Big props to Emotion Kayaks!

Big Tom Strauss of Emotion Kayaks will not be photographed without that smile on his face.

Big Tom Strauss, he’s our man, and he’s come through again with an awesome display of generosity, support for a fantastic cause, and BIG LOVE for the kayak fishing community in the Puget Sound area.

Big Smilin’ Tom, President of Emotion Kayaks, agreed to donate a Stealth fishing kayak to the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby, which attracted 1,000 enthusiastic fishermen earlier this month. In its first three years, the Derby raised over $73,000 for Puget Sound Anglers’ scholarship program for young students pursuing careers in Fisheries Management and related areas.

Kayak winner Keith Hofkamp of Burlington WA told me "that's my picture... with the big ass fish". Yeah Keith, that's one big ass fish, and congrats on winning the boat! Dean Hislop photo courtesy of Anacortes Salmon Derby

Knowing that support for research and proper management of salmon habitat means support for the entire ecosystem, from our local endangered Orcas (who eat the big yummy salmon too) to the thick-forested headwaters of our streams where they spawn, Big Tom stepped up where it counts.

The lucky winner of the Stealth kayak was Keith Hofkamp of Burlington, WA, who caught a 21.6-pound Chinook Salmon. Congrats Keith! And thanks again to Big Tom Strauss for making it happen!

Here's the boat Tom donated and Keith won with his 21+-pound whopper... all in the name of helping another generation of young people get educated and keep our waters clean and our salmon healthy!

Emotion Kayaks are popping up in outdoor shops all over the Northwest, including Puget Sound dealers LFS Marine in Bellingham, Wholesale Sports at nine locations in Washington and Oregon, Popeye’s Marine and Grass Roots Outdoors in Everett, Mountain to Sound Outfitters in Seattle, Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble, Ship to Shore Marine in Gig Harbor, Boston Harbor Marina in Olympia, and Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles.

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!