I’ve only paddled ~40 actual water miles so far this year so my on-water training is behind where I’d like it to be. This is mainly due to a busy schedule and cold weather. In fact, as recently as this past weekend we experienced snow and freezing rain here in Charlottesville.
As a result I’ve continued to hit the gym hard but will back off starting next week and have several light weeks in a row as I get back on the water to log some serious miles and get back into paddling shape. If the weather is bad, I’ll be ramping up the miles indoors on my kayak ergometer.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve lost much of my technique as the few sessions I’ve had on the water so far with Paddling Buddy Dave have been very good workouts and my form is still there.
I sold my Pyranha Octane and ordered a new boat which will be revealed in due time. (I don’t want my competition to know what’s coming.) Keep an eye open as a new boat with a fresh review is always exciting!
I recently completed the instructional video on how to build your own kayak ergometer from a Nordic Track ski machine. The plans and part list for this new, more compact design are available at the link below for $20 as I promised on Jan. 16, 2018:
And here is the final result:
Once you purchase, I’ll send you an email with links to the parts list and instructional video.
I’m the same guy who built and shared the original design online in 2013 and since then I’ve gone through several iterations of the design to get it as short and smooth as possible.
You will find other such DIY ergometers online but many of them are very long and look like they have bed frames attached to the front of the device which causes ropes to rub, require a lot of space, and are not really portable.
Don’t be fooled. Buy the plans from the original designer!
Thank you!
Dave
Be sure to allow email from dave (at} cvillepaddlers.com.
Just finished the first round of edits on my “How To Build It” video. I need to shoot a little more to fill in some gaps and then the video will be ready. Definitely before the end of the month.
Knowing February is my last month of lifting heavy in the gym before I transition to conditioning for kayaking season in March, I went a little beast mode in the gym after work today.
Some of you know that back in 2013 I shared a YouTube video that showed my design for a kayak ergometer made from a Nordic Track ski machine. It was the first such design, to my knowledge, that introduced rockers to the ergometer.
It actually combined elements from both my first kayak ergometer “bench” style design along with my balance trainer. All of which I also shared. You can see all three in the video below.
Since then I’ve been refining and redesigning the ergometer.
And also since then people have used my videos to build their own units and now some of these people are actually trying to sell the plans to MY design that I freely shared with the kayaking community.
I feel that’s not right. Maybe not illegal but certainly not right.
Toward the end of last year I built a new design for celebrity fitness trainer Vinnie Tortorich so he could do indoor training in his office in preparation for a 100-mile trip down Bayou LaFourche in Louisiana this Spring. I knew he had limited space in his office so I set out to make the ergometer much shorter in overall length.
I accomplished that mission by moving the flywheel under the paddler’s legs which also had the side benefit of making the feel of the device much smoother while paddling.
My “kayaker’s selfie” with Vinnie Tortorich upon delivery of his ergometer
Later I heard from Vinnie that he started to have some troubles with the forward rollers. Vinnie is a legendary ultra athlete and generally an animal when it comes to training so I knew he would put wear and tear on the unit like it has never seen before.
So after mulling that over in my brain for a while, I went back into my garage over the weekend with a new design for the forward rollers in mind, and built two more kayak ergometers with subtle variations in the design between the two to see which is better and/or easier to build. These happened to be the 5th and 6th units I’ve ever built. (Well, honestly, I probably built and rebuilt the first two at least 10 times each until I was happy with them!) I’ve only made a few of these for close paddling friends.
These two new units have square legs so mere mortals can paddle them, but this design allows rockers to be easily attached and detached as desired.
The result of my weekend in the garage. 1 unit complete and the other one 90% complete
I spent hours in the garage not only building the two units but also recording video of each build so I can edit and produce a “how to” video and then make it available for sale since so many people have reached out to me over the years to inquire about either purchasing a unit or buying the instructions from me.
I’ve greatly simplified the design and now use only hardware and parts that are stock and can be bought off-the-shelf at most hardware stores. The build is much, much simpler than the first few so I feel now the design is at a point where I can effectively communicate how to build your own and you can build one from those instructions rather easily.
It is also the first design I feel is so unique and innovative in the way its built that I’m not so willing to freely share it because there is a little “secret sauce” that I’ve learned through years of trial and error.
Now for the hard part.
With hours and hours of video you can imagine it will take me a few weeks to edit, possibly re-shoot steps that weren’t clear, and then produce a final video.
When the “How to build it” video is ready I will sell it for $20 since that is the price most people have told me is reasonable and that they’d expect to pay. I believe that is a fair price based on the number of hours I’ve spent building and refining the design to make it as compact as possible, easy to build, and fun to paddle.
I’m also accepting donations and to anyone who donates at least $5 before Feb. 1, 2018, I will make the video available to them as soon as it is ready. After that initial group the price will go up to $20.
Let me know what you think and please let me know if you would like to buy one of these units (Central mid-Atlantic of the U.S. only.)
Happy paddling!
Dave
PS – The second one is now complete (1-24-18) and it will be THE design since it is easier to build and by far the best design I’ve ever devised.
The results of my paddling and gym training for 2017. I didn’t paddle nearly as much as I wanted to the second half of the year due to a drought so I stepped up the volume in the gym.
I got out on the water today and was able to at least log 7.5 miles. I was hoping for more but more than half our local reservoir is frozen so I had to do some laps on the clear parts with Paddling Buddy Dave.
The full wet suit restricts full motion somewhat, but here is a look at my wing stroke in slow motion.
I knew it was coming for weeks, but today it finally showed up.
My neighborhood fitness center finally installed a Smith machine so now I have a reasonable way to work heavier squats into my workouts once again.
The new Smith Machine
I had been putting off joining a commercial gym since my local Gold’s Gym closed at the end of September and now it looks like I can save myself the monthly fee as the biggest reason I went to Gold’s was for the squat racks and dumbbells that go over 50lbs.
I had explored other gyms and was heavily leaning toward joining Snap Fitness but after I sent them an inquiry through their website link and not getting a response after 10 weeks, (I hate poor customer service and I only imagined if they were that bad before somebody joined it would only get worse after joining) I held off to see what my planned local gym expansion would bring me.
Tonight I had the answer.
The Smith machine has a low pulley in it for seated rows which is an added bonus as I had been using a different piece of equipment that had a 100lb. upper limit which was a bummer.
So now that I have ~85% of everything I need I see no reason to join a commercial gym.
And I can start incorporating squats and legs into just about every workout again.
My legs will hate me for a while but then they will love me.
Tonight’s workout was a bit more balanced
Time to start sneaking additional plates into the gym for “donation.” 😉
Start of the 2017 Rivanna River Canoe & Kayak Race
The new Smith Machine
Tonight’s workout was a bit more balanced