: Hi Robert,

: My problem in the past few years is the modified Yost Sea Ranger I
: built. It's over long at 19' 6" and still only weights 34
: lbs. So...I tend to judge all boats weight compared to that one.
: When I have that boat and the NDK Greenlander on the trailer at
: the same time it's awfully difficult picking up that 65 lb.
: monster .

Sounds like my comparative problem. The VJ, complete with all the hardware and extra stuff I usually carry along in the hatches, is over 50-lbs. She weighs in at about 45-lbs MT. In the old days (go back 8 years) I thought she was a piece of cake to carry. Once I built the Raven in 2005, (a Hans Friedel TK-1 trainer which weighed in at 24-lbs), I barely noticed it's weight and began to ponder how to build lighter kayaks. The Raven was built with with really minor fillets and seam tapes on the inside and 4-oz on the outside. Now that I have the NH, which weighs in somewhere under 30-lbs (no hardware on the decks and not weighed yet) and I can carry with two fingers if necessary, I balk at the idea of lugging the VJ across any distance longer than 20 meters. Add to that my increased age, a lack of exercise and a growing penchant for watching movies while sipping red wine and eating such delictables as chips and dip and you have impending disaster.

Heck, once I get past the age of 55 I might never take the VJ out again just because the thought of carrying her would tire me out. Since meeting Linda and getting into a relationship with her, I have noticed that kayaking tends to be fairly relaxed sight-seeing events instead of the hard pulling training I used to do. However, I did resolve this year (not a New Years reso-thingy so I shouldn't fail at it) to get on the river more often and get back to doing those hard upstream paddling workouts. Here's to the idea of paddling upstream more often this year.

*eats a chip with ample dip and washes it down with a little home-made red*

Robert N Pruden