Webmaster making slow headway against the current on Little River, NC, below Morrison Bridge.
Introduction:
I am on the verge of getting into paddleboating. At this time, I don't know if it will be a kayak, canoe, jonboat, or vee-hull runabout. Was considering an inexpensive Sea Eagle inflatable canoe just to start getting the feel of visiting the local waterways. This would have been a good opportunity to work off some of my waistline as well. So I went to nearby Lake Gladewater so evaluate the facility from a paddling viewpoint. I was rather shocked to find out that it would cost me just as much to paddle a high-tech air mattress with the sides folded up to resemble a canoe as it would cost to run a $30,000 200 hp ski boat. $7.50 for a one-day permit or $50 for an annual permit is too much, in my opinion, to paddle around their smallish lake in a 26 pound rubber boat. I may eventually pay their fee but it won't be for an inflatable craft.

Another problem is a wife who strongly dislikes the water, boats, and anything reptilian. I can just imagine easing silently through Caddo Lake and the only sound that can be heard is my wife freaking out as I try to ease up to get a photo of an alligator or a fine snake specimen. Now just for the record, there ARE things I will steer clear of - elephants, hippos and crocodiles, all of which are extremely rare in East Texas waters.

The Web Site
This site is maintained at my own expense through GoDaddy and Blue Host Web Hosting. I gave up on free web sites long ago. You may visit any page on my radiojerry.com, radiojerry.us, or letarc.net domains and know that you will not be assaulted with cookies or popups or any kind of advertising. However, I can not speak for sites I may link to. I will not knowingly link to a site that buries the viewer in popups or will not let the viewer easily exit the site. Also, e-mail addresses that may appear are done in gif images so spambots can not harvest the information. I hate spam more than I hate avalanches of advertising from a web site.

The links will include categories such as manufacturers and distributors of human-powered watercraft, places to take your craft, river stage information, weather information, and trip reports and photo sections from my own outings as well as those of folks I become acquainted with during this new adventure. Links to paddling publications and magazines will be included as I run across them.

I am really looking forward to getting into this sport and meeting people with similar interests.

Jerry Lentz, LT, U S Coast Guard (Retired)

ACA ACTION NET
Write to Congress
Making the World a Better Place to Paddle

The Links

Organizations and Information
American Whitewater
American Canoe Association
NC Waterways - North Carolina Boating Resource

Manufacturers/Major Distributors

Gravitydex - List of Manufacturers

Ace Kayak
Advanced Elements - Inflatable kayaks
Aire Inflatables
American Daysailers
Aquafusion Kayaks
BIC Sport Kayaks
Blue Water Canoes
Buffalo Canoes
CastleCraft - any kind of small craft imaginable
Clearwater Canoes and Kayaks
Cobra Kayaks
Current Designs
Dagger
Easy Rider
Eddyline Kayaks and Equipment
Emotion Kayaks - (double click back button to escape this site)
Flying Scot
Fatty Knees
Folbot
Hyside Inflatables
Innova Kayak - inflatables
Jammer Canoe and Kayak
Liquid Logic Kayaks
Long Haul Folding Kayaks
Mad River Canoe
Marathon Boat Group - Grumman canoes and DuraNautic boats
Massive Kayaks - freestyle kayaks
Meyers Boats - (tricky web site to navigate)
Mohawk Canoes
North Woods Canoe LTD - canoes up to 38'
Nova Craft Canoe
Old Town Canoes and Kayaks
Pelican Boats - canoes, kayaks, jonboats and others
Perception Kayaks
Scott Canoe
Sea Eagle - inflatable boats/kayaks/canoes
Sevylor Canoes and Kayaks
Souris River Canoes - (double click back button to exit)
Star Inflatables
Vanguard (Sunfish and other daysailers)
Wave Sport
Wenonah Canoes
Whitehall Rowing and Sail
Wilderness Systems

Canoe and Kayak kits
Chesapeake Light Craft
Laughing Loon - Greenfield, MA
The Newfound Woodworks, Inc. - Bristol, NH
Pygmy Boats
Waters Dancing Boat Kit Co. - Canada

Canoe and Kayak Accessories
Northwest River Supplies - (must accept cookies to see catalog)
Snap Dragon Design
Spring Creek - Mt Iron, MN
Werner Paddles

Instructional Sites
ACA's Getting Started
Basic Boating Safety Courses
DeReimer Adventure Kayaking

Places to Go (rivers, lakes, parks)
Chesapeake Bay
Coastal Communities, North and South Carolina
Island Passage - Oak Island, NC
NC Southern Coast - Lower Cape Fear and Wilmington

Launch Sites/Marinas/Campgrounds (Commercial)

The Arcadian Outdoor Guide to Canoeing, Kayaking and Rafting Outfitters

Arrowhead Resort - Tahlequah, OK
Black Creek Cabin - Hattiesburg, MS
Caddo Lake Canoeing - Texas
Caddo River Camping & Canoe Rental - Arkansas
Chesapeake Bay Marinas - Online Guide
Headwaters Outfitters - French Broad River, NC
Kings River Canoes and Kayaks - Eureka Springs, AR
Many Islands Camp and Canoe Rental - Mammoth Springs, AR
Marina Finder - Online search tool
Marine Quest - Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex marinas
Nantahala Outdoor Center - Bryson City, NC
RiverView Resort - Eureka Springs, AR
Salt Marsh Kayak Company - Wrightsville Beach, NC
Snake River Kayak and Canoe - Jackson Hole, WY
Soggy Bottom Canoe and Kayak Rental - Janice, MS
White Oak River Campground - Maysville, NC

Trip Reports/Photo Galleries

Magazines
Wave Length Magazine
Paddler Magazine
Kayak Magazine
Canoe & Kayak Magazine
Sea Kayaker Magazine

Weather
East Texas Skywarn - personal weather page
National Weather Service - main site
Tidal Predictions

River Stages/Lake Levels
Surface Water Data for the Nation - USGS Site
Little River at Manchester, NC
Texas Sites

Dealers/Boating Malls
Austin Canoe and Kayak
Boater's World Marine Centers - Austin, Webster, Dallas, Galveston
Boats Etc. Marine Centers - Laporte and Seabrook, Texas
Four Corners River Sports - Durango, CO
Hudson Valley Pack and Paddle Inc. - Hopewell Junction, NY
L. L. Bean - Outdoor Gear and Clothing
The Jersey Paddler - Brick, NJ
Mountain Man Outdoor Supply Company - Inlet, NY
North Cove Outfitters - Old Saybrook, CT
Oak Orchard Canoe Kayak Experts - Rochester and Waterport, NY
Overton's Boating and Watersports Center - Greenville, NC
REI - located in Dallas and Houston. Sells Mad River and Old Town canoes and several brands of kayaks. Also provides most gear needed for a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, boating, etc.
Ships Store - Lake Champlain, NY
SouthWest Paddle Sports - Houston area
Travis Boating Centers - Austin, Abilene, Lewisville, Midland (Texas)
Waterski America - boating center, Dallas, TX

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Creation date: March 20, 2003


This page was last updated on:
September 11, 2006

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