Dee Hall

The purchase was in the fall of 2003

We have had leakage in very few spots, but we have prevented further delamination by repairing the spots with the tape provided. I have a special heat sealing iron (smaller than a regular iron) that makes the job really easy. One of the two or three spots that actually leaked was caused by a pointed object I was keeping in my pocket. The only reason I knew it was leaking was due to the quarter-sized damp spot on my fleece underneath. Shoot me an e-mail if you would like to hook up to do the repairs. -Dee

There are several things that determine boat weights of mass produced boats: 1. Material - plastic, fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon/Kevlar, etc. 2. Type and thickness of weave - mat, cloth 3. Size 4. Manufacturing techinique - hand layup, vacuum bagged In the past, NDK has used mat FG in a hand layup process. This has resulted in a lot of resin being used in an imprecise quantity. Hence some heavy boats in unmatched weight. Most, if not all, of the North American manufacturers use vacuum bagging which results in a lot less resin being used. Since resin isn't the strength component of the composite, you save weight without losing strength. A couple of years ago, carbon/Kevlar started replacing Kevlar as the popular material for lightweight boats. This isn't because it is more durable than kevlar. It's not. It's because it is stiffer. People were not happy with the way their Kevlar boats flexed when they bumped up against solid objects, so the stiffer CK has become more the standard. Unfortunately, the flexing is part of what makes the Kevlar boat so durable. I have really bashed my boat around in the rocks and dropped it off the top of our SUV 4-5 times without any damage. If you get to see my boat and it's scratches, you will know that it has definitely not been "babyed". (Perhaps others can attested to what my boat looks like.) -Dee

>In Bar Harbor, outfitters well into Sept. are taking people >with minimal experience, admittedly in tandems, on what >would be L3 NSPN trips and none of those participants are >wearing wetsuits or drysuits. Most likely this is a choice made for economic reasons, not for safety. They don't want the costs of supplying and maintaining wetsuits for all of their customers, and they know that if their customers are required to wear them, some won't go. The outfitter that I work for strongly recommends that the paddlers on our trips in waters below 60 degrees wear the wetsuits we supply them. -Dee

>...behaves. Still there's so many boats to try. The >one thing that I wasn't crazy about with the Aquanaut was >the knee room. I think with whatever is "the right boat for >me" I'm going to have to make a compromise there because one >of the things I'd like is a lower deck than what the T170 >has and I don't think it's possible to accomplish that >without having less room for the knees. > This is probably going to be true, although there are a few boats out there with high front decks and narrower beams. >That's a good question. I guess time is the only thing >that's really going to sort out those answers. Week long >camper... I'd like to have the option (maybe not a whole >week but 3 or 4 days might be nice) but I don't see a lot of >those trips happening in the average year for me so I think >that to compromise too much in that arena would be a >mistake. That shouldn't be necessary. You might find my boat, the Currituck, to be a tight fit (although it certainly won't be any tighter than that Anas), but it has LOADS of space for camping equipement. Keep in mind, some of that fit might be the manufacturer's idea of where to put the seat which can always be ripped out and replaced with a comfy, mini-cell foam one. >I haven't paddled the Explorer yet but I'm somewhat turned >off about its weight (I'm worried about what effects lifting >these heavy boats up by myself is going to have on my back >over time... with the back in mind if it's possible my >preference would be for a lighter boat). > There are so many great boats, and the North American layups are much lighter than the British layups. I had the oppor- tunity to use well over a dozen different boats that fit me correctly this season, and I would recommend different boats for different paddlers to try based upon their needs and wants. For myself, the Explorer doesn't make it into the top 5. I hope that this is helpful, -Dee

Mark is not a big guy, but he does like his boats roomy. So the boat might be bigger than you think.

>the point was the relative safety of the tool. > I agree that not having a very sharp knife dangling at the end of a tether is a feature. My point, and I was largely playing devil's advocate, is that if one has to bring the other hand close to the cutting edges in dark or rough conditions, then there is a trade off in safety. > >as far as "slashing away at objects entangling you"...unless >there was sufficient tension when you placed the blade to >the object and assuming you had the strength (and this isn't >a shot at you) to force the blade through the object, would >that work? how long? > I was definitely talking about objects that had some tension or might develop tension after being caught. However, if I am entangled, I should be able to put tension on the objects with my other hand or body, otherwise, the situation isn't THAT urgent and can be solved in a way that shouldn't involve a near-panic-like "slashing away". -Dee

Ok, I can give you a reason against sea snips since you are begging for one. Background: I don't open my eyes underwater because I don't want to lose my contact lenses. They are a very strong prescription, and without them I would be truly helpless. If I were immersed, I would need my other hand to guide the object to be cut into the small opening of the scissors. I know from experience that when I don't look at what I am doing with scissors, that I can cut myself. I have gotten as many cuts from scissors as knives. If I were using a knife or a rescue hook, I could slash at the objects entangling me. The scissors given children to use are not the scissors we would carry on our PFDs. A plus for the sea snips that hasn't been mentioned: it's really unlikely that the snips will cut through their own tether and be lost before you need them. -Dee

>In the interest of being educated though, in what conditions >and how often do you find that your spray skirt get frozen? >I'd guess that this is more likely to be a fresh water >phenomenon? More likely to happen in fresh water, I suppose, but it definitely happens in salt water, especially on windy, cloudy days. It might be a good reason for that strap I see across some skirts. -Dee

A word of warning. Bob has a very large comfortable temperature range. He wears t-shirts and shorts through October and switches to t-shirts and jeans for the winter. That said, the water temps are still in the sixties, so in theory hydroskin is probably ok. However, I am finding that I need more than hydroskin on top (once I get wet) to deal with the air temps on cool, windy days unless I am working. -Dee

Sorry folks, as with all trips, this will be handled through the usual RSVP process. The leader(s) and/or assistants(s) will specify how to RSVP to them, and due to the need to familiarize themselves with each participant, it will be done over something like e-mail or phone. -Dee

Ernie, Both of these boats will be very secure in rough conditions, but they are going to behave very differently. The Aquanaut is going to be easier to maneuver while the Force will require edging to turn. That is be the trade off for the Force being such a fast boat. You certainly won't need that speed for Level III trips. That said, the Force series are absolutely delightful to paddle between their speed, stability, and lack of wind-related behavior. If I was expecting a very long paddle in high wind and any type of waves, I would pick this boat. If I was taking a bunch of unknown paddlers on a trip with me that I might be rescuing left and right, I wouldn't. -Dee

We haven't rinsed our boats in years, except when we are doing modifications. There is no degradation to the resin, Kevlar, Glass, wood, plastic or deck fittings. Caveat: Those Yakima foot pegs will freeze right up if you don't rinse the sand out of them. -Dee

If your rope pieces are coming together at a shallow angle, then a tautline is sufficient and really fast when the skeeters are buggin' you. (Leave the other end of the line tied to the car while you are in the water.) However, if the two pieces of rope are not at a shallow angle, then you need a truckers hitch (or different route through your boats which will bring them together at a shallow angle). By the way, use a bowline on the end tied to the car. It is also quick to tie once you have practiced it and nothing is more secure. -Dee

As someone who grew up on the Merrimac in Amesbury, I can tell you that the smell was probably not due to pollution from the rains. The bluefish have started feeding which means they chase the smaller fish upstream in terror. The warm weather we had a couple of weeks ago, would have reduced the oxygen in the water. Combine this with the fresh water from upstream and a lot of those fish would have died. Happens every year that the blues start feed in hot weather.

We will let you know as soon as we figure out the details ourselves. -Dee

Actually, level 2+ has been added as an official distinction to separate out trips for very early beginners from trips for those who have some ability to go a bit longer and faster. They both fall under the level 2 category, but having level 2 and level 2+ trips allows participants with the broad range of expectations covered by level 2 skills to be more content on their trip. -Dee

Moynihan Lumber in (Beverly and North Reading) carries WRS 2x4s. -Dee

Keep in mind, lobstering is illegal on Sundays in Maine. We stayed on Crow on a Saturday night and slept a wonderful, late Sunday morning. -Dee

The whistle and compass are gone. The entire legislation is listed above. -Dee

Now you need both waivers, ACA and NSPN, and yes, it is $10. Enjoy. -Dee

The kayak safety bill was amended and passed the Senate last Thursday. The House is not in session so the only things that can be passed are items thet are considered to be "non controversial". We need people to call and e-mail their State reps that this bill is flawed and should be considered by the full House when it is back in session. Below is the text of what was ammended: Mr. Barrios, Mr. O’Leary, Mr. Nuciforo, Mr. Lees and Mr. Tarr move to amend the bill (House, No. 4949) by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the following text:- “SECTION 1. Chapter 90B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 5B the following section:- Section 5C. Every person aboard a kayak, as defined in section 13B, shall wear at all times a Coast Guard approved personal floatation device of Type I, II or III, in good and serviceable condition. SECTION 2. Section 11 of said chapter 90B, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:- (q) Prescribe safety equipment required to be aboard any kayak, as defined in section 13B, however no such rule or regulation may exempt kayakers from the requirement to wear a personal flotation device as required by section 5C . SECTION 3. Said chapter 90B is hereby further amended by inserting after section 13A the following section:— Section 13B. (a) As used in this chapter, “kayak” means a lightweight boat that: (i) is covered, except for a single or double opening in the center thereof; and (ii) is propelled by a double bladed paddle. ( Anyone who holds himself out as a kayak instructor for hire shall obtain and maintain: (i) first aid training approved by the department of public health; (ii) cardiopulmonary resuscitation training approved by the department of public health; and (iii) kayak instructor certification from the American Canoe Association, American Red Cross certification in small craft safety and basic water rescue, or equivalent water training. Any course of kayak instruction shall include, but not be limited to; (i) the safety procedures appropriate to the level of kayak paddling difficulty; and (ii) wet exit training, which training shall be conducted prior to a student operating a kayak unsupervised or in water deeper than 5 feet. Wet exit training shall consist of practice escaping from a kayak while submerged in a controlled water setting. Wet exit training shall not be required by this section if the kayak to be utilized by the student during the training is a sealed-hull, sit-on-top or open-decked kayak in which no part of the kayaker’s body is covered or enclosed within the cockpit, or center opening of the kayak. A liability release that limits an instructor’s responsibility to comply with this section shall be void.”

It doesn't replace reflective tape or stickers. It's purpose is different. Reflective tape allows boats with lights to see you at a distance. These beads, like cylume sticks, won't show up at a long distance. -Dee

They are made of casting polyester with a highly visible and persistant (and expensive) glow-in-the-dark pigment. It actually glows for over 24 hours. The polyester has been glass reinforced to make it stronger than the wooden beads we have been using up until now on our deck lines. I have gotten much feedback on Alex on shape and size, and am finishing the second generation mold this week. They should be available very soon at New England Small Craft. They are not really a DIY project and involve some investment in bulk materials. I do have 34 first generation beads on my workbench now which I could let go at a very good price. (I will be happy to move this to whatever conference someone wants.) -Dee