Lost Kayak on the EFLB. The rest of the story....

[Gordon Kumpuris]

For those who have not heard, here is the rest of the story regarding the boat I lost on the EFLB a year ago March. First, here is a link to the initial trip report if you'd like to read the back story.
http://forums.arkansascanoeclub.com/vie ... lb#p154793
After 10 months or so and the Spring paddling season upon me, I decided I just had to suck it up and buy another kayak. I purchased the Liquid Logic Flying Squirrel (95) “demo" boat from OOO in Hot Springs.

After a rough start, she and I were finally getting pretty used to one another and I had pretty much started to forget about my lost Dagger Nomad.

Yet last week that all changed. Wednesday, May 20th, after 15 months, I got a voicemail from a guy whose was vacationing in a cabin (My Blue Heaven cabin) with family and friends on the Little Buffalo River a few miles upstream of the community of Parthanon in Newton Co. He had found my kayak! It was beat up, caked in mud and gunk and had a crunched bow but was still “sea worthy”.

I immediatly returned his call, and told him I’d drive up to get it the next day. The family who found it could not have been nicer. They had pulled the boat from the creek where it came to rest on a gravel bar directly in front of their cabin.
We speculate that the big rains that we had in the last 5 or 10 days dislodged the boat from it’s hiding place, a few miles upstream possibly underwater or under a jog jam or undercut. It was obviously stuck somewhere in or very near the stream within an area previously searched. I was amazed that the boat was in as good a shape as it was. It had dozens of nicks and that one significant new smashed bow issue. The seat was weathered and dirty but everything was intact.

After getting it home, I cleaned it up and devised a plan to attempt to fix the bow. I hung the boat from a tree on the back deck. I placed a large pan below the kayak and lowered the kayak into it then lashed the boat to the tree with straps. I then boiled water and poured it into the pan. I made a pry tool consisting of metal pipe and a PVC “bulge" at the end to apply pressure from the inside. I place a partially deflated basketball inside the boat to use as a fulcrum. I was able to apply force and then strap the effort end of the bar to the inside kayak support. This provided constant pressure. I kept adding boiling water to the pan for the next 3 to 5 hours to soften the hard plastic. The process was very slow but eventually much of the dent was removed.
I have yet to try a heat gun but I might get one and see how that works. Look for the Nomad back on the creeks very soon!

[prophet]

would like to see a pic of the kayak being waterboarded

[jonest]

Interesting story. How many times did you check Craigs List in hopes of finding the boat??
Glad it is safely, back at home.

Tim

[Gordon Kumpuris]

More than a few.

[Gordon Kumpuris]

More than a few.

[bart]

Boy, I'll bet you're glad you weren't strapped in the thing that whole time!

So now, you going to be like a cowboy? A good rider gets bucked off a big ole bronk, dusts himself off, and climbs back on just to show him who's boss. I've seen the Duke do it many a time. You're a pretty good paddler, now that you got that yak beat back out, you need to catch the EFLB back at the level it was the day it and that kayak threw you off and show them you're a heck of a good rider! Get back in it on that river and show 'em. Then, post another trip report and tell us how it went.

Pretty neat 'The rest of the story', as Paul said lots of times. Glad you got it back.

[cpresoz]

Boy, I'll bet you're glad you weren't strapped in the thing that whole time!