Kayak Commuting: From Parking Fees to Paddling Adventures

When Meta announced they’d start charging $15 a day for parking, my first thought was: “Are you kidding me? Fifteen dollars a DAY?” I couldn’t believe they were suddenly gouging us employees for something that had been free for years. The math was infuriating - that’s $75 a week, $300 a month, nearly $4,000 a year just to park my damn car at work!

Wait a second you ask - “I thought you said you hated driving and rode 3000 miles a year since you biked to work everyday?” Ah, well not exactly. See, since I got the Tesla, it drives me, and so my armada of bicycles has been relegated to the garage of forgotten hobbies.

But, this $15 a day was a great excuse, I can restart my passion of biking to work. But then I thought, hey wait a second, why bike commute? I could totally Kayak commute!

• The way!
• Where Do I Leave my Kayak
• My Gear
  • The Essentials
  • Misc
• My other Kayaks
• Other Kayaks

The way!

It’s about 3 miles through Lake Union, with a few block hike on each side of the water. While if I was in good shape it would probably take an hour, I’m not in good kayak shape so it’s taken me up to 90 minutes. Ugh.

I can close the last few blocks with a lime scooter, which is wonderful!

Humorously my bike ride is actually 2 miles longer.

Where Do I Leave my Kayak

I’m not sure why it surprises me, but this is one of the first questions I get. Luckily, Meta thought of that:

My Gear

After much trial and error, here’s where I’m at

The Essentials

• The boat: Sea Eagle EZ-Lite 10
  • Ultra-lightweight at just 26 lbs
  • Fully drop stitch so pretty rigid
  • Low to the water gunnels so minimal wind cocking
  • No removable floor so less mess to clean up
• The Pump: USB-C Rechargeable Battery powered pump
• The Paddle: 4 piece Manta Ray paddle
  • Get Versalock => Adjustable Length
  • Get 4 piece => Way easier to fit in the car
  • Decide Manta vs Sting Ray: One is for power, one is for endurance
  • If you get 4 piece reach out and you can get paddle ends for both Sting Ray and Manta Ray
• The Life Jacket: NRS Chinook
• The Bilge Pump: Seattle Sports Paddler’s Bilge Pump

Misc

• Waterproof fanny pack
• Super soaker up towels
• Waterproof dry bags – Protecting work clothes, laptop, and personal items
• Secure storage solutions – Everything stays in place during the paddle
• Phone rigging equipment

My other Kayaks

• Sea Eagle FastTrack 385 - Two person, pontoon sides, super stable but because it has a removable floor it’s a bit of a PITA to setup.

Other Kayaks

• Advanced Elements - With Covers
  • Cover needs to dry, I don’t like it
• Advanced Elements - AirVolution
  • Promising, but really bad wind cocking
  • Haven’t tried AirVolution Pro
• Sea Eagle Razor Lite
  • Kind of the big brother to the EZ Lite
  • I keep wanting to buy it because it’s faster, but then I keep reading it’s tippy - which sounds like not my goal