Aging baby boomers

[bignose]

I am already past the Medicare Age and I am finding that I am having some physical issues, mostly attributed to me thinking that I was an athlete in my younger days. I am paying for that now.

I had some trouble loading my canoe onto the car at Tucker St. about 5 weeks ago, my left shoulder kinda buckled and caused me to lose my balance. I ended up rolling inside the canoe as it shifted and fell, not hurt, but realizing that my shoulder had pretty much given out on me. My canoe goes about 55 pounds.
I do have an ultra light canoe that weighs 33 pounds, but I don't want to risk that on anything but small local ponds. Paddling is is bit of a problem right now, though. Lots of crunching sounds!

The doctor originally told me that I was in pretty good shape, "all things considered" until the MRI reports came back.
Bottom line, I'm going to need to have rotator cuff surgery on my dominant arm, probably around the first of the year so that I can heal by fishing season.
It may affect my ability to produce spinner jigs for the Flea Market, but I have a supply left from last year.
The other shoulder....well I tore the bicep tendon in that so many years ago, that's it's not worth even repairing.

I also am have issues with my knees. I have to be careful fishing from the shore. I already slipped and fell once this year on a frost heaved bank.
The knee? Cortisone shots.

Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.

[Mark]

Stu,

I'm sorry to learn of your physical issues.

It's no fun to be sidelined from things you enjoy.

Good luck with your surgery in January and get well quick.

[bignose]

Thanks fro the kind thoughts.
Fortunately, I can still cast. As long as I don't try to crank out a long one.
I have been kinda restricted to shore fishing the Columbia area ponds since then, although I am going to try working the Charter boat in a few weeks.
No heavy lifting or paddling though.

[J.A. Veil]

Sorry about your injuries. Those of us in the senior ranks fully understand your experience. I'm actually surprised that there are not more repetitive motion injuries from paddling, pedaling, casting, etc.

I hope the doctors can get you fixed up soon.

[azmdted]

I wish you the best and good luck with your surgery. I'm a few years behind you, but not much. I've been following the various motor threads as I'm eyeing ways to continue this hobby as long as possible. Propulsion and ease of loading/unloading I believe are the keys to continued success. Hopefully you can find a way to keep keep going as long as you wish. I'm not sure how many more years I can manhandle my hobie outback myself. Good luck.

[bignose]

I converted to a trolling motor and battery several years ago. Freakin battery weighs more than the canoe does.

Loading the canoe used to be easy, I'd get a grip under the yoke, roll the thing over and do a "military" press up onto the roof rack. Now I put one end on the roof, the other on the ground and cantilever it and slide it into place.

It's that transition from upright in the water, to lift, roll and transfer to the car that is becoming the problem. Thank goodness for launches like Weems, where there is literally a 20 foot carry from the ramp to the car.

[Big Mike]

Getting my right shoulder replaced in November, replaced my left last March. Both hips fake as well. Yes, getting old sucks. My wife just had her rotor cuff repaired in early May and by early July was allowed to do some overhead stuff. Really took closer to 3 months to really expand her allowable activities. Don't wait too long into the new year to get your surgery or it could interrupt your season. Glad to hear you didn't do more damage than the shoulder.

[Mark]

It's that transition from upright in the water, to lift, roll and transfer to the car that is becoming the problem. Thank goodness for launches like Weems, where there is literally a 20 foot carry from the ramp to the car.

Stu,

The issue you raise is important even for those of us (knock on wood) who have no physical ailments.

Today John Rentch and I launched at the Weems ramp. I slid my Ultimate off of the roof of my van and carried it the short distance you mentioned to the water. I did not allow the hull to touch the ground at any point during the carry. When I placed it in the water, I turned to John and said, "I couldn't do that with my Revo."

When I returned it to the van at Weems, I did it essentially the same way in reverse: Lift it from the water, carry it up the short gravel ramp and slide it back on the van, avoiding the ground. A light boat enables me to do that.

That said, I will very likely get another SOT kayak to replace my recently sold Revo because of the safety an SOT offers in larger waters. Unless I get a thermoformed kayak, that means about a 70 pound lift at a minimum for the boats I would consider.

There are aids to help: the Thule Hullavator, or the Yakima Showboat that I presently use. Or most expensive, utilizing a pick-up truck bed instead of car-topping. Someday I may resort to that.

My point is that I will use whatever aids or conveyances I can to stay on the water in a plastic boat as long as I can. I like it that much.

I hope you can work out your health issues and your transport concerns too.

[bignose]

I was told that it is about a 3+ month rehab.
A week or two of trying to sleep in chair, I've been there before..........miserable. Not being able to drive for a couple of weeks.........
I'll have to hire someone to shovel snow, but that's not a bad thing, provides the neighbor kids with a source of income, and keeps me from having the heart attack!

Joe Bruce had almost the exact same thing about a year ago, and he got back to fishing in a few months.

My canoe is so beat up from use that it doesn't bother me to drag it, that's why I put on the kevlar skid plates.
I'll just have to adjust how I can pick it up to carry behind my townhouse.
Thank goodness I don't need the canoe for Shad season!

BTW, how did you guys do?

[Mark]

BTW, how did you guys do?

Two small stripers for me and 9 white perch until mother nature intervened with a steady rain.

Here's John:

B.jpg

He had the good sense to bring a raincoat. I didn't. I got soaked.

John also caught more stripers and perch than me today and larger ones too.

The back third of the creek was dead. We did better near the bridges.

[ronaultmtd]

I wish you the best and good luck with your surgery. I'm a few years behind you, but not much. I've been following the various motor threads as I'm eyeing ways to continue this hobby as long as possible. Propulsion and ease of loading/unloading I believe are the keys to continued success. Hopefully you can find a way to keep keep going as long as you wish. I'm not sure how many more years I can manhandle my hobie outback myself. Good luck.

I will be 72 on my birthday...13 major surgeries- 4 knee surgeries (2 on each knee) no ACL in my rt knee, miniscus damages to left knee...no large intestines- completely removed...skin cancer surgery last year on my forehead...and I plan on fishing as long as I can out of the Lady Luck...and I don't have any trouble at all loading and unloading my Outback- but I have a pickup truck and made a cradle for the Outback to slide in and out of so I only lift a portion of the weight...I roll the kayak on its scupper cart up to the cradle, place the bow beteeen the two four by four carpet covered arms of the cradle and then walk to the rear of the kayak and lift the stern handle sliding the kayak forward on the arms up into the bed of the pickup, firmly resting on the two arms of the cradle...then strap it down and off I go headed to the house- five minute at the max to load or unload..no fuss; no strain...

[azmdted]

I will be 72 on my birthday...13 major surgeries- 4 knee surgeries (2 on each knee) no ACL in my rt knee, miniscus damages to left knee...no large intestines- completely removed...skin cancer surgery last year on my forehead...and I plan on fishing as long as I can out of the Lady Luck...and I don't have any trouble at all loading and unloading my Outback- but I have a pickup truck and made a cradle for the Outback to slide in and out of so I only lift a portion of the weight...I roll the kayak on its scupper cart up to the cradle, place the bow beteeen the two four by four carpet covered arms of the cradle and then walk to the rear of the kayak and lift the stern handle sliding the kayak forward on the arms up into the bed of the pickup, firmly resting on the two arms of the cradle...then strap it down and off I go headed to the house- five minute at the max to load or unload..no fuss; no strain...

I hope you can continue to enjoy this and all your other activities for as long as you wish to. Would you mind adding a photo of your hobie rack? I'm envisioning two carpet covered 2x4s parallel to each other, perhaps with a slight tilt for the hull curve that are above a base built of another pair of 2x4s with a couple cross members. If there's no curve then perhaps just a couple cross members underneath the two cradle arms. Anything special for the end to make sliding in and out easier? another lower cross bar or something? Anyway, thanks for the information and best of health to you.

[ronaultmtd]

I used two 4X4 Landscaping timbers 8' long and two 5/4 round deck boards that I cut recesses in the landscaping timbers as flush to the surface of the timbers cross mounts for the 5/4 round deck boards that align the timbers to the exact right width of the center sponson of the Outbacks so it sits with the Lowrance ready transducer mount off the floor (about 1 1/2 inches of clearance)...also have the deck boards spaced so the cradle sits flat in the bed of the truck and the deck boards are on each side of the wheel well so the cradle cannot move at all- locked in place- I used plasticote deck screws to secure the boards to the timbers... I also beveled the front face of the landscaping timbers on a 45 degree angle then cover the timbers with indoor outdoor carpet so it would not scratch the hull...the bevel gives the bow an incline to lift the hull over the tailgate and eases it into the cradle...I don't use Photobucket so I don't post pictures- I post my fishing pictures on my FB page- but as my friends will tell you I am very political and not at all shy about my opinions, so you may not like my progressive politics...

[azmdted]

Thanks, great description, makes complete sense. I need to put one together like that as well. I appreciate the good description. Warm weather and light winds up around Annapolis this weekend. Tight lines to all.

[manlystanley]

I

Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.

Bummer.... I am starting to deal with same kind of stuff. It is kind of depressing, to see yourself slowly fade.... One thing that helps me is to use the gym. I really enjoy having a consistent work-out that I have been doing for years:

-- 30 minute Elliptical machine (Now the recumbent bike, as my hip hurts so much).
-- 20 minute stretching.
-- 20 minutes lifting weights (not pushing yourself, past 60, your muscle mass increases fairly fast, but ligaments don't. (e.g. easy to get hurt).

I know I look funny, limping into the gym with a gym on a cane, but I get some positive reactions from the younger guys... Like: "Keep it up old guy".....



Best Regards,
Stan