Accessories
We also offer high quality Gear!RivrStyx by Jim Snyder
The ultimate kayking paddles! Each paddle is individually designed and handcrafted of select hardwoods by Jim Snyder to suit your paddling style and needs (you may have even heard them referred to as ‘Jimistyx’). Jim has been making paddles for more than 39 years.
Since Jim custom builds your paddle, he can help you dial in the best combination of woods and shapes to keep you paddling strong all day long. Jim’s paddles tend to be trik style and a bit smaller with a tighter profile than most off-the-shelf paddles. This makes them lighter, stronger, and easier on your body.
One unique benefit to buying a RivrStyk is that you get my expert judgment in the wood selection and assembly and shaping of your paddle. Jim has been making paddles for over thirty nine years and apprenticed master paddle builder Keith Backlund in 1975.
RivrStyx tips and edgings are the toughest on the market. They’re THICK. They’ve got some stuff to them and because they are built with epoxy- they bond tightly to the bladewoods. That means you can go longer before refurbishing the paddle and making it like new again. Jim Doesn’t just buy your wood from the local hardware store. I shop for select Northern White Ash with just the right number of grain lines to the inch. It’s a long process but I harvest and air dry select fillets of the finest ash on the planet. I compete with bat manufacturers and veneer buyers for this top shelf ash.
The finish on a RivrStyk is second to none. There are many base coats of epoxy for the river to chew on. The proof is in the pudding and RivrStyx are known to last decades. This means you can go until it’s pretty scuffed up looking before you need a refinishing.
Visit www.rivrstyx.com
Hand Paddles
Riveraholic’s are hand paddles which are gaining their share of popularity among surface, freestyle and squirtboaters. They come in two styles, squirt and creek.
Riveraholic’s allow you to develop propulsion technique with dual precision control. Paddlers will quickly discover the amazing feel of using two contact points simultaneously in and on the surface of the water.
Squirtboaters use them for big downtime and just playing around. They are a great tool for paddlers wishing to learn how to hand roll. By using Riveraholic’s paddlers are able to learn how to rely on water and body movement rather then overpowering the move with a regular paddle. They can be carried in a boat and used in case of loss or break of principle paddle.
Price: $ 70.00 CA or $ 55.00 US
Spray Skirts
Jim Snyder is making skirts for the Jimirim (I and II) and “Cush” gaskets for old school squirt kayaks. They take about 3 weeks to produce and cost $180 plus $20 shipping/handling. He needs your “set back” before he gets started (the distance between your back and the back of the cockpit). And also he needs the tube size you want. He can also attach it to a drytop for you for $40~ to create a drydeck.
More Info
Fins
The Vince Shay Flex Fin
Flex fins have been used in board surfing for quite some time. The concept of using a fin with just enough flex on a surf kayak was the project Vince Shay has been working on for quite some time.
The idea is for the fin to flex enough to create tension when going into a turn and then releasing or unwinding its energy when coming out of the turn, thereby accelerating the kayak.
The fins are available in sizes ranging from 2.5″- 4.5″, with 0 and 8 degree cant.
A big thanks to Vince Shay for seeing the project through, Demany Smith, who got everyone together and Rainbow Fin Company, for making a great product.
More information about the development of the VS Flex Fins can be found at http://vincentshayworld.blogspot.com/