I am a bit of a collector of old school whitewater kayaks, You guys asked to see so here they are: If you want to support me consider using this portal to access and shop on amazon. www.amazon.com/shop/alexbarham MountainmanOutdoors.com
At one time , I had 8 . I stopped supplying my friends with recreational toys when we would go camping . I kept the best 1 and sold the rest in 2015. In 2016 , I bought one more . Now 2024 , I was selling the kayak that I have not really used in 5 years . I was happy to be down to 1 … then the guy that bought the one I sold gave me his old one to find it a home . So , found someone that needed a kayak . Now , selling 3 pontoon boats . I also still have another aluminum boat to sell . my aluminum boats became lawn ornaments for 9 years because I prefer my kayak .
Question: do you have Contour Ergo outfitting on your toilet at home? If so, could you please create an instructional video for the rest of us to enjoy it on our own thrones?
Thanks for sharing. If I were crazy wealthy, I would collect as many different plastic boats as I could. There are so many that I remember from back in the day that you just don’t see anymore. They should be displayed and remembered documenting the evolution of boat design and the fads of the time.
Really the expensive part would be giving them the indoot storage they deserve. Love these bits of history I couldn't have as a kid, but man do I despise the outfitting!
Alex Barham The outfiting was pretty hit and miss depending on the manufacurer and year. But, I can say the same for todays boats. At least we don’t have to huff contact cement as often these days.
We are lightyears ahead compared to 15 years ago. At some point we have to accept that there is going to be some elbow grease involved. It is like breaking in your baseball mitt when you were a kid.
@@AlexBarham Exactly. The video opens with brief clip, "this squirts greaglurg glurgn gasp". Then the dryland walk around, a little fear in the voice. A description of the outfitting and pain while sitting in a quiet eddy. The grand finale is your first mystery. Your devoted fans demand this.
I need some help! Love your videos and looking at getting into whitewater with one big problem my size. I’m 270 6ft and have been looking at a katana 10 for the versatility but curious do you recommend any boats?
Hey Richard! I've been just below that weight range, and it does make things tough. I would stay away from crossover boats, that will make learning whitewater even more difficult. Personally I would start you in a Large Machno, Large Nirvana, or Large Zen 3.0
I have a wavesport Habitat 80, which i love. But i am only a Class 2 Plus boater. I run easy 3's and that's enough for me. I also have a large Zen which is a little tight on my feet and @ 6' 3" 250 lbs i'm trying to lose about 20 pounds for my next boat which will probably be the antix 2.0. I always wanted a play boat just because they're small and easy to transport but at my size and age i knew i wouldn't be comfortable in the smaller playboats. Thats a nice collection Alex.
Take it from me- clear liquids and no carbs. Do it till you like it and you'll change your life. The Antix 2.0 L will do really well for you. Give it a shot. Keep an eye open for a Jackson MonStar. One of the biggest playboats ever made, and a perfect design for you. You may also be able to get your legs in a Rockstar 4.0
@@AlexBarham Because of my knees i think the extra leg room and volume in the new antix is the better of those. I've never playboated before but now that i'm retired i have time to try. The antix is the same length as my habitat with only three gallons less volume. Thanks and keep up the good work. I'll be watching.
Alex was wondering if you’ve heard anything about liquid logics new plastic they’re using heard a few rumors that it’s thin and saw pix of one boat oil canned after a couple runs
I stopped following plastic rumors a long time ago. The plastic is changing all the time, 99% of the time you would never know. No difference, certainly not negative. When there is a plastic change and something goes wrong odds are that the manufacturer will make it right.
I killed my Axiom last season and have been in a constant stream of half slice demos ever since. It is a big hole in my quiver right now though. I have the RPM if I am in a pinch
Still love this video. Any thoughts on the Fluid Nemesis? I saw one locally, great shape, asking $475 but I have like 10 paddles so i'm sure we can work something out. I went back to this video because I knew you had a Fluid and I forgot which one. Also not trying to troll, totally curious: when you got to the Nano, did you mean to say "Injection Molded Full Slice"? You said Roto, I thought Roto was the boring cheapo one we all paddle and Injection Molded was the cool Euro one that lasts more than 3 seasons?
Yup slip of the tongue. Happens to me all the time. I JUST saw a few Nemesis on the Ottawa. Been a decade since I last saw one. Looks like they make a good C1, but otherwise there are so many other options. I'd find a Jed, Project or Project X
@@AlexBarham too late. Got the Nemesis anyways, like new for $400. It’s sick, surfs and spins like a dream. But it does have what I can only describe as Circus Rocker, and somehow it’s even more cartwheely than a full slice if you’re not careful. It looks like butt bouncer kick rocker on both ends, but not quite. Take a look, it’s more gradual and this boat just wants to lean clean constantly. I can tell there’s some magic in there somewhere. Still figuring it out but it’s more fun than a normal spud boat, I don’t have my air screws dialed just yet
Great video! What with Earth's rapidly diminishing oil supply where do you think the future of whitewater kayaking lies? Composite boats but no technical creeking or seal launches or recycling plastic?
Interesting questions. I think the reality is we will be able to afford less hobbies as all items continue to cost more, and be forced to choose ones closer to home. However, I think this is decades away from causing significant change
hi alex! i've been trying to find a good playboat but i can't decide on what to get. i'm around 115-120 and spend my summer trying to find the dumbest things to do. i spend most of my time on small rapids, but i want something that i can abuse the hell out of without getting hurt. what would you recomend?
@@AlexBarham i will probably end up going with a playboat since i want to learn how to do a few hole moves and go to some local play spots. it's also easier to teach students in a similar boat to them in my opinion.
Alex I finally found a ww kayak to replace my pelican elie 100nx an old wavesport super. What skirt options do I have hopefully new options are still available. 5,10 185lb size 34 pant size. Keyhole 36.5" 20.5" 96" XXLarge Im a Newbie paddle suggestions would also be appreciated.
"Old school". LOL! Child, you have know idea what "Old School" is. BTW, I love your recycling idea, and your concern for the rivers. I wish the people of my generation had have shown some concern for the rivers out west that they dammed up. A lot of epic whitewater was lost when that happened, not to mention the damage to the environment they caused. Total suckage.
Lol excuse me for not wanting to own a Hydra Yeah, it really is sad. We are NO different though. We lost rapids bigger than, the Niagara gorge all over the state. We have hundreds and hundreds of dams being the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
@@AlexBarham A Hydra is still pretty new compared to the "BLeading edge" technology we had in the boats we ran the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in back in 1953. We were the first and last to run the entire canyon starting at Gunnison, CO, and going to the river's confluence with the North Fork of the Gunnison just outside of Hotchkiss, CO. The reason you can't run it for its entire length anymore is that they build four dams down there. Construction was started on the first two the year after we ran it. In the rating system of the day, it was rated class 7, unrunnable. After we ran it, one of our team members quipped to an interviewer that it should now be rated class 6. 666. Kayaking in hell. As for the high tech used in the construction of our boats, they were extremely high volume boats with no keel and almost no rail. They were made entirely of fiberglass. We carried fiberglass repair kits with us as well as extra paddles because if we were to break something down there, it would have been almost impossible to climb out. That's just the nature of the canyon. At that time there were no roads or trails down into it. Once we passed the passed the now inundated town of Sapinero and the narrow gauge railroad bridge just past it, we were committed (or maybe we should have been committed for thinking up such a suicidal idea). The only ways out were; 1) paddle out, 2) die. So yes. Fiberglass, and before that, either doped canvas stretched over a steel or wooden frame, or hides over whalebone (Eskimo only). It was a pretty rare thing to see people in kayaks back then. The reason we chose kayaks over any other sort of boat was two-fold. First, they were narrow enough to maneuver some of the rock gardens we knew we would encounter, and rubber rafts and dories were not. Second, even though fiberglass was a new technology, it was still easier to patch/repair a fiberglass boat than a rubber raft or a metal or wooden dory. Anyway, if you ever go west and find yourself in the area of White River/Yampa River, we should get together and I will show you what old tech truly is. It probably should be sooner rather than later though. I'm no spring chicken, and when you get to be this age, you know your days are numbered no matter how good your health is (or you perceive it to be). Oh, and by the way, I'm jealous as heck of you guys today and the awesome equipment you have at your disposal.
If someone were to ask me what boats I own, I would have to truthfully say, "none. My boats own me." That Maverick looks really railey. In fact most of those boats look like they have a lot of rail. Want a really comfy seat for your girlfriend's boat? Buy a Roho Hi Profile Wheelchair cushion and glue it into the cockpit. I swear, you can sit on them all day and never get butt-sore. U'm serious. It really works. Actually, it's the cover you glue in. That way if you need to repair/replace the air cells in the cushion, you can do so easily. I promise you it will beat anything available specifically for designed for kayaks. Leave all the other bracing she has specifically fitted to her in the boat. Another advantage of putting a Roho cushion in is that it adds just a bit more buoyancy to the boat if it gets swamped if you have to bail out. Same as adding inflatable flotation bags front and back, though admittedly not as much.
@@AlexBarham If you do try it, you don't want to inflate it all the way rock-hard. you should sink into it. If the high profile is too tall, then the low profile would probably work, though the problem there is that you might bottom out since it's not as thick. You can add and remove air from those cushions, and the trick is to get it filled to that just perfect level where you're floating on it, but when you use your thighs to hold yourself into the cockpit, you aren't going to go anywhere other than right where your at in the cockpit. The bad news regarding them is that they are hideously expensive. Anything made for the medical market is overly high priced here in the US because there's sharks in the medical market who smell money, and to them that's the same thing as blood (guess that's why they call it blood money) and they are ruthless at gouging money resources (usually insurance companies, then after that runs out, consumers) from everywhere they can. So, because they can get away with it, they will charge $350 to $600 for a high profile cushion. As I became too old to run really excellent white water, I started moving over to touring boats (I refuse to get the kind with a rudder... to me that's just too far from what a real kayak should be) and spent more and more time on long trips one smoother water. If you're going to spend five or six hours at a time in a 'yak without getting out at all, you really do need something soft and comfy under your bum. I had a friend who had become paralyzed in a traffic accident, which as it turned out was a preview of what would become of me. She is the one who suggested that I try out the wheelchair cushion in one of my kayaks, which I did. I was afraid that it wouldn't hold me firmly enough in place, but after doing a few rolls and a few braces at various levels, I was convinced that it was just the thing. Old war stories. There ya go.
