How Old Are You?

TommyC1 · Post by **TommyC1** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 8:03 pm

I'm 48. When I was 29 a freind talked me into a week on the Allagash. The part that stayed with me was Chase rapid. Too much fun.
Had kids so I didn't get back into boating until I was 38. Took some whitewater classes. Too much fun.
Can't help with the kids except to say that my teenage daughter thought the "We Designed 'Em" video was "Really Cool!"

Me I just like canoes.

rnbeals · Post by **rnbeals** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:29 pm

53 Class II paddler, Class III swimmer...hoping to improve my paddling skills and cut down on the swimming.

squeakyknee · Post by **squeakyknee** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 4:17 am

33, been in canoes since I was 12. bought a MadRiver Outrage X about 4 years ago and started progressing. other than the James here in Richmond my first real WW run was on the Pinnacles of the Dan River class II-III. was convinced to come try the Nantahala by Bill Reap and traded my Outrage for a Nitro there. I had been tryin unsuccesfully to roll the Outrage for a year or so and had even bought a Wavesport Z to work on it after meeting Marshall and deciding to give it a try. I rolled the Nitro the first day out on the Nanty and was hooked!
Since then I have been pushin the my limits a bit every run and have gone through a few boats. got a Necky switch (too small), A H3 (too big), the corn boat (some sort of beat up slalomn ( to squirrly)) and a Wheelboy (just right

)
Sold the Nitro and bought a Esquif Zephyr (also just right)
Now I'm tryin to kick but on runs like The Upper and Lower Gauley, Cheat Canyon, New River Gorge, and the like..
Have taught myself to kayak in the last couple of years, mostly just something different to do when it's too low round here to warrant scraping down in my boats.

Martin, you are 42??? no way....

tennOC · Post by **tennOC** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 1:09 pm

I am 49. Took my first canoe trip on February 28, 1980, paddling bow left in a 17' Blue Hole. That's how I became a lefty even though I'm right-handed.

Moved to Nashville in June of '81 and bought a 16' Blue Hole OCA. Joined TSRA and got a big jump on open boat skills progression.

Next came a Noah Jape C-1. Moved to Erwin and the Nolichucky, Frankie was a guide there and we paddled a lot together. He was into slalom and mostly paddled a kevlar Flashback (No. 13), so when Dave Paten (sp.?) and Mark Clarke came out with the Rattler Frankie, 'Possum, and I got No.'s 3,4, and 5. I raced and cruised mine 2 years then got a vacuum-bagged Edge that weighed about 22 lbs. Maybe my all time favorite boat, I took it on my all time favorite trip when I followed Psyco down the Upper G. in his Edge. It was my first time boating that run and we just boat-scouted everything. My only swim came at Iron Ring, Psyco forgot to tell me about the top right hole. His comment was "I thought everyone knew about that hole".

Frankie, Billy Keen, and I built three new Edges in the loft of 'Crae Dalton's barn for the '87 Open Boat Nationals which we were hosting at the Ocoee. But squirting was catching on so I sold mine to Ray McClain after the race and bought a Super Batmax from Jesse Whittemore, then had him cut it down to squirt.

'Crae and I were building some boats in his cabinet shop(Emprical Boatworks), so when he decided to build a real shop and start Bee Branch Boatworks I came onboard to help. While there I did a squirt boat of my own called the Shred. Paddled that for a while, then just dropped out of boating. That was about 1990.

In '98 I had a bout with cancer. Still living in Erwin, I started hanging out at the Noli again. One day Frankie showed up at the takeout in a prototype Skeeter. I went to work for Savage and started paddling a Skeeter. I got to help on the Superfly and Firefly(a rec. boat that never made production). After Savage folded, I helped Frankie do the Prelude and Spanish Fly out of my shop in Erwin. I still have prototypes of the Spanish Fly, Prelude and Firefly. Just need to get out more.

Sorry this got so long, great reading about everyone's story.

tennOC · Post by **tennOC** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 1:12 pm

Sorry 'Crae, that's "Emperical Boatworks".

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 1:25 pm

Don't think I stopped except for the three years 9 month 26 days, 16 hours and thirty three minutes of indentured sertude to military

Helly · Post by **Helly** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 3:54 am

I will tell that I started boating when I was 34.....a KAYAYER no less!! Started having issues with my lower back and legs...thought it was the small playboats doing it and all the twisting.....in actuality it was probably that and some major home renovations that did it.
Anyway, I realized that running a rapid on the Ocoee, then immediately having to get out of the boat wasn't much fun....so I looked into the alternative.
Started out in a Prodigy about 4 or 5 yr ago...that lasted 3 months, then I was in the Detonator (aka Helenator). Loved the detonator and paddled the heck out of it.....it is now delaminating...oh well...picked up a Phantom with bailey J gunwales (I was thrilled)....of course it dumped me out the first time I paddled it.....but I really, really like it now....even paddled the Ocoee in it....also picked up a Millbrook Rumba which I absolutely love.
I've paddled the Pigeon, Fractions on the Arkansas, Ocoee, Mid. Tellico.....still haven't approached anything as when I was kayaking (lower G, or Yough)......I would like to try the Lower G. again some day.
All this and still NOT 50!!!! (yet...)

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:19 pm

squeakyknee wrote:33, been in canoes since I was 12. bought a MadRiver Outrage X about 4 years ago and started progressing. other than the James here in Richmond my first real WW run was on the Pinnacles of the Dan River class II-III. was convinced to come try the Nantahala by Bill Reap and traded my Outrage for a Nitro there. I had been tryin unsuccesfully to roll the Outrage for a year or so and had even bought a Wavesport Z to work on it after meeting Marshall and deciding to give it a try. I rolled the Nitro the first day out on the Nanty and was hooked!
Since then I have been pushin the my limits a bit every run and have gone through a few boats. got a Necky switch (too small), A H3 (too big), the corn boat (some sort of beat up slalomn ( to squirrly)) and a Wheelboy (just right )
Sold the Nitro and bought a Esquif Zephyr (also just right)
Now I'm tryin to kick but on runs like The Upper and Lower Gauley, Cheat Canyon, New River Gorge, and the like..
Have taught myself to kayak in the last couple of years, mostly just something different to do when it's too low round here to warrant scraping down in my boats.

Martin, you are 42??? no way....

Well, mentally and behavior wise I am probably still a teenager (my mom still tells me to grow up ...

...), biologically, it's true...

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

Randy Dodson · Post by **Randy Dodson** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 7:02 am

I'm 41. Started paddling with my wife and her brother when I was 25. First solo boat was an Old Town H2pro.

I now have a Dagger Ovation, Dagger Aftershock, Pyranha Prelude, Old Town Cascade, We-no-nah Spirit II and co-own a Dagger Caption with Roger.

I've tried to paddle a kayak a time or two but I can't figure out what to do with that other blade. I can't take a stroke on the left unless it's a cross stroke so that other blade is just in the way.

I have an 11 year old son who is a dedicated open boater (so far)

but my 6 year old daughter is all about kayaks so she should be getting a Jackson Fun One for x-mas.

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:28 pm

I'm 25. I started paddling when I was 14 with my dad as a way of going on canoe fishing/camping trips. We bought two captions and taught ourselves to paddle by watching the videos solo play boating and the Open Canoe Roll by Bob Foote.

Traded the caption in for an ovation year 2. Traded the Ovation in for a Viper 11 year 3. Year 4 I traded in for a Skeeter and started running with Psycho, Louie and Bailey Johnson. Been Steep Creeking and Rodeo boating ever since.

Boats of choice these days are the Prelude, Spark and Spanish Fly. Lately I've been working on off-side rock spins and freewheels.

Jan_dettmer · Post by **Jan_dettmer** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:23 pm

weeeeelllll, I'm 30. I started paddling for real when I was 17. I took a whitewater open canoe class. I liked it and bought a Mohawk Viper 12 right after.

Quite a few boats/carnages/awesome experiences later, I mostly paddle C-1these days cause it's lower impact I think (I had an accident in an OC). I like running rivers, don't playboat much because there is not that much around here. I have Kayaked but suck at it. So I mostly C1. I also really like exploratory boating. Nothing than being on a river and not knowing what the next corner brings. Multiday trips are sweet, too.

1-1/2 years ago I busted my shoulder on a local run twice the same day. Since then I have been doing rehab, dislocating it again, more rehab, quit boating for a few month, more dislocations. Then I got er fixed up about two month ago with surgery. Can't wait to get back into the boat... hopefully next spring. Not paddling for a while made me realize that I like it quite a bit. It's the best sport in the world. BC mainland and Cali here we come.

Cheers, Jan

Wendy · Post by **Wendy** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:56 am

I am 54, so the first WW on the class II section of the ledges was in a Gruman canoe. I also raced sailboats then on the SE circuit. Started paddling every spring/summer in college and paddled every weekend till the drought. While I was waiting on my Zephyr to be repaired I picked up a Viper 11, apparently Dooley's - fun boat. While canoes were still aluminum I kayaked for 15 years or so, then went back to my true love OC1 about 8 years ago. Favorite boats- Zephyr, Detonator (need water in the SE to paddle it), Spanish Fly (so glad Esquif picked up that boat).

Taniwha · Post by **Taniwha** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:10 am

41. I started kayaking 1984, bought my first touring canoe '86 (Gatz Yoho II). 1991 I kayaked in New Zealand and watched a OC1 paddler run a class IV rapid in style and grace. As he swung right beside me into the eddy I looked up at him and said "Wow!". Evolution then grabbed hold of me, I saw the light!
Back home I looked long at suitable boats (hard to get and very expensive (still!) in Germany that time...) and stuck to canoe touring and easy whitewater runs with an Old Town Pathfinder. Finally I bought an Old Town H2Pro 1993.
A world canoeing trip (Costa Rica, California, Grand Canyon, Colorado, Idaho, British Columbia, Nepal (OC1 first descents on Sun Kosi, Modi Khola and Kali Gandaki), New Zealand) with a Dagger Rival as baggage came '96/'97. I only kayaked a couple of trips since then (mainly seakayaking, I'm looking into outrigger canoeing now to change that...).
Since the H2Pro and the Rival (which still is waiting for my return in NZ...) I paddle a French made DAG Scandal as C1 since 2001. Have demoed every Esquif boat this year, I like the Zoom a lot and for a C1 replacement I now look into a Bliss Stick Mystic.
As touring boats I still own the OT Pathfinder, and Old Town Penobscot 16, a 17' Steve Killing designed SDT woodstripper solo (built by a friend of mine).
A mix of touring and up to class IV whitewater is what I like best.

Bill M · Post by **Bill M** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:44 pm

I'm 59. Actually paddled my first WW class 2 Greenbriar River in W.Va in 63. Long pause till I moved to the Cumberland Plateau in Tn in 79. I bought a 16' fiberglass Mohawk and paddled the Hiwassee, Clear Creek( above Lilly) and middle Tellico. I traded up for a 16' mohawk abe boat and thought myself to be quite the paddler with inner tube flotation. Since then I've paddled boats made by Bluiehole, Mohawk, Perception, Dagger,Phoenix Sea1 and currently a n Outrage. I seem to have graduated down a class and rarely get on anything higher than low class 4.
Now living in Alabama Where I found new, to me, rivers.
Bill

NZMatt · Post by **NZMatt** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:20 pm

...32 I think....not as much time on the water this year, so the neurons aren't firing properly. I started paddling on and off in kayaks as a teenager, but didn't really get into it until I was 23 and at gradschool in the US. I paddled a kayak for a couple of years, then started to look at open boats....taught myself in my outdoor club's XL13, then about a year later bought a Detonator and haven't looked back. I kept on kayaking on the hard stuff and for park and play for a year or so, then converted a Bliss Stick Blitz Special for park and play/river runing and a few months later decided that maybe paddling a kayak only when I was on IV+-V wasn't the smartest idea....so I stopped. Got my first C1 creeker this year...at last...didn't really need one for what I was paddling in the NE USA, but here in Switzerland things move a bit faster with fewer breaks...and somethings are shitty to swim. I also started C1 Squirt a few years back, love OC1 slalom and paddle OC2 with my wife. She's also paddling OC1 when the rivers are friendly. If I could afford the boats, I'd ditch the C1s and convert fully to OC1, but I haven't yet got the guts to put down the cash for a Taureau, a Millbrook slalom and an OC1 park and play.....one at a time maybe

Anyone know where I can get a C1 Wildwater boat cheap in Europe for winter training?

Really hope to get in a big trip next year, so if anyone knows much about paddling the big rivers of Scandinavia (somewhere we can get lost a couple of weeks and see next to no-one), then drop me a line

C-Forum

How Old Are You?

I'm 50 something. started in 1966 on Little Tenn. 160 lbs

Oh all right....

Started in Girl Scouts on the Tellico above the ledges

Hmmm....