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Like teaching your kids to ski at a young age it is not about powder and rowdy lines. It is about making sure that they are comfortable, having fun, and that think they are the best skier in the whole world. It is an investment in future powder days and rowdy lines. Like a cup of hot cocoa and hand warmers the Remix 47 makes kids feel confident and comfortable. The outfitting is simple and bomber. The rounded chimes allow small children to get the boat on edge and it still has confidence inspiring secondary stability. The displacement hull allows them to zoom across any pond in a few strokes. They can hop right in and play tag, explore, and race around any body of water. For the younger kids I put a 1” foam pad from my bulkhead in the bottom so that they feel on top of the world.
On the river, the high deck keeps a lot of water out so that they can paddle without a skirt. As a parent, I always liked that the kids could just bail out of their kayaks at anytime and I waited until they asked me for a skirt before I even gave them the option. Generally this did not happen until class 2+ or 8 years old.
The other thing I love is that they can generally surf on day one. The hull speed allows them to paddle up onto flat waves until they feel that addictive kick in the butt that means that they have nailed it. It is not going to win any rodeos but those first surfs are the key to lifetime addiction.
In looking back through the photos of my kids kayaking, it is pretty amazing to see the roll that the remix has played in our lives. Living on the western slope of Colorado, long desert river trips were an annual affair from an early age for my kids. The Remix 47 allowed them independence to explore and play with the river, feeling confident and capable.
What I remembered most about my first days kayaking is playing in the pond at our camp. We would stand-up and wrestle, joust, launch off the dock, and doggie paddle upside down across the entire pond. This silliness bred an unerring sense of balance and calm. If you can take your brother jumping up and down on your up-turned boat you can take a beating in a hole. I see the confidence that the Remix instilled in them. Regardless of future accomplishments, I know that if nothing else they will be paddling the beautiful rivers we all share and they will have a really good sweep stroke.
But don’t take my word for it. Here is my 10 year old son Tucker who has been paddling the Remix 47 since he was 4 years old.
“I like the Remix 47 because it’s very long and easy move. It is fast and you can tow people around on it. It is easy to reach the water and paddle well. One of my favorite memories was the first time I rolled in it. I was at the Glenwood pool and my dad lowered me into the water and I was able to bring it back up easily! One time I was surprised by a rapid pand I sliced right through it no problemo. The 47 could slice right through the biggest waves in the world……probably.”
or my 13 year old son Otter who has paddled it since he was 6.
“I like the fact that it doesn’t really flip easily. But when it does it is easy to flip back over. I also like that it cuts through the waves and doesn’t bounce up and down most of the time. It is also very fast. I call it my race boat. I am sad that it is too small for me now.”
Here is a link to the product page so you can see more information about the boat and place an order. Click Here We need 20 boats ordered to make this happen!
Here is a video of one of our adventures. Bikes and boats what more could you ask for?
I hope you enjoy.
Peter Benedict