Equipment
The club can provide nearly everything needed by members for paddling. This includes
- 14 single sea kayaks
- one double sea kayak
- 21 whitewater kayaks
- whitewater and touring kayak paddles in a range of lengths, blade shapes, and feathers
- whitewater and sea kayak sprayskirts
- PFDs (also known as life jackets) ranging from extra small to extra large
- farmer john wetsuits in all manner of sizes
- a variety of drytops and paddling jackets
- helmets for whitewater and the occasional aggressive sea kayak trip
- paddle floats, bilge pumps, flares, whistles, and towlines for sea kayak trips
- whitewater and sea kayak float bags
- two C-1, one C-2, and one OC-2 canoe
- one downriver racer
For a typical day trip, all you'll need to bring of your own is clothes and lunch, plus a few dollars for a driver donation if you're going on an official club trip and aren't driving a car. For overnight trips, you'll need your own sleeping bag and tent as well.
Before going on a whitewater trip, you may want to refer to the list of things to bring on a whitewater trip. For sea trips, refer to the list of things to take on a sea trip.
The kayak club has an excellent safety record and devotes considerable effort to keeping club operations safe. Additional equipment is available to club trip leaders for use when leading official club trips, including first aid kits, throwlines, charts, deck compasses, and a VHF radio.
Equipment Use
All equipment use is restricted, without exception, to current club members. Club equipment cannot be loaned to friends or family, nor can non-members share the double kayaks with a club member.
If you lose or damage equipment beyond the course of normal wear and tear, you can expect you will have to replace or repair it. If you notice problems with club equipment, let the club's equipment manager know about them.
To take a boat out on Lake Washington, this is all you need to do:
- at the WAC canoe rental window, exchange your UKC card for a club key.
- open the door to the kayak room
- return the key immediately after opening the door (so that others can access club equipment while you're paddling) and get your UKC card back
- select your paddling gear: boat, paddle, spray skirt, PFD, float bags, etc.
- fill out the yellow equipment use card completely; cards are in the box the desk next to the door
- leave the equipment card out on the desk so that if someone's looking for a particular bit of gear, they can see that it's in use
- go paddle!
- upon returning, check out a key from the WAC again, open the door, and return the key
- put the equipment you used away, cleaning it if necessary
- date and sign your equipment use card and put in the back of the equipment card box with the other completed cards
If you are paddling late in the day, be sure to return before the WAC closes. If you are going to be paddling for several hours, it's wise to check the weather forecast beforehand so you can be properly prepared. Weather in Seattle is fairly predictable, but can still change suddenly if a front is coming through.
Work Parties
The kayak club's equipment is used heavily, and therefore requires regular maintenance. To make sure maintenance is done, and to make other improvements to club property, work parties are scheduled regularly. Typically, there's one every quarter.
As an incentive for participation, those attending work parties are added to the list of Club Saints and given priority when signing up for club trips. To foster an atmosphere of conviviality, the club also supplies pizza and beverages at work parties. Usually we have quite a load of fun.
Gasket Replacement
The club owns the tools to replace the latex neck, ankle, and wrist gaskets found in drytops, drysuits, drypants, and paddling jackets. These are available to repair both club equipment and your personal gear. The only requirement is if you use the club tools for your own gear, you have to replace the gaskets on something belonging to the club as well. For more information, contact the club's equipment manager.
Instructions for replacing gaskets can be found on Kokotat's web site. Make sure you get the correct gasket for the top. The club owns Kokotat and Stohlquist dry tops. George at Sea Kayak Academy will sell gaskets for our tops at a club discount.