New Zealand Prep – barbandjay

Besides pouring over guidebooks, maps, and the numerous online resources, about the best ways to explore New Zealand, I got obsessed with the gear we would be taking. Primarily, our boat.

We really like our paddling. We have tried several different kayaks, and found that our 15’ tandem inflatable by Aquaglide offered us the best in quality, and packability. Fits in the roof box on our van, and we can be on the lake within 10-20 minutes of parking.

We had lake Louise to ourselves for two magical hours before the flotilla of tourists covered the lake with their red, rental canoes. After breakfast in the parking lot, we spent the day hiking up to the glaciers seen in the distance. That evening, we went back out on the lake when the tourists’ canoes got pulled back in for the night, and the brides lined the shore for their wedding pictures. I counted no fewer than six photographers that were annoyed at the prospect of photoshopping out a couple of middle aged paddlers from the pristine backdrop of their photos.

But, with New Zealand, we are not only faced with getting the boat there, but dealing with it when we are there and trying to fit it, and two months worth of adventure into the tiny little van we are renting. Our current inflatable tandem kayak checks in at just under 50 lbs with pfds and paddles.

My love of gear has had me close to buying or making my own packraft for close to ten years. I already have a bike packing set up that looks great in the garage, but do I really think when I take off on one of my many non-existent bike tours, I’m going to need a boat as well?

Alpacka raft just developed and released a tandem boat. It’s a kayak shaped boat. Instead of traveling with 50#s of kayak that packs down to the size of a decent ottoman, how about 13#s that fits into a bag the size of my four season sleeping bag.

My biggest concern, and obsession was how this thing was going to handle. I have been in a kayak before that didn’t have a skeg, or rudder. This big old banana is as smooth on the bottom as Ken and Barbie. Alpacka was very helpful, and there seems to be just one person that has attached a skeg or fin to one of their rafts. Their recommendation was for a small skeg that has a pretty narrow profile. I was, and am, fixated with a standard fin box that uses standard skegs.

But first, I wanted to make sure it was something we really need! Hate to go to all the work of attaching a skeg, only to have this thing paddle just fine.

Oh my freaking god!. The twisty track was our path out with the boat. It wasn’t just that we couldn’t get it going straight, if we stopped paddling, the boat would do a 180 and flip us backwards.

On our return trip, I had barb just go through the motions of paddling, and I did all the steering. It wasn’t super fun, but it was easier to control.

Let’s get that fin box.

I found a two piece fin box by Air 7. Great option since a one piece would be a twice as much to roll up.

Finding the center was a little tricky. I wanted it further back, but there really wasn’t an appropriate place behind the end of the main floor.

I used Stabond from NRS.

Note to self, glue one on at a time. Trying to do them both simultaneously was a little tricky.

The material on the fin box was stiffer than the boat, and was hard to get to lay flat, but it attached quite well.

How’d it go? Freaking Perfect! Smiles everywhere. Water was perfect

That track looks much better.

The other issue we were experiencing was the width and height of the boat, made our paddle angles very steep. You had to concentrate very carefully to keep the drip rings outside of the boat. We ended up with substantial water inside the boat.

Time for new paddles!

Aquabound Stingrays. Four piece, adjustable, 230-245mm for Barb and 240 – 255mm for me.

The longer paddles are way better, and we keep that boat pretty dry inside.