A Small Kayak Ditch Kit

 A few months back I did a presentation for the Mid-Coast Flyfishers on building a Ditch Kit or Ditch Bag for kayaking and small boats.  The kit can easily be scaled up or down to suit a variety of situations and conditions, but I had a couple goals in mind when I put it together.  Goal 1: Follow Dave Canterbury's 10 C's of Survival as a guide. Goal 2: Try to utilize as much gear already in my collection as I can. Goal 3: Keep it small and light enough to fit in the MTM box that's been looking for a new purpose.  Most of these products were things I already had on hand that just needed to be pulled together into kit form, but should be able to be obtained readily and fairly inexpensively.  The use case I envisioned for this kit would be along the lines of becoming stranded on one of the many spoil islands we have in our area after kayaking, or perhaps having to seek shelter to wait out a storm.  Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Here's the list of Dave Canterbury's 10 C's of Survival and what I used to fill in each category:

C1:  Cutting Tool: Fixed Blade Knife Maratac Compact R4A (Ready 4 Action) Fixed Blade

C2:  Combustion: Fire Kit of Striker, Ferro Rod, Lifeboat Matches, Bic Lighter (I keep mine wrapped             with Gorilla Tape and Waxed Hemp cordage)

C3:  Cover: Space Blanket

C4:  Cordage: Paracord (A hank of about 10' minimum is what I prefer to keep on hand)

C5:  Container: Whirl-Pak Bag (Holds a liter of water, but can be packed down to about the size of a lip         balm tube)

C6:  Compass: County Comm

C7:  Cloth: Cotton Hankerchief

C8:  Candling: Small flashlight (In this kit, I went with a peanut-style flashlight for it's small size.  It's a         backup to the slightly larger light I keep in my EDC. I also included two Snap Light chem light            sticks.)

C9:  Cargo Tape: Gorilla tape on lighter

C10: Combination Tool: Leatherman

A few other things I added to round out the kit and make it more "mission specific" are:

    A physical map of the local area (state map as placeholder, but better than nothing)

    A personal (and personalized) first aid kit

    A small snack and hydration bag

    A small personal hygiene kit

    A spare signal whistle

    A small ham radio or backup communications device

    A pack of water purification tablets

43rd Annual Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival -- 23 March 2024

 Our day started out pretty soggy, with some fairly heavy rain falling on the banks of Lake Dora at the seaplane port in Tavares, Florida.  Fortunately, the  rains subsided and we were able to walk amongst  some of  the most incredible wooden boats I've ever seen gathered in one place.  The Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival is reputed to be the largest festival of antique and wooden boats in the entire  eastern United States!  There were definitely more boats presented than we were even close to be able to see!  Every imaginable boat type was represented, from tiny little wooden racing boats and canoes, to massive, multi-engined luxury launches!  This turned out to be a great day for us, an excellent day for a show and I really look forward to going back again next year.  In the pictures that follow, I tried to give a good overview of what was there.  There's no way I could photograph and share everything, so if you're interested, I encourage you to go next year!  I know I'm looking forward to the next one! 

I hope you're all doing well!
Tight lines, Fair Winds and Following Seas!
    -Nick

One of many small racing boats!

These little boats really rip across the water!

If I had the room, this big Cargo Canoe would have been a fun restoration project!

A beautiful, wooden skiff in the For Sale area.

A bit of time and elbow grease is all it would take!

1964 Century Resorter fully restored and ready to hit the lake!

Even the gators like wooden boats with classic Johnson outboards!

Wouldn't it be fun to flyfish out of one of these classics?

Such a cool race boat with a gorgeous vintage outboard!

Just such a classic look!

Talk about a dream boat!  Beautiful, big Chris-Craft!

I really like the lines on this Lyman!

A closer look at the Evinrude on the back of the Lyman!

There was also a decent Swap & Sale section of the show with some eye catching recycled water ski Adirondack chairs!

Newport Vessels 2023 Flash Sale

 Good morning Folks,

  I received an this email last night from my buddy Andrew with Newport Vessels running down the Flash Sale that they're having right now and wanted to pass it along!  I've been running a Newport trolling motor on my boat and, while I unfortunately haven't been able to put all that many hours on it yet, I've been very impressed with it when I have gotten out.  You may remember in my ICAST coverage that I spent some time in their On The Water booth and the show booth, but they had run into a spot of bad luck with a shipper and had very little info at the time.  But, hey, if you're interested in an electric motor for your kayak or outboard for a small boat, now might be a good time to take advantage of the Flash Sale.  Just an FYI, it looks like Andrew included some affiliate links in his email, I appreciate you clicking them to navigate to Newport, but totally understand if you'd rather find your own way.

  I hope you're all doing well!

    Tight lines and have a great day!

       -Nick

  

Hi Nick,

Know you're always on the lookout for great deals on outdoor + fishing gear, and happy to share the scoop on Newport's flash sale - featuring 20 percent off the best-selling NK180 Kayak Motor and NT300 Electric Outboard, plus more savings and free gifts happening all this week. 

Here's the quick rundown of savings and gifts for your readers to shop on Newport's site, available through 12/16 while supplies last:

Free Newport gift card with every purchase:

• Spend $100, receive a $50 Newport gift card 
• Spend $500, receive a $100 Newport gift card
• Spend $1500, receive a $200 Newport gift card

Featured Deal: Newport™ NT300 Electric Outboard Motor  (Skimlinks)

 

IMAGES • MSRP $1,199 Sale price $959.20 (20% off)

Delivering lightweight performance in an ultra-quiet, energy-efficient 3 horsepower equivalent (3HP) electric outboard motor, featuring flexible power options (choose the Newport 36V30 or 36V40 Lithium Battery), brushless direct-drive motor, field-oriented control technology (FOC), digital throttle and LCD screen. 1300w of peak power, 66 miles of est range, a top speed of 6.5MPH, and 30 hours max run time.

Newport™ NK180 Kayak Motor  (Skimlinks)

 

MSRP $999 Sale price $799.20 (20% off)

Newport's 1.8HP brushless electric kayak motor delivers excellent efficiency and extremely low noise with a direct drive design geared specifically for kayak anglers to stay out longer, get there faster, and catch more fish on fresh or saltwater. 

Newport™ Bluetooth Lithium Batteries  (Skimlinks)

36v30ah MSRP $949 Sale price $806.65 (15% off)

24v50ah MSRP $929 Sale price $789.65 (15% off)

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss. I’m happy to help!

Cheers,

Andrew

Sage Sport 160, ICAST 2019

How gorgeous is this Sage Sport 160? A new boat with a long history, the product of 50 years of refinement in Florida's waterways combined with modern materials, methods and Colorado craftsmanship. It can be rowed, paddled, stand-up paddled, poled, motored, possibly sailed and car-topped!

via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0hCMJBQPF/

Towee Boats -- TFFS ATL 2019

I really like the look and feel of these Towee Boats skiffs!! And, there's really no better endorsement for a product than to get to speak with the owner/designer at these shows! Stop on by and meet Todd and tell him The Suburban Angler sent you!

via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BtWU3PRDihh/