Rebel Ilaga

When choosing a kayak for yourself, answer this basic question: Where will I paddle 90% of the time? It is so easy to look for a kayak with gorgeous lines, or the most popular models you see on website, the coolest people padding with awesome skills, or kayaks that can hold a ton of gear and handle rough seas. I had always thought I wanted a P&H Cetus MV (and I still do) because I thought I would be an adventurer along rocky coastlines. That is how I saw myself. So I spent months scouring kayak sites looking for a used Cetus MV in excellent condition, but then something caught my eye on a site along the west coast of Florida. A Rebel Ilaga (Ilaga meaning Friend in Greenlandic). It looked both primitive and modern at the same time. Researching more, I saw youtube videos of some amazing individuals, rolling this kayak a dozen different ways. There was something about the way people were using this kayak; it was more of an art form than adventure.  So my wife and I drove to the West Coast of Florida to a local paddle shop called, Paddles Sports Of Naples and that is where I met Jay Rose (Owner/Operator) who put a Greenland paddle in my hand (a first for me) and let me take out the Ilaga he had for sale.  This was like nothing I had ever experienced.  At 17’9 L, 19″ W and 12.5″ Deep coming in at a mere 37 lbs.  This handled like a combination of my 13′ Old Town for nimble turns and my McNulty Sea Hunter for being flat out fast.  It was going to be perfect for the type of paddling I had in mind, which was shallow waters and mangroves along Florida’s Intracoastal.  

Fist things first:  Learn to roll because it all comes down to safety first.  Although my pool was less than ideal, with no instructor in sight, and having only YouTube videos as my guide, it did serve as a good start;  I quickly became an expert at wet exits.  I was getting frustrated after a few days of this, but then, when everything moves as it is suppose to–– I found myself sitting right back upright as if nothing happened.  It was at that moment I realized I had needed to stop controlling what I was doing and let my Ilaga know I was truly its friend.  Rolling is akin to riding a horse.  If you approach a horse for the first time, treat it as an object and command it to go, it will fight you and most likely throw you off.    It was when I knew the Ilaga was an extension of me, both of us working as one that the art of this technique takes over, effortless and with confidence.

One thing the Ilaga demands is a strong core, due to its sloped backrest, which makes it ideal for rolling but less ideal for paddling long distances.  My core, although still very strong, is not that of me being in my twenties, made of rubber right out of the showroom.  So I had to improvise for long distance paddling.  I tried contacting various sights for modified seat backs, but then realized it would be one or the other and I wanted something I could easily slip in and out depending upon the type of paddling  I was going to do that day.  I came up with a very inexpensive and easy solution, one that I could carry with me on a paddle.  I was looking around in my garage and saw an old horse collar life preserver–– one of those yard sale $1 specials.   

Eviscerating the life vest revealed these nice layered pieces of foam.  I cut the ears off and then wrapped the block in duct tape.  It sits perfectly on the ridge of the back rest and provides me ample support for long distance.  If I get to a shallow sandbar and want to practice some rolls, I can reach behind me, pull out the block and store it away.  I am on my second block.  After awhile, It starts to compress, but at $1 a life visit at a local garage sale, I can get two blocks out of it.    The goal is to not have to use these at all, but it is a race against time and I’m not getting any younger.  

I love my Ilaga.  I love the ocean cockpit, which at first  I was a little intimidated by.  But after Jay Rose showed me how to get into this craft, properly, I have become a huge fan of ocean cockpits due to the feel of how nicely it conforms to the body and feels as if we are fuzed together.    I use a neoprene spray skirt, which not only gives me plenty of flexibility, but makes a wet exit feel like a rebirth.  Weird.  Thank you Jay Rose……