Many adventure racers consider paddling the boring and worthless part of racing.  Although I'm not a huge fan of pushing an inflatable tub for 12 hours against a headwind, I do find a lot of enjoyment out of some good kayaking.  For those of you looking for a little more excitement out of your forward stroke, consider getting into a surfski and hitting up some rough stuff.  Like mountain biking is to road cycling, surf-skiing requires more balance, power, and concentration.  Plus, it's damn fun to ride some surf and hit 15 mph as you cross your fingers you don't get tossed.  Bonus is that if you do on a surfski, you can remount and not have to bail out the boat. 

My birthday yielded me a new Think Evo in Fiberglass construction.  Super comfortable on my bumb and stable enough to enjoy some more of the rough stuff.  I was paddling a Huki S1X before and that was just too unstable to enjoy.