Paul Sylvester

There always was an Iron Ranger there and usually envelopes on the honor system. If they had staff they would have a worker at the gate collecting.

Or Greg at Kayakwavology in CT. He can ship anything right out and is a Reed dealer.

There are many capable kayaks that will serve you well and you may rethink a rudder? Are you a capable camper that can downsize the kit a bit? A fiberglass kayak is fine but have a patch kit and know how to use it. Too many variables between your skill set and future plans so just go have fun this season. Suggestion..-------- When trying a kayak duplicate the weight of your kit and drinking water with some one gallon water jugs. From your other camping trips you know a loaded kayak feels different.

Plenty of good advice above. Never judge a boat by how someone else has outfitted the cockpit. It is easy to remove the foam (and save) for a demo. When outfitting a boat I will have various configurations of thigh pads and use duct tape to hold them until I get them correct before I glue them in. Fit and feel are an individual thing. Do not move the seat back to get your thighs comfy as it will create more problems. I like my homemade foam seats but I am larger. With a 34" inseam at 215#"s I find my Explorer the most comfortable boat ever. Can't speak to the Surf but Tom at MIKCO would get the best fit possible for your body boat combo.

2 or 3 inch foam is easy to get and is easily laminated together with contact cement. The glue line will show but who cares?

Yes I have done this with mixed results. Gel coat is not made to be applied after the boat is completed...(so far as I have ever known) Maybe if you can spray it on? But you can use a surfacing gel coat on small areas and get good results with buffing. I have seen some real messes from these attempts with gel coat. For the decks a very fine grit and then buffing up through the grits can do a lot. Why not chase out some spider cracks, store it dry and just paddle it? Black is tough as it shows so the dings and flaws. Explorers are ok if they have scars...

So a minor hijack........ I had John Perrault and his (then) wife as teachers at Traip Academy In Kittery 74-76. We would go around to various venues and catch him live as teens and always liked the music. He gave me a life long love of folky acoustic music. He taught poetry and his wife taught creative writing...Got some of my best grades in their classes. lol, He has a great song called "Wounded Knee" that is worth a listen ..On youtube. I am interested in any overnights out there. Day trips I would paddle out.

I would never commando camp out there. Too many eyes in the hotel and harbor. But I bet a smaller group could get permission if they could frame the question right.

Framing it in Kilometers? LOL.. I make it in about 1-1/2 hours if i keep moving. Keith A and John R. years ago made a run out and back before lunch I believe. It was written up in ACK or on the NSPN site some time ago. There are some restrictions when you do get there. Winter research below? There could be volunteer opportunities? Cornell has a facility out there. Celia Thaxter Smuttynose Murders, Books and even a movie, Weight of Water.

Kayakwavology has them down in CT. Got mine from Greg and it is a 4 person. It is held up by your backs as you sit. It was fine with just two people in it one time at 3000' in the winter. I carry it mostly for hiking. Have been in them twice when they were needed..

They could zip to your outer cuff so you can still keep your inner cuff intact. Remove them in the warmer months..Go pitch to Koky.. I have bought more gloves and mitts then set them aside because they were too tight. ...

I believe they have deck bags that mount at the front of the cockpit? Possibly with an easy access zipper? What if you kept extra pairs close with pocket heaters or handwarmers inside so you always had a couple pairs getting warm?

I had/have a pair of neoprene gloves that come up to mid forearm. They hug my wrists pretty well so you stay warmer. I bought them at New England Fishing Gear in Portsmouth years ago. They are west of the Portsmouth traffic circle and carry a large assortment of gloves for the marine trades. I know their inventory changes but they always have an assortment of decent gloves. Assume you are bringing hot water to dump in your gloves on breaks? (insert usual safety info about scalding water entering gloves) The problem I have is getting XXl gloves.

Jed, Chad and Mike Sabin show in the picture. I would have to look again for others..

Gary has the record for recent paddles.. The day we sent Bob off was a nice get together and a large group came out. Were you at Squam October 2000? Believe you were in Sirius? Red/white? The number was around 50 I think and you should recognize a few.. Squam Oct.2000.pdf

We have it so good these days.

Very nice job!

Jim, Are you finding references to the Wells ME case in your readings? I believe the last fight was with beachfront landowners in Wells?

Earlier skis and racing kayaks did not have uv protection and it was/is common to see people bag their boats once they get OTW. edited to be OTW= OFF the water

Since the plastic used is soft is there any chance you could find a harder plastic flat washer to act as a bearing surface? Would there be room side to side for something added? The surfaces appear rough and something to reduce the resistance? Don't think I have used my explorer skeg years.. Boat edges great.

A rubber bushing to take up the slack? Maybe a small piece of rubber hose over the bar at the connection points? Only have your description for my understanding.

But no worries. I don't want to scare anyone off. Yes there are some scary pin points at the docks but we are going to keep to the safe side. The river (like any other) is a place for situational awareness.

The wind should be down and the temps. decent on Monday. We had to post it at level 3 but with 5-10 kts. of wind expected and little boat traffic on a Monday this will be more of a "moving water" paddle. The plan is to leave Hilton by 9:30 and paddle down towards Frankfort Island in South Eliot on the Maine side. We may venture further down the river on the Maine side depending on the mood. We can break at the "Dead Duck Inn" boat launch. There are many very safe and mild areas along this route with the main flood near the channel and eddies forming on the sides. As it gets closer to max flood we will ride the current back to the bridge for some "observation" of the flows. The flood at noon under the bridge shows up to 5.33 kt's. and we will ride it up under the bridge. We can then use the eddies to loop back under the bridge if the group wants. After we can ride the flood up into Little Bay and take a break at Fox Point. There may be a small tidal race going off near the point. You do not have to get near this. Getting back to Hilton with some flood we can find the eddies and it will not be too hard iMO. Maybe 7-9 miles total and off by 3 pm. Please PM with concerns and remember... It is moving water but once your boat is moving with the current it is pretty easy. This will be great for boat control and edging. A few observations about the river: Off Fox Point there are small tidal races that set up (flood and ebb) on high flow days. These are partly wind dependent for them to get sporty. Great Bay appears protected but is shallow and the fetch is large so it gets choppy fast. The area in Little Bay in front of Great Bay Marina can be one of the most dangerous areas when the wind is up. In South Eliot Maine there is a day marker on a point of land. About a mile up river from the Piscataqua river bridge. This is a great play spot on an ebb or a major hazard... From Pierce in downtown Portsmouth if you paddle up to the tugboats the ebb current can get really strong here. Any waves bounce off the riverbanks under the condos. Instant chop.. The NH side is more industrial and the Maine side is more residential with recreational and commercial boats moored. If traversing the river it is safer on the Maine side. It is much wider with many bailouts and much less flow. In certain areas 2' mooring balls can be sucked under water on good flows. In the summer with high traffic the boat wakes moving through the eddies can get very playful. This happens a lot off Pierce Island. The area around Wood Island often develops standing waves on the ebb. Especially as ocean swells and wind work against the flows. I have paddled in mild swells outside of New Castle only to cross over to Wood (on the ebb) and find some challenging spots that I was not comfortable playing in alone. You are in front of the CG station also..So I hate to make the nervous. Enjoy,

Nylon poly weave I believe and they have lasted well for me.

Hardware stores sell small engine pull start rope in a couple sizes. It has always been fine for me.