I meet someone new at a party or through mine or my wife's work or a new neighbor or…etc. We get to chatting and, if initial chemistry works, the conversation goes on and at some point turns to what one does in one's spare time. When someone asks me what I like to do, I say canoeing. And then it happens. More often than not the other person replies by saying something like "Me (us) too! I (we) love paddling our kayaks." or “I (we) just bought a canoe at Walmart (or Costco). It is one were you have to sit on top”.
I’m just happy to meet other paddlers, whatever they sit in or on, or stand on, no matter single or double blade, 4K composite boat or WalMart rec kayak. Everyone got started with something, and if they are out in a self-propelled craft they are potential allies in the fight for clean water, decent access and other issues of concern to paddlers.
The only awkward instance I recall was at a party, one friend who was there is an accomplished paddler – canoe tripper and open water sea kayaker. One of the other guys overheard
kayak and jumped in “I have a kayak! My neighbor gave it to me! It’s a red Sun Dolphin! I have a double sided paddle, its aluminum and unbreakable! I wanna get out on the Bay!” Etc!, etc!, etc! all things kayak. His enthusiasm was overwhelmed only by his near total lack of knowledge.
It was painful to listen to my friend try to slow him down and gently steer him towards appropriately novice waters, decent economy paddle, (lack of) floatation, cold water cautions. I stayed the hell outa that conversation.
I will usually chat up any paddler who looks unhurried; at the launch, in rest area with a boat on their car, at the next table in a diner if I overhear paddling conversation. That does drive someone nuts, my longsuffering wife; I can hear her rolling her eyes and thinking “Oh lord, here we go. Or here we
don’t go; he’s gonna talk to them for the next 20 minutes”.
I’ve met some nice once-strangers/now brethren that way, including a local grocery store clerk/rec boat paddler, whose aisle I now try to pick. I’ve brought her maps and directions for appropriate waters, and we always spend at least 30 seconds on
Where ya been paddling, where ya going next?
One of the best conversations started while sitting in a diner with a friend. We had his modern sea kayak and my converted 1971 Old Town Sockeye on the roof racks. A car with two high end sea kayaks pulled in next to my truck, two guys got out and did the paddler-curious eyeballing of our boats. They came in, took the booth next to us and began looking out the window discussing what that that odd yellow and black kayak was.
They seemed to know a good deal about boats and we eavesdropped on informed debate. The Sockeye has a strikingly distinctive hull shape, more distinctive with my paint scheme and outfitting. I’ve seen a lifetime total of two Sockeyes, and mine has zero make/model identification, except the moniker “Sea Wimp” neatly painted on the bow.
We were ready to leave before they ordered and I stopped to tell them “If you can identify the make or model of that yellow and black kayak I’ll buy you breakfast”.
The four of us were out in the parking lot talking boats and paddling places for the next half hour. They never got close to “Old Town” or “Sockeye”, and I gave them multiple guesses. Nice guys, we swapped some paddling place suggestions.
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