<commit_before>---
layout: post
date: 2015-10-01 18:41:22
author: <NAME>
categories: planning
tags: sevylor kayaking barford planning testing
cover: "assets/covers/barford_bridge.jpg"
---

##Boldly going where quite a few people have gone before

Whilst BoldlyGoes has big ambitions (Danube ahoy), the team is learning as we go. So obviously, we need as many practise trips and as much deep-thought (drunken) planning as possible.

James, current BoldyGoes leader and wacky kayak modification engineer, scoped out a lovely spot for our first group excursion onto the water. Great Barford is a splendid little village located in Bedfordshire. Through it, runs the River Ouse which was James’ chosen location for our first day out on the water. The calm water surrounding a lovely arched road bridge, which spans the river Ouse coming into Great Barford, was the perfect location for our first splash and paddle. The river is navigable by barge – there is a lock and weir located 200m north of the bridge – so there was the occasional locked-eye stare with any passing river travellers, but for the most part, this length of water served our needs perfectly. 

<a href="//localhost:4000/assets/images/barford_bridge_water.jpg" data-lightbox="barford-bridge" data-title="Idyllic and in Bedfordshire - diamond in the rough">
  <img src="//localhost:4000/assets/images/barford_bridge_water.jpg" title="Idyllic and in Bedfordshire - diamond in the rough">
</a>

If you were rating this waterway like a colour coded ski slope, where green is a nursery slope aimed towards beginners and black is an extremely challenging slope which should only be attempted by experts, then the part of the Ouse which runs through Barford Village would definitely be a sickly lime colour, which was fine by us.

James brought with him his inflatable kayak, a cheap and cheerful Sevylor Riviera 2 Person, which served as our mode of transport for the day. The kayak pack is built with backpack straps for easy transportation and is relatively easy to blow up and assemble, taking between 5-10 minutes in total. James was first out, going knee deep into the sloped entrance to the water before leaping into the kayak, paddle in hand. After showing us how it was done, Sam and myself both took the mighty Sevylor out for a spin. While it was fun out on the water and great to practise with (or learn how to use), we quickly identified the limitations of this inflatable vessel and why it is not best suited for a long expedition. 

<a href="//localhost:4000/assets/images/sevylor_top.jpg" data-lightbox="sevylor-top" data-title="Drone strike in-bound">
  <img src="//localhost:4000/assets/images/sevylor_top.jpg" title="Drone strike in-bound">
</a>


The Sevylor is completely inflatable, i.e. there are no rigid sections. With your standard rigid canoe or kayak the hard base creates a full length rudder which is controlled when you make a stroke. On the Sevylor, the lack of any rigid base, or a dedicated rudder makes controlled steering pretty challenging. This ends up in a lot of effort being exerted on constantly maintaining direction rather than being able to charge along stroke after stroke. Sure, some of this will be down to technique, or lack of, but the non rigid base certainly has an impact, and would result in a lot of wasted energy on a long trip. This is compounded by two other things: the fact that, unfortunately it isn't that comfy. The seating, which isn't secured, needs constant readjustment; and also, we found that it started to gradually deflate, needing more air after about an hour. On a long trip, you will get a puncture, once that happens, sure, you can fix it up but from that point on, you could always get stuck with a deflated kayak in the middle of a river, with all your gear.

So, we very quickly came to conclusion that, whilst inflatables are practical to transport, in the long term they probably wouldn't be that practical for transporting you. What's our next step? Day out on the Ouse with rigid kayaks.

Worth noting, James had some fun with a makeshift sail but I won't spoil that for you in this post.
<commit_msg>Update image paths to reflect production url.<commit_after>---
layout: post
date: 2015-10-01 18:41:22
author: <NAME>
categories: planning
tags: sevylor kayaking barford planning testing
cover: "assets/covers/barford_bridge.jpg"
---

##Boldly going where quite a few people have gone before

Whilst BoldlyGoes has big ambitions (Danube ahoy), the team is learning as we go. So obviously, we need as many practise trips and as much deep-thought (drunken) planning as possible.

James, current BoldyGoes leader and wacky kayak modification engineer, scoped out a lovely spot for our first group excursion onto the water. Great Barford is a splendid little village located in Bedfordshire. Through it, runs the River Ouse which was James’ chosen location for our first day out on the water. The calm water surrounding a lovely arched road bridge, which spans the river Ouse coming into Great Barford, was the perfect location for our first splash and paddle. The river is navigable by barge – there is a lock and weir located 200m north of the bridge – so there was the occasional locked-eye stare with any passing river travellers, but for the most part, this length of water served our needs perfectly. 

<a href="//boldlygoes.co.uk/assets/images/barford_bridge_water.jpg" data-lightbox="barford-bridge" data-title="Idyllic and in Bedfordshire - diamond in the rough">
  <img src="//boldlygoes.co.uk/assets/images/barford_bridge_water.jpg" title="Idyllic and in Bedfordshire - diamond in the rough">
</a>

If you were rating this waterway like a colour coded ski slope, where green is a nursery slope aimed towards beginners and black is an extremely challenging slope which should only be attempted by experts, then the part of the Ouse which runs through Barford Village would definitely be a sickly lime colour, which was fine by us.

James brought with him his inflatable kayak, a cheap and cheerful Sevylor Riviera 2 Person, which served as our mode of transport for the day. The kayak pack is built with backpack straps for easy transportation and is relatively easy to blow up and assemble, taking between 5-10 minutes in total. James was first out, going knee deep into the sloped entrance to the water before leaping into the kayak, paddle in hand. After showing us how it was done, Sam and myself both took the mighty Sevylor out for a spin. While it was fun out on the water and great to practise with (or learn how to use), we quickly identified the limitations of this inflatable vessel and why it is not best suited for a long expedition. 

<a href="//boldlygoes.co.uk/assets/images/sevylor_top.jpg" data-lightbox="sevylor-top" data-title="Drone strike in-bound">
  <img src="//boldlygoes.co.uk/assets/images/sevylor_top.jpg" title="Drone strike in-bound">
</a>


The Sevylor is completely inflatable, i.e. there are no rigid sections. With your standard rigid canoe or kayak the hard base creates a full length rudder which is controlled when you make a stroke. On the Sevylor, the lack of any rigid base, or a dedicated rudder makes controlled steering pretty challenging. This ends up in a lot of effort being exerted on constantly maintaining direction rather than being able to charge along stroke after stroke. Sure, some of this will be down to technique, or lack of, but the non rigid base certainly has an impact, and would result in a lot of wasted energy on a long trip. This is compounded by two other things: the fact that, unfortunately it isn't that comfy. The seating, which isn't secured, needs constant readjustment; and also, we found that it started to gradually deflate, needing more air after about an hour. On a long trip, you will get a puncture, once that happens, sure, you can fix it up but from that point on, you could always get stuck with a deflated kayak in the middle of a river, with all your gear.

So, we very quickly came to conclusion that, whilst inflatables are practical to transport, in the long term they probably wouldn't be that practical for transporting you. What's our next step? Day out on the Ouse with rigid kayaks.

Worth noting, James had some fun with a makeshift sail but I won't spoil that for you in this post.

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