Kayaking

The co driver had become interested in kayaking.
She purchased a relatively cheap inflatable which was good for a year or so.
Then it started to develop leaks at the seams which, despite numerous efforts, were unrepairable.
It seems that this is a major problem for this category of kayak if not the particular brand.

Time to look at a hard shell sit in kayak.

After much deliberation and a few trial paddles, she settled on a locally made Australis Platypus flat water touring kayak which is ideal for our coastal lake system.
Luckily a local kayaker had one for sale with a rudder and he threw in an inflatable life jacket as a bonus.
To transport it safely we needed to add a kayak cradle to our roof racks and a bow tie down.

Rhino-Rack had what we needed and the cradle kit came with easy to use tie down straps.
The rubberised buckles to prevent vehicle damage were a great idea.

We also purchased a bonnet anchor strap to secure the bow with an additional strap.
The kayak weighs 22kg (48.5lbs) so is difficult for one person to lift onto the racks.
There are numerous YouTube videos offering advice on this problem.
We finally settled on one method which the co driver can do alone.

With a bit of practice and tweaking, the loading problem should not eventually be one.
Once the terrible wet weather that has plagued us for months is gone, it’ll be paddle time on lakes in Burrill, Conjola, Tabourie and maybe even Durras.