Howdy all, as you might be able to tell from both my clever title, and the accompanying picture, I am now the proud owner of a new kayak! Well, not quite a new kayak, but definitely new to me. What you are looking at is the gorgeous Perception Kayaks’ Cadence 14 boat. This little gem was just introduced last year, so it’s a relatively new model. So just how exactly did I go from shoes to a kayak? Well, that’s pretty simple to answer. As many of you are aware, I’m a bit of a frugal fellow when it comes to the little things, but I have this rather odd compulsion to drop large piles of money on new toys at the drop of the hat when something strikes my fancy and the mood strikes me. This little gem was just one such of those experiences. I was heading to Bushtukah for the semi-annual VIP sale when good shoppers like me are given the chance to save some coin over regular prices. I was originally going in to buy a new pair of runners, trail shoes, and / or bike shoes, but instead was wowed into getting this boat. Read on for the rest of the story. Oh, and check out the rest of the pictures I took.
So there I was, wandering through the store, looking at different things that I might be interested in buying. The running shoes I wanted weren’t available in my size, nor were any bike shoes that really met my needs (or my size). However, I soon wandered over to the boat area, and started having a look at kayaks. You see, my much prettier half has decided that she was interested in getting a kayak. This suited me just fine, because I think it would be pretty fun to get out paddling with Jody, instead of always just going out on my own for training. WIth the deals that I could get that night, it was probably the best time I’d get before the end of season to snag a decent boat for a good price. As such, I was having a look through all the different play boats for one that would be close to mine that she might be interested in. I also gave a call home to run the idea past Jody. I was in luck, she was feeling rich, and agreed this might be the right time to get a boat. Sadly, due to the nature of the sale (one night only), I was going to have to make the decision for her.
Soon enough, I had one of the salespeople helping me out, showing me the different boats and prices. I shared with him what I was thinking, and what the boat was for, telling him it was for Jody and not me, so I had to choose based on her needs. We then got into talking about boats, and I was talking about why I had a boat, which was to train for AR and even do some races. He motioned behind him up to the cieiling and said “that’s the boat you want”. At first, I paid no attention, as I was focussed on Jody. However, I did take a look at the boat, and was intrigued. I asked him about the boat, and he started expounding on how fast this boat was. It was made of plastic, but a unique plastic that makes it much lighter that tne roto-molded kayaks that are most popular. In fact, this boat, although a foot longer than my other one, was actually 10 pounds lighter.
Interesting, isn’t it? Next, he explained to me that it was really just made as a fitness boat. Built to be fast and light. In fact, there were no bulkhead, rudders, keels, skegs, or anything like that. What it did have, was a GPS mount on the deck! What? Well, it has this detachable piece that you mount a watch on, and/or a GPS. Perfect place for my Garmin 305, so that while I’m paddling, I can keep an eye on heart rate, speed, and distance! Even more interesting. You see, last year, I entered a kayak triathlon, and was quite happy to come in second place. This year, I’ve actually signed up for two more kayak triathlons, and think I might have a chance at winning them outright. However, that meant I needed a faster boat. I had planned on renting a fiberglass boat for race day, but now, it seemed as though I might be getting a chance to get my own racing boat, to get comfortable with, as well as have a 2nd boat so that Jody and I could go paddling together. Fate seemed to be telling me something.
It only took about another 20 minutes of mental back and forth with myself before I decided I should seriously think about getting this boat. Okay, so what about the little red boat that I’d already invested in? Well, another quick call to Jody confirmed that she would be happy with that being her own boat, since she had already tried it out last year. It’s a great little boat, so I’m glad it’ll ‘stay in the family’! Well, that’s pretty much the story. I’d write more, but I’ve gotta get out on the water 😉
