Ever since, I've been looking down at the sand when I walk a beach or land my vessel. As a result I have picked up a number of shells, teeth, and sea glass over the years.

I moved to Accokeek in 2017 and discovered a number of beaches have more than their fair share of glass and shells. The tides and currents obviously deposit these treasures there.

Being a connoisseur, these are my observations:

The longer the glass rolls around the river, beach, whatever, the more "sugar coated" or "frosty"  it is. The sugar coating is the surface of the glass roughed up by the action of the rocks, shells, and sand. There's "sugar dusted" just a bit of “sugar,” "powdered sugar," and granulated "sugar coated" like a gum drop. Passed the sugar coated phase the glass begins to develop deep pitting and can sometimes be difficult to discern from rocks.

Example of really old, 100 years plus, glass, deeply pitted:

This brown piece is just beginning to deeply pit. You can see the pitting around the bottom edge.

Newer glass is thinner and smoother. The newer, the thinner, to be exact. I typically avoid new glass which I call "raw glass," unless it has a good color and at least some patina.

Above example: Left piece is likely 1950s - 60 or more years old, a bit thicker, and sugar coated. The piece on the right is newer glass probably 1970s, thinner, and powered sugar coated.

Another powered sugar example, like the right hand deep blue piece above:

Examples of granulated sugar coated, and thick:

The Coca Cola Contour Bottle was introduced in 1916. At least two of these pieces were certainly from a Coke bottle. These pieces and all the others in my hand are much much thicker than anything that was around in 1970 or later. These pieces are old, but not older than 1916, most likely. They have the classic granulated sugar coated patina.

Sugar dusted:

Another sugar dusted. Note that the edges are smooth but the glass surface is not very rough. When held these pieces feel silky. I find these pieces more often on sandy beaches that lack stones.

Last category I often find is the bonfire glass. I don't hang around people who would throw glass bottles in fires, but I probably did 25 years ago. Still, I didn't recognize what these were when I first started finding them. It took some one on facebook, an Aussie actually, to point out these came out of a hot fire. Where they were collected, a private beach, there hasn't been fires in many years. Therefore, it's hard to date them. But they are very interesting for sure, especially the ones that have numerous colors.

Bonfire glass, powered sugar, sugar dusted, or sugar coated... they all feed in to the grading system, which I'll cover another time.

Hey, I'm back!

I realized after a few months blogging in various formats that I would still like to blog about my artistic process and review some stuff. I still have this space and might as well use it.

It's early September. Traditionally it's the "hat season," when I ramp up production of hats for the Yule season. And I am, working on hats, that is.

The above hat sold as soon as I posted a little video of it on facebook.

This hat shipped to Japan recently.

The hats are selling, but my attention is somewhere else.

I've found a market for sea glass. There's two things to my advantage in the sea glass market. Firstly, I live in an area that has a lot of old glass on the river shores. And secondly, I'm in training and so paddling a bunch by myself. When I'm alone I can easily land over and over to poke around between the low and high tide lines. Two birds in hand, so to speak.

 

This pursuit has given me great pleasure. I'm out on the river training, paddling hard against the wind and tide, and collecting. I've always been a collector of sorts but have forced myself to shed many of my collections through etsy. Etsy has allowed me to send my treasures to new homes where I know they will be valued. So I can collect, but importantly, NOT KEEP.

Three birds. I've got my ducks in a row.

I've moved

If you've been a reader you'll have noted I wrote consistently on this blog for 3 years, from 2015 to 2018. 

I have developed an Instagram account where I photo blog often. @justapaddler

https://www.instagram.com/justapaddler/

If you are still interested in following me I suggest you join me on instagram. Or look me up on youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgtrOy35Y2hsjO7JsFBnotw

Or maybe look me up on facebook, where I have both a personal and business page.

I've wandered. I've been here and there. I live near the river now and my life is very different. Follow me to the put in!

Paddle Happy!

Southport

There’s no place that’s home to me more than Southport NC.

As a result I continue to make videos of my trips down there. I’m hoping to one day have distilled the excitement and peace that comes with that place.

Here’s an offering:

youtube A Southport Experience

Hope you enjoy it. I sure did.