| Q - I've heard the Haystackers
are really "heavy duty" paddlers. Will I feel stupid or be out
of place paddling with you if I am relatively new to the sport?
A - That's so funny. You've obviously never come on a trip with us, if
you did you'd see that isn't the case at all!! Of couse, there are some
trips that wouldn't be suitable for you - specially if the trip leader
is Mike Murphy ;-) or if the trip is labeled "intermediate"
or "strenuous" but many trips are very easy. Look for trips
labeled "easy" and talk to the trip leader about it. Many of
our trips are very leisurely - specially those led by Gary Smith or Leonard
Naquin.
Q - Do I have to know what I'm doing to come?
A - Yes and no. Like everything, paddling includes some risks.
You must sign a waiver to attend a BHPC trip; and, trip leaders will evaluate
you for unusual medical conditions or other increased risks. But,
almost all first-timers do fine when they follow the guidance of the more
experienced paddlers. In fact, paddling with the Club is a perfect
way to acquire the skills that make the sport so much fun.
Q - Do I need my own boat to come with you guys?
A - Almost all Haystackers have their own equipment. Fairly soon, you're
going to need your own, too. Many of the trips are on a venues with
outfitters and you can rent a boat from them. Also Compass Rose and HJ Smiths in Covington,
and the LSU Recreation Dept. in Baton Rouge rent boats. Paddling with
the Club gives you a great opportunity to try various boats before you
actually lay out your hard-earned since most of us have several boats
and we don't mind sharing. Note: Guests are charged $10.00
to come on a trip, as per ACA regulations.
Q - Where can I go paddling in the New Orleans area?
A - Go back to Haystackers' Trips and view the various trip pages individually.
These are some of the various places one can paddle. Also, under almost
every trip description, there is additional information or a link to additional
information regarding how to get to the put-in and where to rent canoes
(if available). There are no canoe rentals available at some of
the places we paddle. Oh yeah, see the next question/answer also. (Answer
submitted by Tom Dumas)
Q - Can you give me a list of outfitters in the
area?
A - Go to the Outfitter's List.
Q - What would be a good choice of canoe (tandem or
solo) for most Haystacker area paddling or LA/MS in general?
A - Long slim solo tandem or solo canoes are ideal for most Louisiana
waters but shorter, wider tandems & solos are easier to turn and more
stable feeling to many paddlers. We do not need much hull rocker on most
of our club's trips. Some examples follow:
Long slim solo: Wenonah Advantage,
Sawyer Summersong, Bell Magic,
Madriver Independence. All are at least 15 1/2 ft long.
Other solos: Mohawk Solo 13 & 14, MR Slipper,
Wenonah Solitude, Mohawk 14
ft Jensen. All are 15 1/2 ft or shorter.
LS Tandems: Wenonah Sundowner
series, Most of Sawyer Canoes tandem
models(if you can find one anymore), Madriver
& Oldtown also make tourers
in the 16 to 18 ft long & 33" to 35" wide
range as well.
Other Tandems(15 to 17 ft) Mohawk
Blazer series, Old Town Discovery series,
MR Explorer series, Mohawk Nova 16. Many,many
others new & used available
in this category(also called casual recreation).
The best deals are here as
well.
(Above submitted by Harry Todd)
The list above was submitted a while back. Although the
informaiton is still valid, some of those boats may not be currently available
and there are some new boats that are also suitable. A few that come to
mind are the Wenonah Sandpiper (13.5 ft.) and Vagabond (14.5) and the
Bell Wildfire, but there are more. Visit the manufacturer's websites for
more information:
Wenonah - http://www.wenonah.com
Bell Canoes - http://www.bellcanoe.com
Mad River Canoes - http://www.madrivercanoe.com
Mohawk Canoes - http://www.mohawkcanoes.com
Old Town Canoes - http://www.otccanoe.com/
And you'll find reviews and information at paddling.net
- check their Buyer's Guide section and the Product Reviews section.
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