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What kayak would be appropriate to tour from Japan to California
I've been inspired by Outside Magazine and Ed Gillette to attempt my own crossing of the Pacific Ocean. Ed Gillette was able to cross the Pacific from California to Hawaii. I want to do the entire Pacific.
Ed had a slew of problems when he crossed. He ran out of food and departed during an El Nino year which meant terrible wind conditions. I don't know where Ed is today, but some articles I've read said he only packed 60 days worth of food. Could he have fit more? I don't know.
Anyways, my questions to you guys right now would be what type of Kayak would you use? Rigid fiberglass? Foldable? What brand names do you suggest? I want to be similar to Ed in using a traditional kayak and not some custom made beast that resembles a boat more than kayak. Obviously a double would be necessary to carry all the provisions I would need.
Ed did eventually use a kite sail to aid him when the winds were favorable. Do some in the kayak community view this as cheating? I think with enough time and resources I would be able to do it under my own power. It's meant to be a kayak trip, not a sailing trip. Would the feat be tarnished by the kite sail?
Does anyone know of a freeze dried food supplier that offers diets for extreme athletes that require 7000-10,000 calories a day? All the freeze dried suppliers I can find only offer traditional 2000 calorie diet supplies. I'd like to find a high calorie diet to keep my strength up and also maximize weight efficiency.
That should be enough to get the discussion started.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
P.S. - Has anyone crossed the entire Pacific in a kayak or is Ed Gillette's expedition the longest at this point?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Jennings on -
What Kind of boat would I use? Something in the 30-45 foot range, with a sail. => Maybe a couple of sails.
Ed used a big Tandem, but with a custom deck. You should talk to him, last time I saw him he was in the San Diego area.
I'd strongly, strongly, strongly suggest doing some ambitious, but shorter paddles first. As far as I know, even Ed's Hawaii crossing has never been repeated, and that might be for very good reason.
Geoff
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Permalink Reply by permanentjaun on -
Yea I know his effort has never been repeated. Like I said, I also think his is the longest Pacific crossing to date. It's certainly not the easiest thing to do.
I don't want a sailboat. I want a kayak. Where did you read Ed used a custom deck? All the interviews I read say he used a production kayak. http://www.canoekayak.com/features/stories/gillet/
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Jennings on
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I think, and this based on memory from meeting Ed and hearing his story in person, that it was a production hull, a tandem, but the deck was either custom or heavily modified to put him in the center.
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Jennings on
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If you use Freeze dried food, you'd need to de-salinate water. It might not be worth the effort.
I don't know of any that stock those kind of calories. Katie spotz just rowed across the atlantic, might be worth spending some time on her blog. You'd have less space and ability to move around than she did, but worth a read.
http://rowforwater.com/challenge/faqs/
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Permalink Reply by permanentjaun on
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What do you mean by, 'might not be worth the effort' ? There is a manual reverse osmosis kit produced by Katadyne (sp) that can produce fresh water from salt water.
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Jennings on
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But that's just it, you'd have to pump all the water. You're going to pumping tons of water anyway. Though, I suppose for the weight, freeze dried would be needed.
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Permalink Reply by Blake Lane on -
4.5 liters ( a gallon) produced for one hour pumping operation.
Sounds like quite a bit of effort.
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Permalink Reply by permanentjaun on
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What other options might I have then? Perhaps a solar reverse osmosis kit? Unfortunately all of my search efforts are producing more commercial/residential units rather than 'emergency' portable kits.
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Permalink Reply by Rey Sears on -
I think there is A LOT more here to consider than just filtering water but it's a definite key issue when surviving long term, open water conditions. There is a company called HTI (Hydration Technology Innovations) that I came across thru a special forces buddy. This company was based on treating the worst case scenario water for military that were in isolated or hostile areas during recon missions with limited to no resources. Salt water is very high in osmotic pressure so it requires a special membrane to filter it. They designed a Sea Pack kit that you simply add salt water into, add a 4 oz. syrup solution and wait 4-5 hours to drink (no pumping). But, you would also want to check with them to see if there are any negative side effects from continuous consumption, since this kit is based on survival scenarios (10 days). Alotta other issues to consider on this. Exposure, elements, experience are just a few that come to mind. I admire your enthusiasm.
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Jennings on
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I agree with Rey, and not to be rude, but I sort of feel like anyone with enough experience to consider a trip like this, seriously, would need to have done enough paddling long trips that they'd have the advice, not be asking for it.
Ed Gillette did a lot of big trips before trying his Hawaii crossing, and he still nearly didn't make it.
I don't mean to be negative, just a thought I had.
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Permalink Reply by Rey Sears on
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Just curious, but is this the same Matt (permanentjaun) that biked 4176 miles across the US to help raise money for Autism a few years back??
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Permalink Reply by permanentjaun on
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The one and only, yes.
Been a while since that. I suppose I have the itch again.
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