Kayak Notes 9/9/25 (Kayak Grand River Project)

Notes prior to deployment

Used the deploy list from previous run

1. Kayak!
2. Oar
3. Life Vest
4. Headphones
5. Sunglasses w/ strap
6. Towel
7. Water Bottle
8. Phone
9. Kayak wheels
10. Bike Lock
11. Bike Lock key
12. Waterproof case
13. water pump
14. Foot Pad
15. Seat Cushion
16. GoPro (optional)

Didn’t have the GoPro, was fine putting the Life Vest behind the seat. Had found the phone strap prior to this and was able to use that. This was handy as you can still use the phone through the waterproofing. Need to make sure the phone is in there properly though. Did not need the Kayak wheels as this was a remote deploy and they wouldn’t have been any help. Also what was not needed was the bike lock and key (but took it anyway for some reason). Waterproof case for keys (but then forgot and kept them in my pocket anyway). Missing from the list was the hand air pump. Took also the Dewalt Air pump but didn’t have the correct adapters present. Still need to work out if that is something I can work out.

Kayak Outing 9/9/25

Was running only a bit late and took the deflated kayak that was in the bag to the Grand Woods Park with the listed gear. I arrived at 4:45 PM (according to Google). This was going to be the first time inflating onsite and deploying in a “somewhat” remote location. i.e. there was no kayak launch. After much fussing, I was able to get it inflated, prepped and in the water. I departed on or about 5:08 PM. The river is extremely low and the kayak was bottoming out initially but was able to get out in the deeper portion. The trip went relatively well and made it to the Tacumseh Park kayak launch at 6:05 PM.

Entered the launch and got out, took a pee in the woods and got back in the kayak and departed. It was on the departure I was noticing my butt getting wet. At first I thought it was due to the little bit of water getting in from paddling but started to realize there was way more water than what would have been caused by that. It was then that I realized there was likely a hole in the bottom. There were a few moments where the bottom scraped on the way up but none seemed that significant. It seemed more likely it was caused by the kayak launch itself.

There was not much else to do but to keep going. This type of kayak doesn’t sink with holes in the hull. Only mildly possible if it is in the inflatable portion but even then, if caught in time, may be negotiable. So I continued on until getting back to the launch location. I arrived around 7:10 PM. I didn’t really take a moment to write down the time. I could not find my way across the shallow portion so just go out and walked the kayak over. I got the kayak out of the water and inspected it. Sure enough, there was a small scrape hole in the rear just before the hardened round end. I will need to repair this somehow prior to the next deployment. But was able to complete the circuit.

Got the kayak deflated and thrown in the back of the Jeep by around 7:23 PM (According to Google Maps). I didn’t mess around with getting into the bag as I just wanted to get out of there. Due to launching without a dock or anything, everything was very muddy.

Prior to next trip, we will need to clean and repair the kayak

Notes for next Outing

Getting late in the season so watching the weather will be important along with making sure to deploy as early as possible. I will need to be done completely by 7:30 pm with being back to the deploy site by 7pm.

The last trip went faster than expected. So estimating speed looks to be better than a mile per hour. Next deployment will likely be either

• Willow Kayak Launch to Delta Mills Park Launch (Est. 3.9 Miles)
• Tacumseh Park kayak launch to Burchard Park / Old Town (Est. 2 Miles)

The deciding factors will be time and energy. 3.9 miles would be the longest attempt made and I already have issues due to having Scuba going on at the same time. The Tacumseh run seems more likely.

Also, will need to clean and repair Kayak and haven’t even started that process yet. Along with contention with work, Scuba class and all the other issues going on around me.

It’s a day to day struggle