Oru Kayak Demo

   Mark and I are dedicated members of the kayak of the month club.  It just seems like there are so many good ideas out there.  Like a light kayak you can fold up.
    Just last weekend we loaded our kayaks on the roof and headed two hours south for a gathering which was supposed to happen on a beach accessible by boat only.  However when we arrived it was 68 degrees (F), foggy with a 20 mph wind.  For some reason none of the others (who were arriving via a shuttling skiff arrangement) felt it would be a good beach day.  So an alternative gathering was thrown together, and on the way home, as a consolation prize, we paddled a few miles on a river.  And when we got home we lifted those same 50 pound kayaks back off the car to put them away.

  It was the sort of situation made for an Oru, the origami kayak.  Rather than lifting heavy boats, we could have tossed them in the back.  When there was a change of plans, we wouldn't have had to worry if we'd loosened the straps when the sun came out, or if the boats were filling with rain when a shower passed overhead.

  And as Mark read about the Oru, he found that they were doing a "Pop Up"  demonstration in Portland Maine on Sunday.  So we signed up, via Facebook and planned to attend. 

The boat launch in Portland, viewed from on high where we found parking

   There were the usual signs of disaster on the way down.  When Mark called Portland Paddle (the sponsor) to confirm the event at first he was told it had happened yesterday.  When Mark expressed dismay that Facebook said it was a Sunday event, the voice reconsidered and said she was mistaken, she thought the day was Monday; but had that error corrected, the day was in fact Sunday and the event had not occurred yet.  (I'm still not sure if that reflected her being overworked or over-partied.)  There were rain showers, Mark's computer turned itself on, overheating and using up most of the charge trying to run a fan to cool itself, there was a huge traffic tie-up....  still we got to the Portland Promenade about the same time the Oru rep, Cara, arrived.

   Portland Paddle has a nice set up at East End Beach.  They offer kayak and SUP rentals, lessons and tours and with Fort Gorges just a half mile off shore, some awesome places to explore.  They take kids as young as 7 on tours.  Portland Harbor is one of my favorite places for day trips in Maine - having a kayak rental on site makes it even better.

  Cara put the kayak together, while we all kibitzed about how heavy our kayaks are.

    As Cara put it together she was careful to explain about what changes had been made since the first edition, including new end caps (which are sturdier than those on the model we tested)  We took turns sitting in the Oru, then brought it, and a second boxed Oru kayak to the beach where we took turns testing the boat.  There wasn't a very big group of testers; though the second Oru was unfolded, it wasn't used.

  The questions folks seemed to have are: 
   Is it light?  Yes, it's very light.  Folded up or constructed I could easily move a boat.

Light as a feather

  Is it sturdy?  Time will tell.  The folds are rated for 10,000 folds.  I checked the bottom of one of  the kayaks for scratches and didn't see many, but it would be nice to check it again in a year.  Mark managed to pop the back of the kayak as he got out.  He was using his paddle to brace.  A bracing paddle should be placed over the combing, while his was on the back deck, plus Mark is a bigger guy. I don't have a picture of what happened, because we scrambled to fix it.  It popped back into place, but a channel sealing section was slightly torn.  (This is a piece which snapped off every time the kayak is disassembled, the tear didn't effect seaworthiness, but it would probably need replacement.)

Is it stable?  Definitely, it's stable and it tracks well.

Is it a sea kayak?  No.  It does not claim to be a sea kayak.  It does not have genuine bulkheads.  There are float bags available.  A tester from Portland Paddle rolled the kayak easily, and I'm sure that rescues like a foot hook rescue or re-entry and roll are possible for everyone.   Scramble rescues are practical for average sized paddlers.  But it's only a twelve foot boat and its not designed for open ocean.

Is it a fun paddle?  Yes, it feels like a bigger boat than it is. It's responsive, you can edge it, it moves quickly and obediently through the water.  It tracks very well.  There is a foot brace, a bar positioned by straps.  The seat is basic and flat, but bearable.   There is storage behind the seat and some deck storage.

Optional equipment for the Oru include float bags, a backpack, and a four piece paddle adjustable in length and angle.  The float bags are a great idea, the backpack could be useful and the paddle seemed well worth the price.  Cara mentions they are thinking of a better paddle and perhaps an add on rudder. (A seat upgrade would be a nice option too - not so much more padding, which a yak pad would offer but a little contouring -  if they're looking for suggestions.)

Cara did a great job, showing us the Oru,  and letting us test it.   She had been in New York, demoing the boat and was scheduled to be at Oru's next East Coast demonstration  in Boston, Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

The Oru was a fun kayak and is very tempting.  If money were no object I'd add it to my collection.  But, as it is, we've already bought paddleboards this year. (we might be more in the Kayak-of-the-Year club)  So we need to assess where and how likely we'd be to use it.  The Oru would be great if we were regularly traveling to quiet waters, say driving south every winter....  Ideal, if we had a sailboat we were taking to exotic locations.  Tempting if we sometimes drove long distances to family gatherings and wanted access to paddling without being too blatant about it.

Also seen at the Promonade were many other kayakers.  There was a long skinny Cheaspeake lurking off shore.  A trio of fast fiberglass paddlers came in from a trip around Peakes Island and up to Little Chebeague.   A traditional paddler who'd been out rolling visited us.  He mentioned Portland was about to get a skin-on-frame store.  (maybe called Dancing Bear??)

East End Beach Portland on a Sunday afternoon is entertaining for the kayak variety alone. 


 

Portland Harbor, Maine

Basics: Launch Eastern Promenade, Portland. MITA suggests that kayak trips to Fort Gorges, Peaks and other islands of Portland harbor commence at Eastern Promenade to avoid the main shipping channels. Fee to use public launch. Launch from beach at no charge. Parking near launch: five minute loading spaces, 1 hour parking, 2 hour parking and trailer parking only (Memorial Day through Labor Day) , additional parking further up the hill. Restrooms. 2 miles to Fort Gorges and back. Launch 11AM, high 9AM, finish 3 PM. Our route 9.5 miles. Ferries go to Peaks Island regularly, but not to Fort Gorges.


When we arrived at Portland’s Eastern Promenade, our way along the waterfront was blocked by three huge dump trucks backing onto a barge at the commercial ramp; directly behind us the Downeast Duck Tour veered right, heading for the public ramp and behind that the Narrow Gauge Railroad cut off the road. Welcome to the big city!

Portland Harbor is busy, but it’s also filled with lots of interesting sights. Still, in September, conditions are great. Maine’s ocean water is about as warm as its going to get yet many of the summer visitors have gone home, so we get to enjoy paddling in some areas which we’d normally consider to be too crowded.
Caution: The MITA handbook recommends that kayak trips to the islands head out from the Eastern Promenade, rather than Bug Light Park. That way kayakers avoid the channel used by the biggest boats and tankers.

Why they recommend the Eastern Promenade Launch. Picture taken from Cape Elizabeth, Fort Williams.
Fort Gorges, left; Fort Scammell right.

As a part of planning, we were monitoring the weather, both land forecasts and marine forecasts. For Portland this was easy, as we could watch the local weather forecast online. And we’d delayed this trip for two days hoping the weather would clear. Eventually we had a good, but not a great day, with clearing skies predicted, calm winds but moderately big seas. So we were proceeding with caution. The day was supposed to clear, but we’d arrived in what we hoped was the last of the rain. Our first goal was Fort Gorges, visible from the shore on the day's quiet water.

Another quick check of the marine forecast on our marine radios assured us that no thunder was expected, so we headed out. The paddle to Fort Gorges is a quick trip, first a quarter mile along the shore then a three quarter mile crossing. No stop at Fort Gorges though, that was planned for later.
Instead we had another quick crossing, less than half a mile to Little Diamond. The south shore of Little Diamond just seemed to be the epitome of summer colonies, reasonable sized houses in tiers so they all have a water view.

Could be almost any summer shore, but it is Little Diamond

We then travelled along the shores of the two Diamond Islands.

Mark, just off Little Diamond, studies his chart, while a ferry and tourboat pass in front of Peaks Island

Our original goal had been to paddle around Peaks, but with higher wave heights in the marine forecast, we were reconsidering. Though the water was calm in the harbor, we knew it would be a different story on the far side of Peaks where no islands broke up the waves. We were also concerned about possible strong currents in Hussey Sound, which had been noted in the MITA handbook. It was mid tide and falling, so the current through the sound was likely to be outflowing. We entered behind tiny Pumpkin Nob, just off the end of Peaks, cautiously. We didn’t feel that much current in that small area, but we did see significant swells out to sea. Discretion being the better part of valor, and definitely the better part of ignorance, we changed our route, heading back along Peak’s west side, basically just on the opposite side of the channel we’d just paddled.
Our stop in Peaks center was short. Mark, “I didn’t come to shop, I came to paddle”, didn’t want to leave the boats, so I wandered through town a bit, discovering the seasonal public toilet hidden by the parking lot for the ferry. There did seem to be several places to eat, and a few stores clearing out for winter as well as a year 'round grocery.
The remains of Fort Scammell on House Island drew us next. Fort Scammell is not open to the public, but some tours are available. We saw multiple houses on privately owned House Island. There is also a beach, with a wall of big granite blocks that was just beginning to appear above the falling tide. I’m not sure if those were put there to defend the fort or the privacy of the current owners.

Mark provides a convient scale to one of Scammell's wings

Two Coast Guard vessels were working in the harbor. They’d arrived earlier in the day, side by side, but had since moved to separate areas. One was the Shackle, same class as the Tackle, doing something with what appearred to be a custom buoy. We crossed from House back to Little Diamond, which allowed me to pass by this wonderful yellow bell buoy, one of several yellow buoys around in Portland harbor.

Then back to Fort Gorges. Much like Prospect Maine’s Fort Knox, Fort Gorges was begun prior to the Civil War and obsolete before it was completed. More of the history of Fort Gorges is available on wikipedia. For us, it is just a fun place to take a break and explore. As per the sign we entered at our own risk, and clambered up and down the stairs, looking out to Portland Head Light. Fort Gorges is a good place to bring a flashlight, as some stairways are completely dark.

Patriot gulls with a "star"

Hopefully those aren't important pieces...

Fort Gorges may have been obsolete by the time it was complete, but several other Forts and Batteries were built in the area to defend Portland through various wars. After finishing our paddle, we headed out to another gathering of forts, in Fort Williams Park, in Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland. That’s also the home to perhaps the world’s most photographed lighthouse, Portland Head Light.

Look familiar? Keep an eye out, you’ll see it decorating items in coastal gift stores from Maine to Florida and everywhere in between.
In planning this trip we relied heavily on Kayaking the Maine Coast by Dorcas Miller, the MITA 2011 guide, tidbits from Paddling.Net Launches, and the Peaks Island Web site.
This link offers another report of paddling to Fort Gorges.