Wasn’t last weekend one for the books? The weather was perfect for enjoying the outdoors, better than most of the others we’ve had this summer. It figures the air would be clean and warm for two days running, since I had to work on Sunday.

(I made up for that later in the week when I got a chance to go to Bar Harbor and check out some new sea kayaks being offered to dealers for next year by Necky, but more about that below.)

What made it more frustrating was having had to have refused two invitations for overnight trips – one to Isle au Haut, the other to Warren Island- and both involved nice, long kayak journeys on a very accommodating ocean.

Fellow paddlers Dave Morrill of Orrington called Monday to let me to let me know he and his wife, Deb, got an early start Saturday morning and paddled from Warren Island south past 700 Acre Island, the Ensigns, Job, Bermuda, Lime, Laselle and Saddle to Mark Island. They said the weather and seas were perfect, and a gentle breeze and incoming tide after lunch helped push them back to Warren. They logged about 17 miles round trip.

While they were headed south in West Penobscot Bay, my friends Karen Francoeur of Orono and Andrea Iverson of Washington were beginning their paddling sojourn from Stonington to Isle au Haut. They set up camp on Wheat Island just north of their destination. They too reported great paddling, wonderful camping and fine weather.

Knowing that the gang was going to be out having fun and that I didn’t have the time to spend on an overnight, prompted me to get out and do a day trip. I wanted some time on the water, to go somewhere different, preferably somewhere I’d never before paddled.

I called my buddy Robert Causey in Glenburn, to see if he was up for some paddling – somewhere besides Pushaw Lake (our usual default). He suggested Sebec Lake. Great, I said. I’d never been there (can you believe it?) and it was fairly close. At least I could drive to Glenburn and pick up Causey, then continue on my way northward and not have to retrace my path.

We set course for Peaks-Kenny State Park, about 40 miles northwest of Bangor as the crow flies (52 miles via tarred surfaces) from my house. If I’d known then what I know now I’d have been on the road a lot earlier. As it was, we didn’t get on the road until noon-ish and then it was shortly after 1 p.m. when we hit the water. We figured we needed to be back and off the water around 4 p.m. so Causey could get home and spruce up to take the love of his life to the Garfunkel concert at Maine Center for the Arts later.

From the time we pulled into the parking area until we left I was impressed with Sebec Lake. It’s clean and clear and is decorated with huge, randomly placed boulders that poke up through the water or sit just below the surface. They keep you on your toes. I saw lots of buoys marking these underwater obstacles that would be disastrous for motor and sail boats. But for our low-draft craft they provided a visual treat.

If you’ve not been to this state park’s beach, you should check it out. The sandy bottom goes out forever providing a great area for children to swim. It’s a great place to launch a kayak as well. We saw several little ones and their parents taking advantage of a nice, warm, end of summer day to splash about near shore.

From the beach we paddled northwesterly over to the far shore and then to tip of South Cove Point. Along the way we spotted a picnic table just back from a large flat ledge. From South Cove Point we crossed about 1.2 miles to Green Point for a quick stretch and exploration. It looks like someone takes care of the grassy area on the southern point. There was a picnic table there as well, and in the woods an abandoned camp. Time didn’t allow much of an exploration so we hopped back in the kayaks and paddled northwesterly to Jordan and Stork islands. We tried to find the northwest passage to Bucks Cove, but low water levels left us pretty much high and dry.

With an eye on my watch I suggested we begin our return trip. Turns out our three-plus-mile return trip took us about 45 minutes, and we were able to load up and be on the road by 4 p.m. That put us back at Causey’s Pushaw Lake-side estate at 5:01 p.m. in time to have a little libation and relaxation before Causey had to start primping for his evening out.

On my way back into Bangor I began planning a return trip so I could spend more time exploring this gem of a park and Sebec Lake.

I looked up some information on the park from the Bureau of Parks and Lands web site. It describes the park thusly: 839 acres; camping area includes flush toilets, hot water showers, and 56 well-spaced sites in a woodland setting; a lifeguard, picnic area, and bathhouse with showers are found at the beach, which is used by campers and day use visitors; hiking trails and amphitheather programs

To get there: Drive to Dover-Foxcroft (Routes 16, 15, 6 and 7 all will do it). From the center of town take Route 153 north 4.5 miles from the Texaco station to a left turn at Greeley’s Landing (if you don’t turn left you’ll wind up in the lake). Then go eight-tenths of a mile from Greeley’s Landing to the park gate where you must pay $3 per person for day use. From there to the beach it’s 1.5 miles. The park is open from May 15 to Oct. 1 and then the gate will be locked, but you could walk in around the gate or ride your bike. Otherwise, launch at Greeley’s Landing if you’re there to go boating.

For more information about the park here’s the contact information: Peaks-Kenny State Park, 500 State Park Road, Dover-Foxcroft 04426 or call 564-2003 in season or 941-4014 off season.

Wednesday afternoon I ventured to Bar Harbor to check in with Robert Shaw, owner of National Park Sea Kayak Tours on Cottage Street. He was expecting a visit from Dana Henry, a factory representative for Necky Kayaks who was bringing a few new models by for demonstration.

It’s that time of year when outfitters and tour operators are getting their orders ready for next season.

When Henry got there we took the boats over to the sand bar off Bridge Street (the tide was in so we had plenty of water) to try them out. Shaw, one of his guides, Otto Andl, and a friend of Andl’s, Josh Gregory who works for Florida Bay Outfitters in Key Largo, Fla., and I got to try out the new Chatham models (16 and 18 feet) as well as the Elaho HV, a 17-foot, multi-chinned hull.

Necky boats will be outfitted with removable seats, ratchet-adjusting seat backs (think snowboard bindings) and adjustable thigh braces. The Chatham has a skeg while the Elaho HV has a rudder. Both have day hatches in addition to the fore and aft hatches.

If a sports-car feel is what you’re looking for, the Chatham 16 is it. It’ll turn on a dime, yet it tracks fairly effortlessly in a straight line, although I noticed a tendency for it to weathercock in a crosswind. But lowering the skeg a bit takes care of that.

If you’re looking for a kayak that’ll track in a straight line, check out the Elaho HV. Why it comes with a rudder is a puzzlement, because I had to work hard to make it turn. That was shocking since some Necky boats really need that crutch – the Necky Eskia comes to mind. I’ve paddled a rudderless Eskia a few times and it requires constant attention to keep it on task. If you stop paddling, the boat turns 90 degrees or more. I’ve been with beginners who used the Eskia and they couldn’t keep it going straight.

So it was a real surprise when I got into the Elaho HV and headed across the wind. It tracks very well without deploying the rudder. As a matter of fact, I had to work hard just to make it turn! I think the only reason I might think of using the rudder is maneuvering or turning quickly. The rest of the time I’d leave the rudder right on deck. The drawback to having the rudder then is having “soft” of spongy foot braces. For those of you who are used to having solid pedals on which to push, this would be disconcerting.

The thigh braces stick out beyond the cockpit rim and are quickly adjusted with a blunt point knife or Phillips screwdriver. The ratcheting backrest adjusters got mixed reviews. They’re quick, positive and easy to adjust, but they too stick out on the cockpit rim and on one of the boats they were pushing up on the spray skirt. This would probably cause the skirt to wear at this spot. I liked the ability to fine tune the back rest, but I’d reserve final judgement until I had a chance to practice wet exits and see if the mechanism got in the way of a clean exit.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.