djlewis

I'm thinking of replacing our really old Avocet RM. The Delphin 155 on sale used at CRCK ($1100) sounds interesting, and this extensive review -- http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.com/2013/01/p-delphin-155-long-term-test-and.html -- is very helpful. The idea is to have a plastic boat for rocks, a decent surfing boat, and a general second boat that won't slow us down, as the Avocet tends to do, especially as it has warped somewhat. I would like an easy rolling boat for my aging hips -- the Avocet is certainly that, and I doubt the Delphin can match it, but any reports would be helpful. The lack of a day hatch does concern me. Any experiences, thoughts, advice, alternatives? Thanks. --David

Whoops, sorry... forgot that it was backwards paddling. Well, sharp edges or not, it's still probably a good idea to become more conscious of your backwards stroke and adjust it, even in emergencies. Speaking of sharp edges... When I first took my plastic avocet to a pool session (many years ago), after half an hour of rolling practice I popped the skirt looked inside and saw profuse bleeding down both legs. Upon inspection, I saw there was a raw plastic edge on the knee braces which had made a couple of nasty incisions on my knees (still have the scars). I hadn't noticed it before, because I had been in a wet or dry suit at the end of the paddling season, and that protected my knees. Solution -- duct tape over the raw edge -- couldn't really stop pushing the brace with my knee to roll.

If you are regularly hitting the skeg control while paddling, I think you need to adjust your stroke, whether or not it actually cuts you -- bruises are no fun either, and it also likely reduces efficiency considerably. I haven't seen your forward stroke, but has to be pretty low or close to the boat near the cockpit for that to happen, probably outside the range of reasonable efficiency whether you hit anything or not.

Love the new model in 40-42. How's she in chop?

This is all one reason I eschew "canned" GPS in favor of the visual mapping app on my phone, which gives a dynamic map and position, but otherwise makes (and helps) you grasp the lay of the land and actually figure out with the gadget between your ears how to go from A to B, via C, D and E. The other advantage of a phone's map is that it integrates nicely with the address book, in both directions. Well, it was nice on the original google iPhone app, but google has "improved" it so much on IOS and Android that the address-book integration is now a lot weaker. Ah, progress. But I must say, that the new google app on Android has decent voice turn-by-turn directions, for no extra $$, which is tempting. But it recently led me in a half-mile circle to re-enter an interstate after getting off for gas, and when I finally *looked* at the map, all I needed to do was make a left across traffic out of the gas station and a quick right.

Terrific. I especially like the shots with the cartop rack holding...

Generic advice -- google: seabrook surf session

Amazing -- here's Eagle -- http://bit.ly/17H9pwZ

I never saw that -- is this it... http://bit.ly/13ZqRvy Neat!

I'm a maybe -- sounds like a terrific paddle.

Rather than "small", do you mean a high aspect ratio (longer, narrower) euro blade? Like say a Werner Kalliste? Actually, the total surface area of the Kalliste is 650 sq cm, which is larger than that of the Cyprus, 610, even though the latter is generally considered more "aggressive", that is, optimized for a higher-angle stroke and with a "powerful catch". Of course, the Ikelos at 710 sq cm is definitely the largest and most aggressive of their line in all ways. BTW, I love my Kalliste for low or high angles -- smooth and relatively easy on my bum shoulder. Many thanks to Jed Luby for putting me onto the Kalliste years ago.

Was the NOAA graphical marine forecast accurate for sea state?

Mary -- you are an inspiration to everybody, not just those of us close behind you on the trek... ummm... paddle through life. Good luck and blessings! --David

We are in.

I'm a definite maybe -- will also try to convince Deborah.

Neat -- an etymologist after my own heart! By the way, after such etymological analysis, it's sometimes useful to transform the exact root words into a somewhat more colloquial and evocative form. in this case, perhaps, it's... Expedition --> an occasion to free one's feet --> a footloose time!

I had a similar problem with an ICOM charging cradle -- was wondering if that was your issue. It sounds a bit different problem that yours, however. Taping a couple of pieces of toothpick at strategic points in the bottom of the cradle insured that the phone settled in properly for good contact.

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Some pumps are just built that way -- hard to believe. I have one like that too, and I just don't use it. I'm not in the market for pumps any more, but if I were, I'd test before buying. If you bought it from a "good" place, perhaps they will refund your money. LL Bean certainly will --- and I bet REI will.

And on the front page, at least for a while. Probably the first and last time for a long while we will see an image of a kayak there. Nice work, John!

Nice, Sid -- congratulations!

Fascinating article. For those that did not read it through, the information relevant for sea kayakers is...

You can also put in a bit of glide on every stroke, rather than a lot of glide every third or fifth stroke as in the video. We can discuss where in the stroke to put the pause and exactly how to do it. I like the most wound up point, with the paddle poised to move forward toward the next catch. That's a normal place for a momentary pause anyway, as everything is naturally changing direction -- you just extend the pause from instantaneous to as long as you want. At that point, there's also less temptation to lower the paddle and lounge with it, as in the video -- which uses the other direction-changing point. That drop/lounge, IMHO, is not such good form and may burn in bad habits. --David