There are so many cool things happening here at Umingmaq Paddle touring Center, I’m not quite sure where to begin. I’ve been so busy with customers and preparing the shop for 2023 that the blog has taken a 4th row seat. I keep meaning to write about tripping, boats, equipment, philosophy, family, life and everything in between, but just never find the time. Here are a few highlights:
GRAM KAJAK: We had a great weekend at Canoecopia selling Gram Kajak Greenland paddles and we are fully stocked again after selling through a lot of our inventory. I still need to update inventory on the website, but we likely have what you’re looking for, just call.
GRAM KAJAK 9200D: This cool new paddle will be here by early next week. It is slightly wider than a traditional Greenland stick for added efficiency in straight forward paddling. If you like to play with your paddle and do a great deal of extended paddle techniques, then our 9000 or 9100 will be a better paddle for you.
ROCKPOOL KAYAKS: We have received two Rockpool Kayaks in stock, a Menai and a Bach Eto. The Menai is an 18′ expedition style sea kayak that will be excellent for medium to large paddlers. It is a responsive and fast kayak. The Bach Eto is a great all-around kayak for a medium sized paddler, it is very fun to paddle with very intuitive handling characteristics and ample speed. For all the Rockpool boats, the seating and foot-brace system are excellent and cradle the paddler in a comfortable, yet efficient position. We have more models on the way, including a Tarantella, which is a 16′ rocketship.
STERLING KAYAKS: We are now, officially, a stocking dealer of Sterling Kayaks from Bellingham, Washington. I drove 4000 Miles round trip, May 3 – 7 to pick up 4 boats. One was a special order Ice Kap for a customer and 3 were supposed to be for the shop. Word got around that I was going to get boats and another customer has spoken up for the Reflection that I brought back, so 2 of 4 Sterling Kayaks are already sold.
Don’t fret, I have an Illusion and a Grand Illusion in stock and ready for a new home. The boats are an interesting departure from the British boats I am so used to. They have some very interesting design ideas and if you have an open mind, you just might fall in love if you paddle one of these boats. They are hand-made in the US with the very latest build techniques, you can just see the quality of the build. The composite laminate in the boats is absolutely phenomenal. All of the Sterling Kayaks I brought back are the Carbon Kevlar layup.
Meeting everyone out at Sterling was very cool, I met Jim, who is the day to day operations guy there. I met the owner and I even got to meet Reg Lake, who is legendary in the outdoor community. Lake used to make first ascents and descents with the likes of Royal Robbins, Doug Tompkins & Yvon Chouinard. Lake had major input into several of the Sterling designs after a lifetime of climbing and paddling adventures. Reg and I hit it off immediately; I could have listened to his adventure and design wisdom for hours; if I didn’t need to hit the road for the 2000 mile trip back to Wisconsin. The boat below is the Grand Illusion I brought back to the shop.
TURNING POINT BOATWORKS: I have had a Petrel Play and Petrel on order since last fall. I am waiting for the arrival of the boats and expect them in the next few weeks. There have been some delays out at TPBW, due to their shop having some major HVAC issues this winter. When you build composite boats with the most advanced techniques in the boat building world, you have to have the temperature in your shop just like Goldilocks likes it, “Just right.” Unfortunately, the heating system was causing issues at their existing facility, so TPBW had to make an unexpected move when they needed to be building boats. They’ve got it all figured out now and it’ll be great to get these fantastic boats here for excited customers.
Drop us a line if you’d like to paddle anything we have in stock!
More coming very soon.
~Umingmaq