CountryboyinDC

I take great pains to keep from getting scratches on my plastic kayaks. Just snapped a picture of the most recent purchase (4th of July weekend). I'll go so far as to change where I'm going to make sure that they don't get scratches. Rivers around here are a bit scrapey, so I've planned to head to the Gauley end of the month to make sure I'm in well-watered bodies of water. Gotta keep that plastic pristine or it'll slow you down!

I've seen a lot more of the rule. Over the years, I've helped friends work on Jeeps more than any other type of car. Some of that has to be attributed to how they're used, to be sure. But to my point, a lot of IHC Scouts have been used as donors for differentials, transfer cases, and other drivetrain components over the years for the CJs, YJs, TJs, and LJs. You see folks put a small block GM in practically everything under the sun. I've never seen anyone take anything from a Jeep and put it in anything else. Fun vehicles they are, but I haven't found a mechanic that will call them reliable.

If you have a Jeep, you're going to be working on it. They're good for leaving you on the side of the road and leaking oil all over the driveway (any generation). Replacing a turbo is not so technical, really, if you compare it to a lot of the things you have to do in engine repair. I've changed out a few on tractors back in the day. But when it came time to put one on my truck (which basically has a tractor engine, the Cummins 6BT), I let the shop do it. The confined space to work within makes everything harder, but the turbo for my truck weighs around 75 lbs. No way I would get that sucker in position and lined up myself, and I can see me having an issue like you and having to redo it a time or 2 before I got it right. Bribing a neighbor to help would probably cost more in the type of beer I have to offer them than just paying the shop. I just opened the checkbook. Kudos for your perseverance and getting it done yourself.

Glad they're working. I wash mine (along with the skirt, PFD, helmet) with a hose everytime I go out. They don't stink badly this way. When you see them on sale, order another pair. They don't last, but man do they give you grip on wet rocks.

I've been using a Fox 40 for years. Got one on every PFD except for the fishing one. They're plenty loud (never tested beside this one), but you can't hear it for 20' on Little Falls if the gage is over 4 1/2' or so. A whistle might be useful in the woods or something, but in a rapid, you just end up relying on vision so much more.

Tanqueray Ten about 1 part to 2 parts tonic might be about the perfect drink. I don't see that a lime helps it one bit.

I see a van in your future. Start growing that handlebar mustache and mullet to complete the package.

I also use the WS pockets for the seat like @casts_by_fly, only mine are for 2 3600 Plano boxes and stay under the seat rather than in front of it. I am a little more minimalist than most folks on here, although I feel I can go overboard if in my pedal kayak. My crate keeps me organized - with what's in that I have all the gear I need for most 5 to 8 hour trips except the paddle and PFD. I can carry it with one hand.

Son's new PB largemouth, caught from a neighbor's farm pond while visiting with his Grammy. He scraped his fingers a bit trying to get a picture and wouldn't hold it, so my mom had to hold it up. Kids these days....

These are ones I made with PVC and the usual Harbor Freight hardware that people used to use for kayak carts all the time. Neither will be as handy as your Hobie scupper cart. Together they wouldn't cost $75 to make. I had to build the tandem axle.one for my Predator PDL, which is still lighter than your Pro Angler. If you want a cut list or anything, let me know.

Vixens (which I don't even have 1 anymore) and Super Spook Jr. And Zara Puppies for shallower water (I cut off the hooks and put on split rings and hooks for the Puppies). Still looking for a Vixen replacement - Rovers and Sexy Dawgs ain't it, that much I can say.

That is right fast @TnRiver46. Thinking about the times a rock has grabbed my paddle and turned my canoe or kayak upside-down in a rapid, I'd surely have an out-of-boat experience if not worse trying poling. I have seen demonstrations at canoe events, but evidently they have races. Looks real high stakes with the course laid out with water jugs laid on rocks. Folks will compete at anything. I have gotten my Old Town Predator PDL to 6.0 mph by graph speed. Above about 5.2, it starts to feel as though the boat is pushing backward. I would have figured the Outback would be faster, the Pro Anglers have no trouble keeping up with me.

They're not useless, just not intended for the average kayak angler. They should be used for any type of tethered rescue, because the 'belt' offers a quick release point for the rescuer. I agree that they're probably not going to be for most kayak anglers, and I don't wear mine when fishing. If I'm not fishing that's pretty well my PFD - the rescue PFDs are often made of Cordura, so they're a lot more durable than the ones made of ripstop, so they last a lot longer.

We're mostly inundated with politicians, as far as snakes in the grass go. Spew poison everytime they open their mouths.

This is how I do all my kayaks suspended from the ceiling. Gets them nice and tight unlike the hoists you buy, and all it takes is 2 cam straps with hooks on either end and 4 eye bolts. Voila - kayak is stored.

These are real grippy. Not real durable, but you see them on practically everyone carrying up Flake from O-Deck when they run the VA lines at Great Falls. That carry, in my mind, is more likely to kill you than the VA lines themselves. Mine are always hanging somewhere in the garage drying off this time of year.

If you're sure you're not going in the water, @TnRiver46 has the right idea, nothing like going barefoot. I will usually kick the shoes off in my pedal kayak after I launch, whatever they are if it's warm about. If you will be wading, I've had a lot of shoes over the years, and here's my 2 cents. It's hard to beat an old pair of tennis shoes. I have Keen Newports at the moment, and while they have toe protection, they're mostly good at letting rocks between the sole and your foot, but not letting them wash out unless you take the shoe off. If you really need something grippy on slick rocks, they're expensive, but Astral Rasslers are the best thing going. Not super durable; I go through a pair pretty much annually. I use these on whitewater trips. Booties do keep you warm, some have a little ankle support and maybe some grip on the soles. I use them sparingly - I'm known to swim at inopportune times, and inevitably my booties come off, go down river staying submerged before depositing themselves in an eddy 3 weeks later. Sucks to be barefoot when it's in the 30s.

That's a nice Bell (I guess Northstar now). I don't see lining holes (holes in the bow and stern, often with a small rope loop or painter line attached), and so I'm at a loss of how to run an anchor trolley without putting holes in the side. They're a big help, but at the ends of your boat, even with a minimally-rockered one like yours, the trolley line is likely to be over the gunwale, where it will be in the way, whether you're paddling, trying to swing a fish over the gunwale, or a number of other likely scenarios. I'd still try to make an anchor trolley - I find them very helpful whether I'm using stake out poles or a weighted anchor (I don't use drift socks). To affix the ends to your canoe, you could either use a lining bridle https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/how-to-line-a-canoe/, or maybe some super-strong suction cups. The ones that hold the roof rack on my car would be overkill, but something stronger than average might work. From there, the actual trolley aspect should be simple. I'm not huge on the drift sock, but it could be because of where I fish. It doesn't keep you in one place, just keeps you from moving with the wind. It's absolutely worthless if there's current, it just goes with the current. On rivers, I use a drag chain, and I'd say that's better than a drift sock. But if you're going out into big water, it may be worth looking into. West Marine, FishUSA, and a ton of other places sell them. Short of an anchor trolley, you usually want your anchor off the bow, so you'll want to tie to either the most forward thwart or grab handle if your deck plates have one. This gives you the best angle for your boat to fight the current or wind, and it will keep you mindful of what's going on with your boat before it capsizes, swamps. Make sure to tie a quick release, and have a knife that can cut that rope quickly on your PFD.

I generally only use one, but if I'm throwing really light lures, I'll tie a mono leader on the spinning rod too. I've got a 6'6 St. Croix Premier M/F split grip casting rod, and the spinning rod I may take along is a 6'6 St. Croix Avid M/F. I mostly fish shallow rivers from a kayak. Haven't been on the river fishing this year when the water wasn't stirred up pretty bad, so topwater hasn't been something I've been throwing.

When your family has that kind of intervention, you might as well go along. Love comes through in ways we don't wish it would.

3x your weight is going to make trimming the canoe, which makes both tracking (going straight) and and efficiency, very difficult. So you can move to get the ballast straight by moving the seating positions around if possible (stern paddler forward will be most helpful with the weights described) or with weight. As @PaulVE64 said, you and your boyfriend might benefit from a bit of paddling instruction. The J stroke and stern pry for the stern paddler are essential for the canoe not becoming a 'divorce boat' for you, as they have been known by so many couples.

Case helgrammite, black, Texposed on a EWG hook with an unpegged 1/16 Oz worm weight. I wish I could find that picture and the citation. It got lost 4 moves ago and I keep hoping I'm going to open a box and find it. No luck yet, but I did find my armadillo mounted upside down holding a beer bottle this last move You would think I would keep my prized possessions my wife doesn't appreciate together.

I now have T-Mobile for my personal phone (Note 20 ultra with 5G), and it gets good coverage. My work phone has Verizon, and there are times I get reception with it where the personal phone won't, but the reverse is true as often if not more. I can't comment on speed, because the Verizon phone is not 5G compatible.

100 lbs is going to be tough to get on the roof no matter how much the rack will hold. For the kayak saddles, I have the Yakima Big Catch for fishing kayaks. https://yakima.com/products/bigcatch. Like everything, they've gone up significantly; I think I gave $150 for them when I bought mine. The trailer might be your best option. What kind of storage do you have?

That's a big improvement for your speed. I have a neighbor who put down the deposit to try to get it at one of his vacation homes in a rural area (Pennsylvania). I don't believe he's got ot yet. I think that a good source of internet will get a lot of people to move out of the suburbs. 40 MBPS is not exactly blazing fast for families who need 2 people to be able to virtually conference, maybe a kid who wants to online game and another that wants to stream Hulu. That's a lot better than Hughesnet, though.