Seaker and the Twins

An unusually beautiful fall day and I took the Seaker out again with my friends Ted and Jim. I had been hemming and hawing all week about doing an overnight trip but decided at the last minute (Friday night) to just do a day trip and not face a dewey, cold morning. As usual, had a very nice time.


On our second date, I find that I'm beginning to forgive some of the Seaker's flaws. Yes, folded it is a large and heavy package. But to move it from the house to the car this time, I used my folding cart. Easy as pie. And although it is a trunk filler for sure, I discovered it easily slides into the back seat with little effort. Using the cart, I think I might even manage to carry the Seaker plus gear onto the ferry! May try that next season.


Setting up is a bit more trouble than other Innova's, but really not too bad, especially with my new pump.


Now, I've always been a fan of the Bravo footpumps. Easy to use and well suited for the Sunny. But I've been going through them like crazy. All 3 I own are cracked, I suppose from being stomped all over on rocky beaches. I can aqua seal them up but I've also been curious about the K-Pump. Since the Seaker inflates to a higher pressure, I thought I would throw one in when I bought the Seaker. The video on their website of a truck running over one and the pump surviving sealed the deal.

Great pump! Seriously. Easy to use, easy on the back and inflates quickly. Careful though, because it can put out the p.s.i.'s. On my first trip I got a demo of the pressure release valve on the Seaker floor, as I blithely inflated past 3 p.s.i.


When I met Tim at Innova he explained that the original nozzle of the K-Pump did not work well with the military valves. Specifically, if the pump was not centered exactly, it could act like a can opener against the spring valve tip, and break the valve. So they developed this angled pump head that not only prevents that from happening, but makes for a more comfortable angle to pump at. Don't lose this piece!


The K-Pump also includes several other nozzles, including a long thin one for the seat and deck valves (classic Innova plug valves), a tube of pump lube, and a nifty bag that rides perfectly on the deck. Well worth whatever I paid for it (I forget).


Since this boat isn't suited to the one hand carry technique like the Sunny, I needed to invest in a set of boat wheels. Been avoiding this for a while now but it's a necessity. I really need to figure out how to convert these wheels into a combo luggage/boat cart. Klepper and Grabner sell one like this, but c'mon, $300?

And on my first trip with the boat cart, it collapsed on me only once!


Ready to push off!



A boat like this needs a sprayskirt, so I got one of those. I think it's sized a bit large but it's not so much a p.i.t.a to get it on, so I'm happy with it. Enclosed in the neoprene and nitrylon, I felt pretty comfy. So another plus to the Seaker. I found myself really enjoying the ride and the handling of the kayak.




I have to thank my friend Ted for the video. Unfortunately the lens cover he was using gives the video kind of a grainy 8mm look. I like it!







We weren't up for a big trip today, just a trip to the Twin Islands. I seemed to get there a lot quicker than in the Sunny...



Heading around Raccoon Island.



Pretty high tide all afternoon, and a few other people out enjoying this beautiful Autumn day.


Really just a gorgeous day out on the water. We hung around for a while, enjoying some lunch and the sunshine, and catching up with friends. Can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon.


Had a fairly easy trip back to Deep Cove, with just a little bit of wind. I am looking forward to a really windy day, so I can see how the Seaker handles in the wind. Already I've nicknamed it the Supertanker, for the way it sits so high above the water.

Back at the beach it was only a minor pain to get the boat back on the wheels and back up to the car. And I got the boat back into the bag with no problems. Brought it home and gave it some loving care today, looking for scratches (none) and cleaning out the water inside. Packing this up reminds me of my old Sterns Spree/Cordova days. I remember the first time I packed the Sunny and it just rolled up, and I thought "oh I like this". The Seaker is a bit more troublesome to fold up. Didn't have any trouble getting the water out either, though it took the use of a camping towel to get it all. Much easier to dry than the Spree was.

I have to admit I was feeling unsure of whether the Seaker was going to be a good boat for me. Still, the Sunny is my favorite, but for the times when it's not suitable, I think the Seaker is going to fit the bill. I am really enjoying this boat so far and looking forward to getting her back on the water as soon as possible.

Thanks Ted and Jim for the photos and the good time!