He just wanted to dabble and paddle, but four years after
launching his business,
Steve Gibons is awash with kayakers.
“We went from a little six-boat company to (having) 50 for rent and 80
for sale,” recalled Gibons, 47, a Michigan native and former snorkeling
instructor in Hawaii. In the four years since he took on Scappoose Bay
Kayaking, he’s expanded the facility from 500 to 7,200-square feet,
added a 30-foot practice pool and increased his staff to 12.
“ All we wanted was a little kayaking rental facility,” he said, chuckling.
But during Scappoose Bay Kayaking’s first year, customers kept asking about
boats for sale. Gibons didn’t then offer boats for sale, but soon got
set up to sell the same line he had for rent.
Gibons said he and his wife, Bonnie Shoop, knew kayaking was picking up in
popularity, but “never in our wildest dreams,” did they expect
this much growth.
Kayaking is a very old means of transportation used by Eskimos and Nordic
people, he
explained, but became popular more recently in Europe, gaining momentum
over the last 25 years and especially in the last 10 years. In the United States,
the typical new kayaker is 38 – 60 years old, Gibons said. And the
Northwest is an ideal place for kayaking.
“Oregon, Washington and Idaho are sort of the mecca of kayaking,” he
said. “People come here to kayak . . . for the greenery, the mountains,
the wildlife.” Gibons finds it curious that most Northwesterners, although
surrounded by water, don’t play on the water.
“We miss the ‘water thing,’ somehow . . . everything
is (focused on) land and mountains.” People often miss this special dimension
of the natural world, Gibons said. “They all think it’s a flooded
cornfield. They miss wetlands.” Amazed by the rich history of the area,
he is fascinated by the old logging tools, and remnants of shipwrecked boats
he’s come across in the river.
“You find the most wonderful things out there.”
Kayaking appeals to a lot of people, he said, because they can go at
their own pace.
“You don’t have to be trying out for the Olympics,” Gibons
said, but “... you can do a cardio-vascular workout if you want.” Kayaking
is becoming especially popular among women. “You don’t need
a man to be hauling your kayak around.” More and more women are kayaking
in groups, he said, and most of them can lift and carry their own craft.
Some people are apprehensive because they think kayaks are unstable and prone
to tipping over. But, compared to a bicycle’s one-inch wide balance point,
a kayak’s 27” wide beam is pretty solid, he said. “They
(new kayakers) are surprised how easy and how safe it is.”
Gibons, who has a knack for coaching, enjoys helping people discover new
things. “I
love being a teacher, whether it’s kids or adults,” he said. “I
like meeting the people . . . seeing them find a hobby or a sport that they like.” While
teaching kayaking, he also shares information on various topics, such as the
history of Scappoose Bay, Sauvie Island, the Indians, salmon, ship
building, local wildlife and Lewis and Clark.
“We want people to learn the history,” Gibons said, “and get
the feel of what it’s like to go down the Columbia River.”
Gibons enjoys leading overnight river trips and daytime tours and has designed
several variations. One package currently popular is the Lewis and Clark Adventure
Tour, a three-night excursion in kayaks or the “Salmon Dancer,” a
31-foot replica of a Northwest Native dugout canoe, which holds about 8 passengers.
A pontoon “support boat” follows along, carrying any non-paddling
significant others, camping gear, cooking supplies and food, often including
corn on the cob and salmon, prepared and served riverside for dinner.
Hugging the shoreline as they float along, paddlers can see old railroad
trestles and canneries. The position of Highway 30, next to the Multnomah
Channel, forces wildlife into a relatively small area, Gibons explained,
where paddlers can see an abundance of wildlife, including bald eagles, osprey,
red tail hawks, river otters, beavers, and heron. The best time to see wildlife,
he said, is from November to March, when migratory birds are present. And
cold, wet weather needn’t
deter a paddler.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather,” he noted. “Just
bad clothing.”
Opportunities for kayaking abound year-round a nd are close to home. The sport
is family-oriented, life-long and affordable, he said, compared to many other
recreational activities.
Unlike snow skiing and golf, which require the purchase of lift tickets and
payment of greens fees, he said, “with kayaking, once you buy the gear, you can
go anyplace for free.” But the bottom line is: kayaking is, simply
put, mellow.
“You don’t realize how easy, how peaceful kayaking is,” Gibons
said. “You melt into the river, the river takes you down it .
. . you go with the flow.
It’s like Zen . . . it’s wonderful.”
E-mail link: scappoosebay@oregonsbest.com
Web site: www.scappoosebaykayaking.com
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