Home

Introduction

     Welcome to the Pikes Peak Paddlers site! The objective here is to provide a general informational resource to this marvelous sport, with a specific focus on the various aspects of kayak touring in the greater Pikes Peak Region in Colorado. Essentially, this would include terrain in

about a 50 mile radius around the mountain, which would envelop Pueblo, Colorado Springs and west up Ute Pass beyond the Lake George area.

      My history in regards to the sport has been relatively brief.. I paddled a yak for the first time back in June of 2006. I received an invitation to tag along with others at 11 Mile, and decided to give it a try. I have been involved with many different sports in my lifetime, but have never been water oriented. So, it was with some apprehension that I rented a boat and set out on the water. It was a somewhat blustery day, with water temps in the low 50's. We wandered around the various coves for a few hours, long enough to get a pretty good feel for what this kayaking stuff was all about. I really didn't have a clue as far as any sort of technique, it was all trial and error, which served to make it more interesting, actually. As a casual observer in the past, kayaks had always given the impression of instability. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, with the proper care, they are quite controllable. In fact, because of the enveloping stature of the craft, you come to feel as though it is just an extension of your body, which is very confidence inspiring. You are sitting right on the water, which invokes an intimate involvement with the substance that no larger craft can claim. The attributes of compact size, efficient shape, low weight, superior aerodynamics and low center of gravity all contribute to the making of a very high performance instrument. Agility is the keyword here! You can go places in one of these things that would be impossible in any other style of boat, flotation can be achieved in 6" of water. I love to play in the rock gardens...

     I came away from this experience suitably impressed, enough so that I immediately went out and bought a boat and began the seemingly endless process of acquiring the necessary support equipment to go along with it. I live out in the woods less than 15 minutes from the southeast end of  Eleven Mile Reservoir (Witchers Cove). I was looking for another warm weather sport, and had always thought that I should figure out a way to take advantage of that close proximity to the lake, and now everything has fallen into place, as everything inevitably does. I had considered a larger motorboat at one time, but this is far more interesting. Self  propulsion is QUIET, non-polluting and very involving. I have discovered a sense of peace and serenity on the water that I have never experienced before, especially when I paddle alone, which is quite often. I sometimes just lay back in the boat with eyes closed and float out in the middle for extended periods of time, it's an excellent meditation. Kind of a big waterbed! I feel like a whole new world has opened up, as I have never been involved in any kind of water sport before. The uniqueness aspect greatly enhances the whole experience for me. It's like coming home, we are composed of 70% H2O after all!

     This website is just an expression of  my newfound passion for this sport. I maintain several other sites, and felt strangely compelled to create this one. For financial reasons, the web address of this site is a sub-domain off of one of the others, but it could exist as a primary domain in the future. It is also currently something of a link portal, but hopefully will acquire much more in the way of original content as time goes along.

     I invite everyone to participate here, this can be kind of a central meeting place for Yakkers in this area, a watery social group. I have set up a Paddlers (Forum), which will allow everyone to communicate with those of similar interests, and make arrangements for paddle meets etc. You can also submit news, events, testimonials, articles, personal stories, correspondence, links, paddling items for sale, editorials, reviews, photos, water information etc for publication on this site... I have been involved with founding a national sports organization in the past, and have learned much from the experience. Consequently, I have no expectations here. This site has the potential to be whatever YOU want it to be, any sort of progression will require a group effort. Or, it can remain as my little contribution to the kayaking world. The choice is yours...

     By the way, this is not a "my boat is longer than your boat" kind of place. Yaks and Yakkers of all shapes and sizes are welcome here. The idea is just to have some fun out on the water, to create some positive energy.

The world can certainly use it...  

 

Happy Paddles,

Rod Ratzlaff    

 

            

Addendum:

      Last season I added sailing to my kayaking portfolio. I love it! It adds a whole new dimension to the paddling day.

Check out the "Sailing" page.

     I know that Colorado is prime White Water country, and it looks like quite an amazing experience. If  I was 20 years younger and had some swimming skills, I would give it a go. Alas, it is not to be.

      As of the end of the 07 season, my wife, Toni, has become interested in yakking and is now a boat owner.

This means that there is actually a sport that we can participate in together, an astounding development...

     By the way, the other sports that I currently participate in include motorcycling (mostly dual-sport) and ski-biking

(see: www.ski-bike.org) in the winter. I am also looking to get back into tennis, if  I could find some partners. Drop me a line if any of these activities happen to be of interest to you as well.

 

     

       

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Please submit testimonials, articles, personal stories, correspondence, links, skibike items for sale, editorials, reviews, photos etc for publication on this site..

 

 

WELCOME! to SkiBike World, an educational and inspirational resource to this marvelous sport.

The objective here is to be kind of the Encyclopedia of SkiBiking, and to provide a spectrum of information encompassing all aspects of the sport. Hopefully, you will discover some nugget of knowledge that will prove beneficial in your ski-biking journey.  

Kayaks

     Two seasons have passed, and I am now on my 3rd boat. As they say, variety is the spice of  life. I started out on an Old Town Loon 120. I like this boat alot, it's super stable and comfortable, and pretty much indestructible. It is constructed from a patented material they call Polylink. It's a 3 layer design, two layers of polymer with a foam core. It's very stiff and is virtually unsinkable. This will remain in the fleet as a loaner, it's probably the perfect starter boat.

My wife owns the 10' version, we call it the "baby" Loon.

     I picked up a Dagger Specter 140 (poly) last season. My main motivation here was to have a rudder for sailing, and to perhaps gain some speed and edging prowess. Mission accomplished. It also is more fully outfitted, with dual bulkheads etc. Note: Sold in 2008

     At the end of last season I came across an in state ad for a (used) Delta 130. This boat is manufactured in BC, Canada and is pretty rare in this country. The biggest attraction for me was the material it's made from, Thermoform ABS. It's kind of the best of both worlds. It has the scuff and impact resistance of poly combined with the long term durability and structural stiffness of a composite, with a mid-range price. Another great benefit is the weight, only 36#!  It is also thoroughly outfitted with dual bulkheads and full deck rigging etc, with excellent build quality. And, it looks pretty too... I needed another boat like a whole in the head, but you have to take advantage of opportunities when they are presented, the price was substantially less than new. So, I made the journey to Delta (CO) to pick up my new Delta, a very pleasant and scenic drive. So far, it's everything I had hoped for. Primary stability, tracking and speed are good, secondary stability and maneuverability are extraordinary. You can lean this thing over 70º and it will turn on a dime! Plus, it's light as a feather. Now I just have to install a rudder system for sailing, which may prove to be quite challenging (see story below). For my purposes, I think I may have found the ultimate yak... It is pictured below.

 

I have completed the rudder install, and, yes, it was quite challenging.

After doing the research, I chose a Prijon "Balanced Wing" composite rudder system. I think it's probably the most advanced design out there.

Photo >

*2009 Update:

My equipment acquisition continues. I have owned 4 more boats since the 3 listed above, what can I say, I like variety. They are, in order of possession:

Clearwater Design - Georgian Bay 140 (sold)

Old Town - Cayuga 130 (sold)

Wavewalk - W500 (current) > pictured below

Old Town - Castine 130 (current) > pictured below

 

I still have the Delta and the Old Town Loon.

 

This is my Wavewalk W500 catamaran watercraft. It's unique in all the world, and only available directly from the inventor in Boston. I have customized it considerably. A versatile and very interesting boat!

 

I composed a review article for the Wavewalk website

 

Old Town Castine 130 (Polylink3 hull)