Ruby Creek hosts the Hoedown!

With many thanks to Dave King at Olympic Raft & Kayak, Ruby Creek has taken over ownership and management of the annual Hobuck Hoedown surf paddling festival in Neah Bay, WA.

The festival was founded in 2007 by Rob Casey, who's still a trusted valuable advisor. Rob wanted more time to compete and to shoot pics like the ones below so he handed it off to Dave and then to Ruby Creek.

Registration is at active.com, right here.

We've created the festival's own blog page, right here.

George Gronseth... it's a wet sport!
Ken Campbell, rippin' it on a SUP board.

A waveski paddler heads out through the break in the late-day sun.

Smilin' George Gronseth after another sweet ride.

Sample pfds available

Check out the selection of Stohlquist pfds from the Ruby Creek sample stock. The vests here are listed below in the same order as they're shown on the video. Prices shown below are all at least 30% off MSRP, and this gear is clean, fully functional, and nearly new.

For full specs on each vest please see the Stohlquist Waterware web site. Model names shown in pink are specifically designed for women.

Not shown in the video:
1 Escape, blue, Youth size (50-90 lbs) - $35

Starting at the beginning of the video:

Nemo, blue, Infant size (<30 lbs) - $35

Nemo, red/yellow, Child size (30-50) - $35

Drifter, mango, Youth size (50-90) - $60

OSFA, 5 available, 1 red 1 yellow 3 blue - $45 each

Fisherman, 3 available - $80:
1 olive, L/XL
1 olive, S/M
1 mango, L/XL

Women's Getaway, periwinkle, M/L - $55

Getaway, mango, Men's L/XL - $55

Escape, yellow, Men's M/L - $40

Brik, red, L - $70

Women's Kitty, 3 available - $70:
1 sage, S/M
1 powder blue, L/XL
1 powder blue, S/M

X-Traxt, red, XL - $120

Women's Cruiser, 2 available - $70
1 powder blue, XS/S
1 pink, Plus

Women's Betsea, sage, L/XL - $70

A piece of paddling history comes home

Looking a little forlorn and lonely on REI's shipping dock, Steph's Raven waits for a ride home.

When Steph Dutton set off to paddle from British Columbia to Baja California in 1993, he may not have known he was destined for fame in the paddling community. He was simply trying to raise awareness for people with disabilities who wanted to stretch their limits.

Steph's mantra, right where he could see it every day.

In an Eddyline Raven, Steph paddled the US Pacific Coast in 54 days, averaging 30 nautical miles a day. That’s a long way in a short time, even with a land support crew.

For many years since Steph’s adventure, his Raven – still sporting his compass, drogue (sea anchor), and numerous sponsors’ decals – adorned the lobby of the Seattle REI store. Now it’s back home where it started, at Eddyline’s factory in Burlington WA.

Here is Eddyline co-owner Lisa Derrer with a few more thoughts about this well-traveled boat's history.

Steph Dutton and Heidi Tiura now own and operate California’s Trinity River Adventure Inn, as well as Monterey Bay’s Sanctuary Cruises.

Eddyline serial number, clear as a bell after 17 years.

There's a story in that nick in Steph's rudder. Shark? Reef? Angry BCU Coach?

Steph's Raven took its place on the Ruby Creek delivery truck, a symbol of old and new next to two brand new Sambas and two Emotion AdvantEdges on their way to Mountain to Sound Outfitters.

Thick with years of dust, the Raven's journey home was a cleansing one in the Northwest's summer rain.

Excited to welcome an old friend, Richard -- who has worked at Eddyline for over 15 years, told me "I've met her before"... then showed off his shirt.

Paddle sale

Ruby Creek is working through used sample stock to prepare for the 2011 season. All paddles here are in great shape and their good condition can be viewed in the video, where they’re shown in order as in the list below. That said, all sales are final and paddles are sold as-is. For further specs on construction and weights of these paddles please see web listings for Bending Branches, Aquabound, and Swift Paddles. Thanks.

Bending Branches wood Canoe paddles:

Arrow 56" - $45

Sun Shadow 54" - $65

Beavertail 57" - $45

Traveler 51" - $35

Twig 36" - $25

Sunburst 14 52" - $110

Espresso 14 52" - $65

BB Special 50" - $45

Viper Double Bend 54" - $95

Sun Shadow 14 50" - $65

Aquabound Canoe:

Odyssey 58" - $55

Edge 56" - $55

Bending Branches Wood Kayak:

Tailwind Evening 220cm - SOLD

Sun Shadow Bent Shaft Day 220cm - SOLD

Impression Day 220cm - SOLD

Sandpiper Evening 220cm - $85

BB Kayak:

Sunrise AL 230cm - $45

Glide SMALL SHAFT FG 220cm - $75

Glide STANDARD SHAFT FG 220cm - $75

Slice PLUS ADJUSTABLE 215-30cm - $75

Slice SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $75

Slice STANDARD SHAFT 230cm - SOLD

Aquabound Kayak:

Hammerhead kids WW 180cm - $65

4-pc. Shred WW Hybrid 196cm - $85

Shred WW Carbon 196cm - $110

Splat WW FG 196cm - $75

Sting Ray AL 220cm - $55

Manta Ray AL 220cm - $55

Manta Ray FG 220cm - $65

Sting Ray FG 230cm - $65

Sharkie kids touring 200cm - $65

Sting Ray Hybrid 220cm - $85

Eagle Ray Hybrid TLC 220cm - $85

Sting Ray Hybrid TLC 230cm - SOLD

Sting Ray Hybrid 220cm - $85

(BB Discontinued) Glide Carbon 215-30cm - SOLD

Manta Ray Carbon 220cm - $110

Sting Ray Carbon TLC - SOLD

Eagle Ray Carbon TLC 210cm - $110

(BB Discontinued) FG Breeze Evening SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

(BB Discontinued) FG Breeze Twilight SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

Spindrift FG SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

Surge Carbon 210cm - SOLD

Swift Kayak paddles

Mid Swift Flames 220cm - $175

Sea Swift Carbon 215cm - SOLD

Mid Swift 220cm - $175

Wind Swift 225cm - $175

Emotion Traverse SUP

Barb Gronseth of Kayak Academy busts a move on the new Traverse.

Washington state is already a hotbed of Standup Paddleboarding. Now there’s a batch of paddling dealers with an amazingly inexpensive way to get on the water and into this awesome new sport. At just $399 MSRP, the Traverse SUP board from Emotion Kayaks is just over ten feet long, and 36” wide. It has a small hatch to store your valuables while paddling, four burly grab handles, and a flexible fin so you don’t bust it up on the rocks. It was designed by none other than His Awesomeness, Corran Addison, for Emotion Kayaks, and it really shines on the whitewater... But it’s not so bad on a beautiful Seattle evening on Elliott Bay, either.

Bottom and top of the brand new board design. Rob Casey photo.

If your local Emotion dealer doesn't carry the Traverse yet, tell him you're all excited about this new boat any they need to get 'em in! Or check out the board at any of these eight dealers, instructors and rental shops that already have it in stock:

LFS Marine in Bellingham

Popeye’s Marine in Everett

Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles

Leavenworth Mountain Sports in, of course, Leavenworth

Ross Lake Resort in the North Cascades

Alki Kayak Tours / Mountain to Sound Outfitters in Seattle

Salmon Bay Paddle in Seattle

Kayak Academy in Issaquah

Here are a few of them proudly showing off their new boards:

Dave King, Olympic Raft & Kayak

Jean-Luc and Adam at Leavenworth Mountain Sports

LFS Marine, on the water in Bellingham at Squalicum Harbor

Kayak Academy's Lake Sammamish location on a lovely summer day

Barb and Whende at Kayak Academy... it was love at first sight! Good thing I brought two boards!

On the red board, Greg Whitaker of Alki Kayak Tours gets the Traverse into the salty swells of Elliott Bay.

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.

Tahoe SUP boards - sold

These WERE sweeeeet boards... sold!

2009 Tahoe Woody, used for demo events for less than a year

2009 Tahoe Rubicon, paddled just a couple times

Located in my warehouse in Anacortes.