Let's Samba!

Kayak Academy's Whende Keatts, smilin' & stylin' Eddyline's latest new boat

Eddyline Kayaks introduces its newest model, with performance features for everyone to enjoy.

At just under 14 feet, and 44 pounds, it’s a responsive, playful kayak designed to stylishly update the hugely popular Merlin LT design. I paddled this little guy, all 6’3”, 215 pounds of me, and loved it… wished the conditions were a little burlier than Lake Sammamish; even tried to flag down a passing ski boat to get a good wake to ride.

The boat is designed for the smaller paddler though. Whende and Barb jumped in it at Kayak Academy in Issaquah, and came away with big smiles.

Kayak Academy co-owner Barb Gronseth, dancing the Samba beat

Big, but not as big as the grin on the face of Samba Sue that evening at Alki Kayak Tours, where Sue and her husband Stu came by for a test paddle on their way to a romantic sunset dinner. Sue was the first potential customer to paddle the Samba, and she left her name on Alki’s wait list for the new boat! She loved it!

Smilin' Samba Sue

Speaking of wait lists, production is scheduled to start in a couple weeks, and the boat will be MSRP’d at $2,199. Color options are red, blue, yellow, white, and a limited run of Eddyline Orange. Hulls are white, or can be in color for an additional charge. Talk to your local Eddyline dealer today, and grab this new little bundle of joy!

Olympic Raft & Kayak, Port Angeles

Popeye’s Marine, Everett

Boston Harbor Marina, Olympia

Alki Kayak Tours / Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Seattle

Kayak Academy, Issaquah

Olympic Outdoor Center, Port Gamble

Seakayakshop.com, Anacortes

Ahhhhhhh….. just another lovely evening in paradise.

Comet Kayak hits the water!

On one of our recent not-so-typical gorgeous winter days here in the Northwest, Matthew Ross of seakayakshop.com in Anacortes joined Ruby Creek for a demo of the first Comet off the first container shipped from Emotion Kayaks. A sweet, fun little boat for just $279 MSRP. The blowmolded shell is light weight and really durable; there's a float bag in the stern for emergency buoyancy; deck bungees including a paddle-park next to the cockpit; and adjustable footbraces so everyone from the kids to the tall old man (speaking strictly for myself here) can jump in and have a great time.

The Comet is available from any of your favorite Emotion Kayaks dealers, including:

Boston Harbor Marina in Olympia

Ship to Shore Marine in Gig Harbor

Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles

Popeye's Marine in Everett

Alki Kayak Tours/ Mountain to Sound Outfitters in West Seattle

LFS Marine & Outdoor in Bellingham

...and of course, Matthew's own seakayakshop.com right here on Commercial Avenue in Anacortes. Thanks Matthew for coming out to paddle the new guy!

Happypaddlin.com shows some very cool video of how well the Comet performs in moving water, as Ethan took the prototype for a spin last Fall. Take a look… then get on the water in the new Comet!

Matthew and I, both "larger men", still fit comfortably in this little boat, ready for...

...another beautiful day of paddling on our Salish Sea!

Alki transforms to M2S

Many further congrats to Greg Whittaker and the crew at Alki Kayak Tours, firmly established as Mountain to Sound Outfitters in their new retail location at 3602 SW Alaska St. in lovely West Seattle. Skis, boots, a mountain shuttle service and a tuning shop dominate the winter scene, to be replaced in Spring by Tahoe SUP, Eddyline, Emotion, Bending Branches and Stohlquist gear for the paddlin’ season. Check out the transformation in less than a month from this…

To this…

And inside from this…

To this happy holiday scene with visitors mulling over what to buy their loved ones…

The heater in back that wanted to wack you in the head…

Still works and will still wack you in the head but it takes a little effort to get back there amongst all the cool stuff…

Greg and crew are waiting to greet you!

Alki Kayak Tours to open new location!

That sign's coming down... soon to say "Mountain to Sound Outfitters"

Congratulations are due to Greg and Kara Whitaker, our friends at Alki Kayak Tours in Seattle, for taking the big plunge and opening a retail location in their home neighborhood of West Seattle, to augment the success of their beachfront rental operation on Harbor Avenue. Grand Opening is Friday, November 27th. Hope you can make it!

Psssstt.. top secret new exterior color. Won't be a secret long.

Operating under the new name of Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Greg says the shop will leverage our seasonal outdoor life in the winter as they emphasize snow sports sales, rentals, and tuning, with plenty of resources available for paddlers as well. When Spring comes, it’s full-on paddling. Come visit any time!

The new shop is at 3602 SW Alaska Street, just West of 35^th Ave SW. It’s convenient for anyone residing, visiting, or just passing through West Seattle on the way to the ferry. Evidently Greg and Kara, who are also expecting their first baby in the Spring, decided to get all the big steps in life out of the way at once.

These pictures were taken just a few weeks before the scheduled opening on November 15^th. That’s a lot of work to do, and everyone who knows anything about this operation knows it couldn’t happen without the butt-busting efforts of Alki crew like Avery, pictured here proudly dodging incoming shipments of skis, rental boots, and of course the very first kayak in the new inventory – an Emotion Glide. Good luck to this first-class bunch. You guys rock!

Standup Paddling grows again

Just saw this link from Ruby Creek supplier Doug Erwin at Tahoe Board Works...

Check it out --

Sweet! Standup Paddle TV!

Feelin' all kinds of Emotion

145 Emotions to be exact. They rumbled in from Emotion Kayaks' Pennsylvania plant to Ruby Creek's Anacortes boathouse last Friday the 5th of June. Ryan Murray and I were pretty excited when the doors on the trailer opened on big stacks of plastic-wrapped Emotion Kayaks. 2-1/2 hours later, 115 of them were were sorted, stacked, and squeezed into Ruby Creek's precious space, waiting for new homes on the West Coast.


Stacks of Spitfires...


Towers of Temptations and Bubble-wrapped Blisses...


Mucho Mojos, and Tandemoniums, CoMotions, Grand Slams and AdvantEdges.


And here's Ryan Murray strapping down the last boat on Ruby Creek's faithful gear-hauling rig, loaded up and heading North with 22 boats for Emotion's newest dealer, LFS Marine in Bellingham. GM Zack Miller plans to use some for his new rental program and the rest for sale to the folks who just have to have one of their own.

**thanks Ryan, you're awesome and Ruby Creek really appreciates your help**

With a handful more for Alki Kayak Tours and Ship to Shore Marine, by 8:30am the next morning Washington's kayak dealers had 30 more boats to show their customers, rent to families, and brighten up their shops.

For some awesome action shots of the Emotion fleet, including a smiling George Gronseth and yours truly, 200+ lbs each, with Ethan's 165 lbs filming from the bow making it nearly 600 pounds all together and paddling rock solid in the Tandemonium, check it out on the Happy Paddlin' blog along with more industry news and product info.

Next post will be a current inventory of Emotion stock in Anacortes, to be updated regularly.