 | I did a thing. I (finally?) bought myself a new sea kayak! After being boatless in Europe for various reasons, I am now the proud owner of a purple low volume Cetus. I'm in love. She doesn't have a name yet, so if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments! FYI "Big Purple" is taken - that's the name of my first boat, which is in Boston at the moment... Why is it so much easier for me to buy a fancy kayak than a decent bike, the latter of which would be a far more practical purchase? |
When I first joined the Never Dry paddling club in Rotterdam, all the boat spots were occupied. I added my name to the waitlist, and spent the next 6 months happily using the communal boats. A week ago I learned that a spot had come available, and my name was next on the list! When I moved to Belgium a couple years ago, I set up an email alert for used kayaks on some Craigslist-type sites, but only once did I see a promising boat, and it was already sold when I contacted the seller. Second hand, high quality, low volume sea kayaks are hard to find! Now that a spot was available, I had to find something relatively soon, so I turned to new boats.
Kanocentrum Arjan Bloem, in Wormer, just north of Amsterdam.
Kanocentrum Arjan Bloem, located just north of Amsterdam, is one of the biggest kayak shops in the Netherlands. They're located on a small lake that's perfect for test paddling, and they have plenty of selection. After checking out the options, I decided to test paddle a Valley Etain 17.1 and a P&H Cetus LV. I was enthusiastic about trying a couple others, but the man helping me said they prefer to limit test paddling to 3 boats max, since they're new and need to be cleaned each time. At BayCreek we always had demo models available, which we still sold for a good price at the end of the season, so this surprised me... They also didn't have NDK boats - the only dealer I could find in the Netherlands requires you to make an appointment ahead of time, and have less selection.
There she is, in her full purple glory! The pastel-ishness will take a bit of getting used to, but we have plenty of time for that!
I liked both boats! I think I would have been happy with either. Both fit me well, have nice low decks (good for rolling), were fun to paddle. The Etain had more rocker, was a bit more playful, but for the same reason is a bit slower than the Cetus. The seat in the Etain was more comfy, but that's something that I can always switch out later if it actually bugs me longer-term. The Cetus was a tiny bit less expensive since it was the floor model. Finally, and not insignificantly, the Cetus was PURPLE while the Etain was only available in Yellow, Yellow/Red, or Red (yawn). Ordering in my own colors would mean waiting until February, which wasn't really an option considering the storage situation. Plus HOW would I ever chose my own colors? It felt like a sign, and I'm all for choosing between two good things based on a sign. I do regret telling the shop guy right off-the-bat that I had a purple kayak in the US, as I'm certain he thinks that was the only reason I bought the boat. Hence the overly detailed explanation for you, dear reader.
Maybe he was trying to get rid of this "interesting colored" boat, as his colleague called it, or maybe he meant it when he said it floated at just the right height in the water. Either way, he and I are both happy today.
Maybe he was trying to get rid of this "interesting colored" boat, as his colleague called it, or maybe he meant it when he said it floated at just the right height in the water. Either way, he and I are both happy today.
Our first of many watery journeys together!
The whole plan was nearly thwarted when I couldn't find the keys to the car roof rack (which had not yet been tested). I spent 20 minutes looking all over the car (Henk told me it they were in there somewhere!), when I finally gave up. Just as I was about to give up and tell the shop I'd have to come back another time, I noticed that there was a second compartment just above the glove box, well camouflaged into the dashboard. WHAT? Since when are there two glove compartments on top of eachother?? Naturally, the key was at the bottom of this super secret compartment. I went about attaching the roof rack to the car, and couldn't help but reminisce about the day Big Purple was delivered to California. Different car, different crossbars, same saddles and straps. Back in Boston, Big Purple is probably rolling over in her burrito in jealousy as I type this post. Maybe some day she will meet her longer, newer, glassier European twin...
There she is, all snuggled up between the other pretty sea kayaks!
| Eventually, when *NAME* was all safe and snug on the room, I drove home to Rotterdam and managed to unload her and get her up into a spot, all by myself! I had a few quick flashbacks to the first time I unloaded Big Purple from a minivan and she slid nicely off the saddles but then sideways off the car, BOOM, onto the driveway. She still has the dent to show for it. So far, so good. This week I will bike to work with a grin on my face, even though one of my brakes doesn't work, my back wheel needs replacing, and every day it greets me with a new grinding, squeaking, or clacking sound. #Iheartkayaking #purplekayakzforever #kayakingisbetterthanbiking #todayIlearnedthatmybankcardhasalimit #whatshouldinameher? #iguessthismeansimstaying #donttellmyretirementaccount |  A fun flowchart shared with me by Henk's dad, Jaap. :) |
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