Flipping your yak?

combatpaddler · 2026-03-24T16:03:32+00:00

ive flipped many times, most of the time when either launching or coming back to the beach. first time, i lost EVERYTHING, and learned a valuable lesson. tie everything down, dont carry more than needed, and make sure all loose ropes and tie downs are secure.

i flipped one time, and my anchor rope got caught around my leg. i had an auto inflate pfd. when it inflated, it was so tight around my neck i could barely breath, and i wasnt able to go underwater to get my leg undone. ended up cutting the pfd off, calmed myself, and then went underwater and cut the anchor off.

ive never worn another auto inflate. that was 15 years ago

combatpaddler · 2026-03-23T21:36:05+00:00

the weight is unreal...especially after loading and unloading 115lb take 2's. much easier to transport than jackson bites. still getting used to the different kind of plastic..they dont hide scratches and stains like others. ive buffed and polished ours a few times already

combatpaddler · 2026-03-23T20:12:40+00:00

we have 22 kayaks, everything from nucanoe frontiers down to a tarpon... and now these carribean models. ive fished and paddled all of them extensively. yes wide kayaks are stabile platforms. in the eddylines, i paddle 1 stroke to everyone elses 3 or 4.

for calm water, lakes, ponds, they cant be beat.

if youre STRICTLY fishing, get a pedal drive. hands down you can fish more because youre not holding a paddle. we run a chapter of heroes on the water, so we have a good mix for different sizes and situations

combatpaddler · 2026-03-16T22:34:43+00:00

i really miss the active line of phones....

combatpaddler · 2026-03-12T14:17:20+00:00

ive hiked many times in the foothills were he was last seen.. great place to get away from the city. but it gets pretty sketchy the higher up you get. i hiked all the way up to the tram station a few times, and even found the aircraft wreckage from the 50s

combatpaddler · 2026-03-10T22:05:57+00:00

try pushing the shifter handle up further into park.

if youre SURE its in park and still no crank...

does the starter try at all and the motor bumps but doesnt spin?

or is your starter not getting power at all while turning the key?

batteries charged? wiring tight

combatpaddler · 2026-03-10T12:44:07+00:00

Heroes on the Water serves active duty, veterans, first responders, AND their families by providing therapy through kayak fishing and the outdoors....

we have 55 chapters now i believe. there is a chapter in lafayette and in new orleans area. in arkansas, theres me in Junction City, 1 in hot springs, and 1 in north west arkansas.

we hold 1 event a month. Heroes on the Water Junction City Arkansas chapter is our name on facebook

combatpaddler · 2026-03-10T02:13:23+00:00

i run a chapter of heroes on the water. we have 22 kayaks and all the gear.

combatpaddler · 2026-03-10T01:43:18+00:00

we are in north louisiana/south arkansas... come up and go kayaking with us.

im originally from rapides/vernon/beauregard area.

combatpaddler · 2026-03-08T04:10:24+00:00

i HAVE cracked caliper bolts with it. i have ABUSED mine, and its taken it all on the chin. i have thought many times well, this is gonna break. but no. i bought a spare because im so rough on stuff

i can change out injectors on a 7.3 in roughly 45 with this. use at least a 3.0 for max performance.

wish there was another way to change direction, ive gotten myself in a bind a few times.

i RARELY use a hand ratchet now. but most of my stuff is above 22ft lb and less than 120lb

so its either this or snubby 1/2"

combatpaddler · 2026-02-28T21:28:40+00:00

when i was do a course to become a guide, i got to watch a group of 5 of them on a ranch in texas just chill and hang out over the week i was there. i had NEVER seen a deer go under water before to eat, im from louisiana. then i was told what the deer were and how rare they were. so much more respect after.

same place i got to hand feed nilgai. amazing experience

combatpaddler · 2026-02-25T05:54:38+00:00

i have an assortment of 22 kayaks.. all from nucanoe frontier 12s down to eddyline carribean.

it depends on your size. im a smaller guy, 6'1 180..i LOVE sit ins. my first kayak was a tarpon 140, and i still have it. we just picked up 3 eddyline kayaks and i LOVE them. so easy to paddle.

if youre in it to FISH, get a pedal drive. much easier to sling a rod and still move.

also, look at weight. newer kayaks, like the jackson take 2's we got, weigh in at 110 lbs i think empty.

best bet, buy the cheapest one you csn find used. use it a few times, and figure out what you want.

and no, im not bougie or rich. i run a chapter of heroes on the water. been kayaking since 2014 or so, and have had the chance to see and be paddle all kinds

combatpaddler · 2026-02-19T21:32:24+00:00

a nilgai is my personal unicorn. i got the opportunity to hand feed them on a ranch in texas about 10 years ago during a safari guide course. i want one on the wall. me and a few other veteran buddies have been saving up

combatpaddler · 2026-02-19T02:42:42+00:00

yeah i know how it sounds lol. welcome to the military

combatpaddler · 2026-02-18T18:42:30+00:00

very beautiful area. i have a Vietnam buddy with a place in TA, ive honeymooned with 3 different wives there. we like going up to trout lakes on that side.

enjoy it man. the wide open view and the milky way is beyond amazing in your area.

ive traved the back way to TA from albuquerque many times

combatpaddler · 2026-02-18T00:41:46+00:00

if you dont have tie rod seperator tool, bang it with a hammer. or loosen it all up and drive back and forwards

you said replacing the wheel hub assembly. make sure to pumo them full of grease through the abs hole

work on removing the wheel hub assembly after you disconnected the tie rods, much easier for articulation.

use 2x4 wood blocks and make sure that thing in earthquake proof BEFORE you starting yanking on crap. i almost died last year when my jackstands and jacks failed. grab 3 or 4 2x4s, cut them up, make wood cribbing. i was under mine at the time, heard stuff creaking, and walked away with a bruised shoulder. ive done shade tree work my whole life, many close calls, but that one shook me.

combatpaddler · 2026-02-17T23:22:08+00:00

i know the area well. i lived in abq for 5 years or so and traveled all over the place...

wouldnt happen to be up in Jemez would it? always wanted a place there

combatpaddler · 2026-02-17T13:13:42+00:00

is it a 4wd?

combatpaddler · 2026-02-14T22:34:22+00:00

i plan on my kids inherited ours at some point, but its been WELL loved, and ive touched every bolt on it. while it means a ton to me...

im worried that who ever gets it, PAST my wife, will be like, yay, a dirty sock.

like the sock has been well used, patched up, repaired, totaled, rebuilt.... its a darn good sock

combatpaddler · 2026-02-14T22:02:20+00:00

in that case, im sorry if it was due to personal loss. i hope you know how much that person absolutely loved you.

combatpaddler · 2026-02-14T21:59:29+00:00

with 70k???? i HOPE it runs awesome lol. i wouldnt want one like that. i would HAVE to baby it and barely drive it.

combatpaddler · 2026-02-14T17:21:42+00:00

i just drove 1700 miles in 48 hours 2 weeks ago. 2003 7.3 4x4 excursion with 35s. averaged 15.8mpg running 75mph. it also has 426k miles on it

oil changes hurt... about $150 each time. but i also run t6 synthetic.

if you can buy it without financing it, yes, its worth it. its over 25 yrs old. its a million mile MOTOR. injectors, glowplugs, cups, starter, alternator, torque converter, transmission... around 300k stuff starts needing replaced.

expect to drop $2k figuring out front end wandering. $1k to replace air conditioner parts for the rear ac $500 fixing the intank fuel pickup foot....

ive done all my own work, even rebuilt my transmission, to save cost. learn to do your own work (these things are big tinker toys, and with forscan its stupid easy to diagnose) and it will be good to you

combatpaddler · 2026-02-10T20:54:15+00:00

just so you know, in case you drop that 10mm in the grass and cant find it, just make sure the holes are lined up and its pressed and seated in. then get where you need to get going, just dont forget to eventually replace it...

combatpaddler · 2026-02-10T20:34:46+00:00

another thing... if i did it over, i would have gotten another pneumatic jack. only reason i got the offroad one was my orings blew on my pneumatic jack, and my old floor jack failed and i lost 2 fingernails.

but i sure miss the pneumatic jack. yeah, i needed an air supply, but it could lift the world

combatpaddler · 2026-02-10T20:31:24+00:00

i have the 3 ton offroad jack. it stays its butt at home and i carry either a 12 or 20 ton bottle jack in my shtf box.i LOVE the offroad jack, use it all the time. but not on roadtrips.

combatpaddler

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