BYOB at Venture Outdoors?

I know what you are thinking, bring my own boat right? Yes, exactly!

At Venture Outdoors we remove barriers to outdoor experiences. Those range from hiking to biking to fire building to falling out of your boat.

Let me clarify that last one: falling out of your boat so long as you can get back into your boat.

Pennsylvania is home to over 30,000 miles of waterways! Hard to believe though a lot of it is hidden in all those trees, mountains and valleys. That means 30,000 miles of potential places to put in a boat for a fun day on the water.

Of course there are a few things to do to prepare for a fun day on the water that does not result in calling EMS. Those include checking the weather and water conditions, taking the right equipment along, giving someone a float plan, and preparing for and practicing for emergencies.

The last one is our pick for today. I have been falling out of watercraft for over 25 years, though most of that was “planned.” Let me tell you, knowing how to get back in and practicing matters.

My go to for getting back in a kayak is called the scramble. Quite simply you jump over the back deck landing your stomach just behind the seat. You then turn to the front of the boat, still laying down, and crawl toward the front. Then you sit up dropping the behind into the seat. Then put your legs back in the cockpit one at a time using the paddle to balance.

Simple right? Well yes after a dozen or so times figuring out how not to end up back in the drink. Hence the “practice” part because making those dozen or so discoveries out in the wilderness may not be your idea of a fun day on the water.

Yes we can teach you how to do this; check out our paddle school page.

I know what you are thinking, what does this have to do with bringing my own boat? I am glad you asked.

The boat matters for this practice. Sure you can get a general idea practicing on one boat then doing it on another. However every boat will handle a little differently when trying these maneuvers. We want you to practice using your boat because that is what you will have out there.

That is one of the big reasons at Venture Outdoors we advocate for folks to “bring their own boats.” For our rescue classes you can practice rescues with your boat with an instructor to guide you.

You can take it a step further and join us on an outing in your own boat. That way we can practice your “fun day on the water” with folks who have some experience and training doing just that. And hey, if you have a friend of family member who does not have their own boat yet we have a few they can use, or even buy.

So that is why we believe in BYOB (that’s bring your own boat) for padding.

Special thanks to Dave who sparked the idea more for us a few years back on a fireworks paddle out of Millvale. See you on the water Dave!

Yours in falling out of watercraft: Luke.