KAYAKING LATEST HIGH TECH SPORT 

OUR LIVES ARE INVOLVED WITH HIGH TECHNOLOLOGY BOTH WHILE WE WORK AND SLEEP. NOW FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN NEW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTUR- ING TECHNIQUES ARE BRINGING ADDITIONAL EASE AND COMFORT TO EVEN OUR LEISURE HOURS.

IN TENNIS, GOLF, DOWNHILL AND CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, NEW PRODUCTS HAVE DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE "WORK" OF LEISURE PAST INTO MORE LEISURELY LEISURE.

I RECENTLY TACKLED CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AT TYAX MOUNTAIN LAKE RESORT IN THE CHILCOTIN AREA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, IN THE GATINEAU HILLS IN QUEBEC AND AT LOCAL LOWER MAINLAND SKIING AREAS ... ALL WITH DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT. THE NEW EQUIPMENT I TESTED WAS OF BETTER QUALITY, MORE COMFORTABLE AND SAFER THAN THE OLDER EQUIPMENT I HAD KNOWN IN THE PAST.

I TRIED THE POPULAR OUTDOOR SPORT OF KAYAKING DURING A SOJOURN TO MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, WHILE ON A TRIP TO NEARBY SILICON VALLEY. NATURALLY, I HAD TO GO FOR THE "HEAVY" OPEN-OCEAN TRIP FOR STARTERS. INSTRUCTORS AT THE MONTEREY BAY KAYAKING CENTRE ARE PLEASANT, EXPERIENCED, EFFICENT AND SAFETY-CONSCIOUS: THE HARDEST PART PHYSI- CALLY IS THE HALF-HOUR TRAINING ON THE BEACH IN KAYAKING TECHNIQUES AND SAFETY PROCEDURES. KAYAKING PROVIDES A RELAXED AND ENVIRONMENTA- LLY CONSCIOUS METHOD OF MIXING WITH MONTEREY'S FAMOUS SEA OTTERS AND SEA LIONS THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MOTORIZED EQUIPMENT.

THE SPORT IS ALSO GROWING RAPIDLY IN CANADA. THE ECOMARINE OCEAN KAYAK CENTRE ON GRANVILLE ISLAND IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER IS AN IDEAL PLACE TO TRY KAYAKING WITH MINIMAL COST, TROUBLE OR DANGER. ECOMARINE HAS A GOOD RANGE OF KAYAKS, BOTH SINGLE AND DOUBLE, FOR RENT AND FOR SALE. (RENTAL RATES SHOWN BELOW). THE WATERS AROUND GRANVILLE ISLAND ARE TRANQUIL AND EVEN MORE PICTURESQUE WHEN SEEN FROM A KAYAK.

MODERN KAYAKS ARE BASICALLY BUILT FROM TWO TYPES OF MATERIALS. THE MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT BEAUTIFUL AND LIGHT, FIBERGLAS MODELS RUN AROUND $1700 FOR A SINGLE AND ABOUT $2200 FOR THE TWO-PERSON UNIT. LOWER IN COST BY ABOUT 20 PERCENT BUT MUCH MORE DURABLE, ARE THE LATEST IN HIGH-TECH PRODUCTION, THE ROTOMOLDED TOURING KAYAK DESIGNED TO COMFORTABLY ACCOMMODATE MOST PADDLERS.

IN BUILDING A ROTOMOLDED VESSEL, PLASTIC PELLETS AND RESIN ARE POURED INTO A ROTATING AND ROCKING ALUMINUM MOLD, ITSELF BEING HEATED IN AN OVEN. THE HEAT MELTS THE PELLETS AND THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE HOLDS THE RESIN AGAINST THE MOLD IN PERFECT PROPORTIONS. THE END PRODUCT IS SEAMLESS, SOLID, STURDY AND PRACTICALLY PUNCTURE-PROOF. IF IT IS PUNCTURED ONE MANUFACTURER, NIMBUS, WILL GIVE YOU A NEW BOAT UPON RETURN OF THE DAMAGED UNIT--WITH NO TIME LIMIT!

THE LOWER PRICE FOR THE NEW PLASTIC KAYAK IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE PRODUCTION TIME IS ABOUT ONE-EIGHTH THAT OF A FIBERGLASS UNIT OF EQUAL SIZE. FIBERGLASS BOATS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BREAK IN HEAVY SURF BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN TO THESE NEW PLASTIC MODELS. THEY ARE HEAVIER BY ABOUT FIVE TO TEN POUNDS. THEY COME IN ALL KINDS OF COLORS. MORE INFORMATION: ECOMARINE OCEAN KAYAKS, GRANVILLE ISLAND, VANCOUVER, BC.

TEL 604/689-7575

OR MONTEREY BAY KAYAKS, MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA.

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