New Expedition comments/questions
Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 2:07 pm
Greetings! I just got an AE Expedition, and finally got to take it out on the lake for the first time this weekend. I was somewhat frustrated, but I see a lot of potential to fix things. Here are my thoughts and a couple questions:
1) I had a tube kink in the right side near the bow, and I think that contributed greatly to my inability to paddle straight. I saw some fixes in other posts, so I'll try those next time I inflate it.
2) The seat. I found it nearly impossible to do what I believe is a 'standard' entry, sliding forward from a seat just behind the coaming into the cockpit. Every time I did, I found myself sitting on the back of the seat unable to get it out from under me. Any advice on how to avoid this?
3) More the seat. I found myself not being able to sit up properly. I had to use my abdominal muscles to hold myself in an upright paddling position, which was very tiring. In other kayaks, I have had no trouble in sitting upright - is there some adjustment I should be making? What recommendations do you have to setting up the seat straps correctly? Or, alternatively, should I look into a rigid seating arrangement? I've also thought about getting the backbone in order to elevate the seat a bit, but I'm not sure that will actually help with the seat being able to hold me upright. And, btw, I'm not very tall, only 5'9" so I'm pretty sure that's not the issue.
4) The spray skirt. I purchased a spray skirt, and find myself very disappointed that it's well over a foot longer than the coaming. Is this normal? Why would you sell a sprayskirt that doesn't fit the coaming?
5) My arms just aren't long enough. The desk lacing is so far forward of the coaming that I can't imagine anybody can actually reach it, unless they're 7 foot plus. I had my 6'1" friend try it out, and he couldn't reach it either. Are there additional lacing kits I can buy, or plans for sewing on additional loops? All I've been able to find on the net so far are screw-in add-ons, which won't work well on the inflatable.
Thanks for any advice! I'm hoping that I can work through all these issues and turn this into something I can use frequently.
-Dave
1) I had a tube kink in the right side near the bow, and I think that contributed greatly to my inability to paddle straight. I saw some fixes in other posts, so I'll try those next time I inflate it.
2) The seat. I found it nearly impossible to do what I believe is a 'standard' entry, sliding forward from a seat just behind the coaming into the cockpit. Every time I did, I found myself sitting on the back of the seat unable to get it out from under me. Any advice on how to avoid this?
3) More the seat. I found myself not being able to sit up properly. I had to use my abdominal muscles to hold myself in an upright paddling position, which was very tiring. In other kayaks, I have had no trouble in sitting upright - is there some adjustment I should be making? What recommendations do you have to setting up the seat straps correctly? Or, alternatively, should I look into a rigid seating arrangement? I've also thought about getting the backbone in order to elevate the seat a bit, but I'm not sure that will actually help with the seat being able to hold me upright. And, btw, I'm not very tall, only 5'9" so I'm pretty sure that's not the issue.
4) The spray skirt. I purchased a spray skirt, and find myself very disappointed that it's well over a foot longer than the coaming. Is this normal? Why would you sell a sprayskirt that doesn't fit the coaming?
5) My arms just aren't long enough. The desk lacing is so far forward of the coaming that I can't imagine anybody can actually reach it, unless they're 7 foot plus. I had my 6'1" friend try it out, and he couldn't reach it either. Are there additional lacing kits I can buy, or plans for sewing on additional loops? All I've been able to find on the net so far are screw-in add-ons, which won't work well on the inflatable.
Thanks for any advice! I'm hoping that I can work through all these issues and turn this into something I can use frequently.
-Dave