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Recently discovered one eco-friendly tool to increase quality of life, health, and... food!

 
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Location: Coastal Chesapeake, VA - Zone 7b/8a - Humid
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Good Day Everyone!

As stated in the title that got you this far; I recently discovered a piece of equipment that can increase a permies quality of life, health, and food.

The Pedal Driven Fishing Kayak
(Or even a paddle fishing kayak)

This piece of equipment... like a bicycle(or better than because no tires to wear out)... does not create much pollution during its lifespan and can last a great many years if properly taken care of. It is very easy to transport(and store) and can open you up to a whole new world for exploring your local water ways Or provide a way to easily access the water features of your permaculture paradise design for water management and harvest of meats that required no physical labor to produce.  You can let the banks go wild and only have to keep a single small entry point cleared. I have seen folks use them for Fishing... from Trout to Sail Fish. I have seen folks use them for Hunting for ducks... to Hogs.

These things are quiet and low to the water... giving you a feeling like you are a part of nature as you soak up the Sun.

It is low/no impact... so it is easy on the joints. In fact, I am out of shape, and after my first half-day on the water I covered around 5-7mi and my legs felt like they were made of rubber afterwards. However, I never got sore! ( I am old enough to stay sore for weeks after working out) It was like taking a walk for 5hrs (with lots of fishing breaks). In the days following I began to have more energy and for some reason my lower back pain has started to go away. It may be what I needed!

All pedal and some paddle driven kayaks have large comfortable seats with lumbar support for those long days on the water. They come in many different lengths, widths, and weights for different focused uses. I chose something light and moderately stable for fighting fish(I can still stand). So mine will be great for easy cruising with both pedals and paddles. The super stable ones are hard to paddle due to width. They tend to weight twice as much as well. Mine weights 85lbs with the pedal drive in and 65lbs without. 12.5ft long and 34in wide. Good enough for bay and open ocean fishing... and still OK for small streams.

A major portion of the kayak community is very creative. Simply using YouTube you can check out how folks use things from garbage to feathers to flowers to create fishing lures. Same thing goes for creating fishing equipment.

A pedal driven kayak can comfortably cruise all day long at 3mph using your largest muscle group (legs) freeing up your hands for work or fishing. Three mph is Great for trolling two poles behind you while you fish from the front BTW. You can also get a smaller child's kayak for almost nothing and use it as a truck bed to move brush out to areas in the water for small fish habitat.

This is a great deal too because it is a watercraft that you will never have to register, pay yearly taxes, have inspected, or mow the grass around. You can simply store it overhead on pulleys in the garage... on a wall... or under a porch. You can transport them by small car... hand... or even a bicycle if wanted. My small 4cyl pickup does not even notice it.

I expect to loose a ton of weight this upcoming Summer, to fill the freezer with fresh wild fish, crab, etc., and to have more energy and vitality. To be happier and feel more at peace.

I got mine a few weeks ago and just had to share my thoughts and experience so far. I have the cheapest pedal driven fishing kayak on the market. The Perception Pescador Pilot 12.0. They retail for $1799 but I got mine for $1499 on sale at Academy. The max weight capacity for them is 525lbs.

I am working my way to buy a piece of old farm land and plan to convert it to permaculture orchard/silvo pasture/ponds. In an area already filled with back water ways that are inaccessible by boat (Can with a kayak!) and great inshore shallows and offshore adventures. This is one boat for it all.

I am starting a collection of videos for my experiences as I have them. I already started one on Aquaponics. Just yesterday got an iPhone so my video quality is about to increase a lot. lol
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmx2Go7kyfkuYNrJGw1bxc0pjVwvEqhOY


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[Thumbnail for 171229_003.jpg]
Putting her together after purchase...
 
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Marty Mitchell wrote:It is low/no impact... so it is easy on the joints. In fact, I am out of shape, and after my first half-day on the water I covered around 5-7mi and my legs felt like they were made of rubber afterwards. However, I never got sore! ( I am old enough to stay sore for weeks after working out) It was like taking a walk for 5hrs (with lots of fishing breaks). In the days following I began to have more energy and for some reason my lower back pain has started to go away. It may be what I needed!

All pedal and some paddle driven kayaks have large comfortable seats with lumbar support for those long days on the water.



Hey Marty! I'm really interested in this part of your story. I'm a Postural Alignment Specialist (PAS) certified through the Egoscue Institute, and I think I can actually explain why this contraption has helped your low back pain .

My first question, though: Can you share a picture of the seat you're using? Also, if you're comfortable with it, could you share a sideview photo of yourself, from your head to your feet, and shirt tucked in?

Sounds crazy, but my theory is that, if your seat is gently pushing your low back so that your hips roll forward over your thighs, (what is called "hip flexion") and you're lifting your legs to pedal your boat, you're actually positively activating your iliopsoas, which is contributing to the reduction in back pain.

How, you ask?

"Iliopsoas" is the combo name for the psoas and the iliacus, which both converge together at the gluteal tuberosity of your femur (basically, the inner part of your femur, up real high). Above that, your iliacus connects to the inside part of your hips, and your psoas connects to ALL your lumbar vertebrae, and down to that gluteal tuberosity, too.

Your psoas acts as a hip flexor, meaning it helps you pick your legs up. When your hips are rolled forward (in "hip flexion"), like what's likely happening with your seat, that psoas muscle gets REALLY activated!

Here's the cool part: Without seeing you, I'd guess that your low back pain was originated from having misaligned hips, and that your femurs turn out (ever notice if your kneecaps appear to turn outward, by any chance?). BUT, we can actually change our structure (like misaligned hips and femurs) through activating muscles in our body.

What it sounds like you've done is you've activated your iliacus and psoas, by rolling your hips forward and lifting your legs. That psoas muscle is gently working on both your lumbar vertebrae and femurs (remember: It's attached to both!), and your iliacus is working on your hips and your femurs, every time you lift your legs to power your boat!

The ultimate result is that your lower back pain is improved, because your body has been starved for some "nutritious movement" in those areas, and your low back has been the sufferer for it. Now that you've reintroduced movement into those muscles, they're getting a chance to do their rightful jobs again, and are loving it.

Anyway, that's not an official diagnosis, and maybe that doesn't make much sense when written out, but I thought you might like to know why this is likely working for you! I love stuff like this, so I just had to share . Glad to hear you're feeling better and are enjoying your time on your new kayak!

 
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