Monday night whitewater fun

Beginners and experts alike
gather every Monday night
at Clarke Outdoors after work
to do that move with the quirky jerk
Shake it up, oh oh

All old Cars song references aside, you should really consider meeting us on Monday nights at the store.
The most common place we go is Swift's bridge for some casual surfing. People are either learning to do the eskimo roll, get their first surf,and some adventurous folks work on flatwater freestyle stuff. All ages. All abilities. All fun. All the time.

Many of the employees are trying out the latest demo boats from the good folks at DragoRossi, WaveSport, LiquidLogic, Pyranha, Jackson.

Just look at Chris and Dave show off their awesome whitewater kayaking skilz!!!

Beginner, Intermediate, and Experts alike at
"MONDAY NIGHT PADDLE CLUB"

Jackson kayaks.
Liquid Logic kayaks
Dagger kayaks
Wave Sport kayaks
Drago Rossi kayaks
lots of whitewater kayaks.

power company mistake makes for whitewater fun

Who was confused by the odd internet gauge reading at Bulls Bridge this weekend?

Who was suprised that Bulls was running 2' all weekend on the painted gauge?

Who was lucky enough to be hanging around, and got to do Bulls Bridge at a fantastic level, with wonderful weather, and enjoyed surfing George's at it's best "wave" level!

The inside scoop, direct from the folks at the powerplant is that they had a minor malfunction with a turbine, and had to do a partial shut-down to fix it. So, what would normally be bypassed, taken from the river, and run through the canal, was allowed to spill into the natural riverbed, thus making Bulls Bridge run all of Memorial Day weekend.

Sorry that the engineers had to work all weekend.

Happy that we got to enjoy the water AFTER work all weekend. (insert happy smile here)

learning a bit of whitewater, together

Parent, child, siblings, friends, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends. People who care about each other in some way. That's what we see the most, learning to paddle various boats on the Housatonic River and it's tributaries.

Everyone enjoys the victories through hard work and mutual support, the rewards of which allow each person to simultaneously be with other people, and be by themselves in an often spectacularly beautiful natural environment, exploring places that most people do not have the great opportunity to see.

Every Memorial Day weekend, the LeClair's pull up to Webatuck Craft Village on the Ten Mile River, in their mothership, and host a slalom clinic and race for advanced-beginner whitewater boaters. It is a tremendous opportunity for novice paddlers to gain more experience with handling their boats. Historically, slalom boaters have gone on to become some of the world's best "extreme" whitewater athletes, pushing the boundaries of both freestyle and river running. While most people do not take the sport this far,and are quite happy with enjoying the river on the weekends, slalom is the fastest way to hone precise whitewater technique.

One of the Clarke Outdoors whitewater instructors reported that this year's clinic was a wonderful success. His positive review was complimented by some clinic attendees who were shopping in our store this weekend.

Mark it on your calendar for next year. You won't want to miss out!

Happy Memorial Day

No big sales. No annoying hype. Just good ol' American FUN this weekend. Working hard at playing hard for all three days, letting people get a break from the daily grind and remember all of the wonderful things that we are able to experience in this country thanks to many dedicated individuals.


Mark regales his audience with story after story of exciting whitewater adventures, no matter what the conditions. He always does it with a smile on his face (and sometimes with a bandana on his head)

Come on in and ask Pete your self, "what's an anti S.I.B. device?" He'll be happy to tell you. (it's quite an important accessory on the Grand Canyon)

it's like a whitewater coffee house...

sugary snacks for waaaaay better prices than expensive coffee houses, and lots of water related books and magazines for sale.

Come in, sit down, recharge, and plan your next exciting mission!!!!!!!
Just imagine the feeling you get when you bit into a wonderfully delicious almond biscotti as you happily survey the bookshelves for the next issue of your favorite boating magazine, or even when you find that perfect guide book or instructional video.

Although the boss might say otherwise, it seems that Clarke Outdoors definitely encourages loitering.

wavesport Z for sale (new)

wavesport "Z" a good river cruizer that has some great surfing ability. This boat is brand new and available for a terrific price of only $599

Whitewater Scrubs

Jaime McEwan's book "Whitewater Scrubs" is a story for children 8 years old (and up) about the trials and triumphs of children learning the skills of whitewater boating.

come to the store and check it out!

Memorial Day Weekend will be loads of fun!!!

Call now to reserve a spot for canoe, kayak, raft on the river this weekend at Clarke Outdoors. (860) 672-6365


The Housatonic River is running at a perfect level for rafts and canoes. We had an little afternoon rain today, so the level should hold through the weekend.
Sunday is totally booked,but there are still some spots available for Monday and Saturday.

whitewater play boats for demo

demo demo demo boats available special, for you, today....

DragoRossi Stinger for sale for demo
WaveSport Project for sale for demo
Pyranha 4Twenty for sale for demo
jackson 4Fun for sale for demo
LiquidLogic Vision for sale for demo

Try one before you buy one, just to make sure that you'll really like one of these boats when you take it home.

Housatonic Down River Race

Saturday saw high water, lots of anxious racers, a few wipeouts, and lots of fun!

The Housatonic was running higher than usual, making this year's race one of the most exciting in decades!

these brave competetors were out there in their canoes and kayaks, while we were only allowing rafts to run the river (a little bit safer for our customers that way...) Hats off to everyone who had the guts to get in the water that day.

Whitewater Creek Boats

Creek boats are in, ready to paddle the gnar!!! (he he he. I said "gnar")

Riot Magnum

DragoRossi Mafia

Pyranha Burn

Get them while they last. We've already sold several creekers. (must be the high water we've been having in the northeast....)

DragoRossi Demo Center

the month of May is a very special month. The hills that surround our shop are blooming with the many colors of spring. The Housatonic is getting warmer. The sun is shining. And, we have many of the latests model kayaks for you to demo and compare, so that you can decide which one will be your special boat for 2006.

We are pleased to announce that, through May, we are a DragoRossi demo center.

Just exactly what does that mean?......

It means that every current DragoRossi model is available for you to demo on the Housatonic River!


STINGER , a great all around playboat and river runner. A modern Disco. A classic in the making (this boat gets the Mark Clarke seal of approval)


PINTAIL. Super fast river running boat. Great squirts. Blazing surfs.
Faster than the CR/RX boats. Very stable. Easy rolling. Super fun.




FISH. A true high performance machine. This boat is for serious whitewater junkies only!!! People who demand the best, go to great lengths to find this boat.



MAFIA. Fast. Dry. Stable. Easy rolling. Quick turning. Everything you want in a creek boat, plus an expedition hatch, and a supplementary breathing tube. Breakaway bulkhead to save your ankles. Twin hull stiffening rods. Stern bulkhead for added strength. Multiple attachment points.



SQUASHTAIL. This is the boat that Corran Addison designed for himself. No compromises at all! Just the very best in performance and drive towards the handling characteristics that will take play to the next level.

all the latest news..... (may 15)

Monday night paddle club is a raging success! Don't miss out!! Get off work early and meet at Clarke Outdoors just before 5pm to find out where we are going!!!

Almost all of the Riot liquidation boats are gone. WOW!!!
The only one left is the Magnum (orange) for $500 Brand New, Full Warranty.

The Falls Village gauge reads 2900 cfs this morning.
Bulls Bridge is at 4 1/2 on the Flintstone guage.
AND it is RAINING so the water will be rising.
Ten Mile and Shepuag should be good too.

Pyranha Stretch, 4 Twenty, are in stock, and the Burn is on it's way

Dagger FX is here

WaveSport Project in Stock

Liquid Logic CR has arrived

DragoRossi demo boats area available (Mafia, Pintail, Fish, Stinger) and we have one Pintail in the retail store at a special price.

The COVERED BRIDGE slalom race is THIS WEEKEND!!!
practice all day on Saturday, and the exciting, thrilling, breathtaking race will be held on Sunday.

Kayaks on Sale

a couple of overstocked boats. All in good shape. Recreational/touring kayaks.

Riot Stealth 12' 5" (red) for lighter paddlers
suggested retail is $699
NOW ONLY $500



Dagger Catalyst 12' 8" (blue) with rudder
suggested retail is $975
NOW ONLY $775






and don't forget to check out the "Clearance Corner" upstairs where there are some exceptionally good deals on overstocked or discontinued paddling gear from Riot, Stohlquist, Astral, Rapidstyle, Voyager, IR, Lotus Designs and many more.....

river is rising, sun will be shining

the rivers are high and there is sun in the forecast so I"m sure that there is alot of whitewater kayaking, canoeing, and rafting that is going on for this week.
have fun out there and stay tuned for reports from the Housatonic River in Connecticut.

mini race car, mini kayak

Low Priced boats for big and small

Riot Air 60. Only $600. Last one that we have. Perfect for larger paddlers who want to throw down with the puny "average" dudes.


Dagger FX. The super small boat that will loop and cartwheel just about anywhere. only $400

wierdos abound at whitewater oufitting shop

what can I say other than it is well known (and documented) that river enthusiasts are a very strange bunch.
the gang at here on the Housatonic is no exception
but along with this oddness comes a tremendous capacity for having fun in many situations.

Look at Edge. he must be really excited to go boating as he leaps from the joyously leaps from the van.

Mark and Pete, the two top notch kayak instructors don matching brain powered fleece hats. (they look quite smart...)

Frisbee anyone?

How about a Newt?

T'ville missions

trips to tville could be happening soon (but not on Mondays)
stay tuned for more information about the after work missions to invade that "other" river in Connecticut...

Monday Night Paddling

The weather is warm and we have started paddling every Monday night.
Meet at Clarke Outdoors by 5pm to find out where we are going.
It's a casual affair and all are welcome to join in the fun.

we are a DRAGOROSSI demo center

the month of May is a very special month. The hills that surround our shop are blooming with the many colors of spring. The Housatonic is getting warmer. The sun is shining. And, we have many of the latests model kayaks for you to demo and compare, so that you can decide which one will be your special boat for 2006.

We are pleased to announce that, through May, we are a DragoRossi demo center.

Just exactly what does that mean?......

It means that every current DragoRossi model is available for you to demo on the Housatonic River!


Stinger, a great all around playboat and river runner. A modern Disco. A classic in the making

Pintail. Super fast river running boat. Great squirts. Blazing surfs.

Fish. A true high performance machine. This boat is for serious whitewater junkies only!!! People who demand the best, go to great lengths to find this boat.

Mafia. Fast. Dry. Stable. Easy rolling. Quick turning. Everything you want in a creek boat, plus an expedition hatch, and a supplementary breathing tube. Breakaway bulkhead to save your ankles. Twin hull stiffening rods. Stern bulkhead for added strength. Multiple attachment points.

Squashtail. This is the boat that Corran Addison designed for himself. No compromises at all! Just the very best in performance and drive towards the handling characteristics that will take play to the next level.