rick stoehrer

did 3 on a jetta with both j-saddle-j and a then j-j-j formation. yes, the boat in the middle goes on first, yes it is a giant PITA. have done same on the escalade and it's an even bigger PITA cause its so high off the ground. you climb up and stand on the tires and then along the interior like a damn acrobat to get it done but it can be done. bowline is a good idea....gives you a heads up. think it's a thule set up i'm using...50 odd inch bars....don't use the factory racks. mileage SUCKS.

five 10 water tennies....have held up for about 3 years...time for a new pair shortly.

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josko - it is kind of you to offer leading / mentoring / guiding opportunities within the various clubs to which you belong. it is the basis of the clubs - it's kind of how they work. as long as you are within the framework of whatever restrictions / caveats the clubs have in place, then i strongly feel you should be free to offer them as you see fit. regarding your receiving nasty grams from local coaches about trips you were running....i would like to think i've misunderstood you and that there is something i am missing here - it wouldn't be the first time. as i understand what you've said, it is REALLY disturbing to think that a local for hire coach would do that. especially where some of these coaches have endorsements to assess/certify you as you progress along whatever structured learning path you choose (bcu or aca) and are in positions where they could prohibit your growth within those structures if they were feeling less than completely objective. to make you feel that if you don't do as they say that getting that next endorsement you need was going to be a challenge beyond just a demonstration of the skills required by the aca or bcu syllabus. it puts you in a position where you need to either comply or feel that you need to travel beyond the local region to train / assess with a different coach in order to proceed. which kind of puts you in a disadvantaged position and certainly does the sport and the organization which those coaches represent, no favors. that kind of restrictive action sure does the local clubs and the sport a huge disservice. any response you had short of TAKE A HIKE JERK was really restrained.

derek hutchinson took the fella from backpacker magazine to ireland along with a film crew and it was televised on pbs. voorhees was a mess but the other guy, derek...here's this "old" buck playing in the boat; surfing, chatting it up, traveling along beautiful shoreline...graceful as a gull on the wind. it was transformative and i had a kayak the next weekend. later, took some classes with derek through the club and outta ri and my next "proper" boat was an orion. haven't looked back and have loved that old buck since. thanks derek!

while reliable, "crangle" vintage equipment is analog and no longer available; service contracts on existing units are expensive and parts are a bitch to find. the same holds true for aged "granowitz", "godfrey", "stoehrer", "brady" and "sylvester" models...the list goes on and on. hell, i bring a "dela vega" i've had for years and it's showing it's age but the damn thing is almost unbreakable. newer, digital era equipment is on the market...use for many years and miles in various conditions and similar utility will be reliably available. You'll know when you've got a good one when it's the first piece of kit you make sure you have for the trip.

Leon, reading this again I am reminded how my strong feelings regarding the rigging of your bow and stern toggles was reinforced to the Nth degree years later when the toggle dangling down was quite literally the only part of my boat I could reach to pull myself up from the depths of a whirlpool as I spun around, running out of air and sure enough right on the edge of not coming up for air. Yeah...Maine, Cobscook...was having a blast of a day right up to the being pulled under part. Seriously, rig your toggles so they dangle down and with only a single piece of line. It could save your life.

Leon - Actually they and you are supposing that having a paddle float would provide sufficient stability, right? They didn't have one so they didn't actually perform diddly squat with one in those conditions. Given the day and the conditions they were in at the time, who knows if it would have been useful or performed adequately or if as a result of deployment, something else would have been a failure point? You don't know - you have no evidence/history. On the other hand, my mates and I were on that same piece of water in conditions that were actually a skosh even less optimal and we sorted it out without the CG (although it waaaas sketchy.) We swam to shore. We all wrote it up from our individual POV's after the fact and parsed it out looking for our mistakes and what we coulda/woulda/shoulda done differently and then chatted it up...damn near killing ourselves made us downright reflective. What really matters? So anyways, after that little jaunt we wrote it up, chatted it up and not a single one of us came up with "paddle float" as an answer. The write up is archived on the board somewhere....you can find it if you think there might be any info to be gleaned. Further....Rambo was alive at the end of all those movies and a lot of folks weren't....so PTSD rage aside, thanks. I'll take being alive any day! You stay safe your way Leon and I'll stay safe mine....so long as we always get back to shore we can probably agree they both work. (and remember you have to read that all in Robert Shaws / Captain Quint voice from JAWS where he talks about "i'll never wear a life jacket again")

Look if it's the ONLY tool in your box, take it. Be crazy not to do so. But we both know that a paddle float is a very weak defense. I think a better, stronger argument could be made for going paddling with someone else...someone with rescue skills, whatever. A person can actively help you, a paddle float not so much. I used to joke that Rick Crangle was the perfect expedition tool. Quiet, competent, crafty, trusted to not make the wrong decision...and we weren't super close so while I liked him...eh, if I lost him, there would be others. Like a leatherman. And I make it sound a little callous and joke a little but that's how I think about things....Who/What do I have at my disposal? I am sure others think the same way to some extent and I speak with all the respect and love to tricky Ricky Crangle. Believe me between a paddle float and a Crangle, take a Crangle every time. And as an "advanced" (What is that? An old crack? GD kids...stay off my lawn!) paddler I can't imagine what hare brain thing I might be doing ALONE, far offshore that I would need the immediate assistance of a paddle float...I am a coastal critter and almost always found in a group so for me I don't see the porpoise (yuk-yuk) of carrying a paddle float when I have people handy...I can do all the things and more with boats and people. In the meantime until the ACA adopts a more sensible paddle with a buddy philosophy I will gleefully and without reservation teach the paddle float rescue. You betcha...ohyah. My 2 cents and your mileage may vary.

personally, i hold paddle floats in VERY low regard as a self rescue tool and believe that the illusion of safety they may offer endangers new paddlers lest they {think} that a paddle float is a good alternative to other methods of self rescue that they may not have mastered yet; in the real world they would soon run into the limitations of the tool....and if that's the only tool in your tool box, you got a problem. outside of strict rescue purposes though, it has a OTHER uses for which it is better suited - to raft, to support, as an internal bladder, to use as a pillow, a tool for teaching a roll. i hope you are all well in this new year.

congratulations.

As for the correct size....if its on their website...it may still be a guess. what do you find works? I've got thicker line up by the jam cleat cause it jams in better and then that comes down to a simple pulley that is tied off to thinner line that runs down to the skeg. So far has worked as well as anything else.

filed repairs are just to keep you going, get you home, on the water. they aren't meant to be pretty - just functional. self tapping screws, ratcheting driver, multi tool, sandpaper, nylon webbing, line, bungie, zip ties, nuts, bolts, thin cable/crimp ends, window flashing squares, 2 foot square thin neoprene, 2 part adhesive, float bags, paddle float, extra dry bags, spare paddles, lighter....various small bits/bobs, small rag....and DUCT TAPE. think that's about it. all in little nalgenes and in the repair bag. with the exception of the window flashing squares, everything goes in the day hatch....the squares are in baggies and go under my shirt when i am paddling....that way they're good and warm if i need them.

In my experience...that line between John Rambo and Forrest Gump sure can be fuzzy and boy don't it sneak right up on you? Still trying to color within the lines...

i would not attach that line to the grab loop as the potential for it to snag and tangle on something is much greater than the potential of me; 1. burying the grab loop and 2, not being able to pinch the deck off from the side rob and ed said it...simple is better. methodology for putting the skirt on correctly shouldn't waiver...it's habit. like putting on pants - start at the back, come around and end with that grab loop accessible. always. guessing you won't forget this experience for awhile. i hear what you're saying about a tight spray deck but so far i've not met one i couldn't grab with both hands at the side and pull off the coaming. another handy thing to test beforehand. ...and you were practicing hand rolls with your paddle far away AND you neglected to square away the grab loop? hell leon, why didn't you really challenge yourself and stuff some hamburg into your pfd pockets and chum the water? paging mr darwin, a mr. c. darwin? no? guess you just missed him.

Congratulations Warren.

Dear Friends and Sea Paddlers, October will be here before you know it - the wind will meet tide and the 6th Annual Autumn Gales will be upon us! Running out of Stonington Borough CT and into Fishers Island Sound, we’ve drawn paddlers from afar and abroad…an array of participants from the UK, Japan, Sweden…even the West Coast of the US! Truly, an international event, we urge you all to once again heed the call of the water and join us October 10, 11 and 12. Come and expand your boundaries and push yourself through to the next level in paddling while sharing in the camaraderie the event has enjoyed these past years. We have an abundance of riches with Coaches and Guides that are tops in the field coming from far and away and once again joining us in this lively and challenging water we call home! To see the coaching line up and the available courses we have listed for the event – from Rough Water to BCU trainings and assessments, visit http:autumngales.com. We will again be running the Tide Race and Overfalls course out at Fishers as well as BCU 5 Star Sea Leader training, BCU 4 Star Sea Leader training and Assessment as well as BCU Nav courses. A full plate of paddling and learning! We have a strong commitment of paddlers for the event but there are more of you out there. If you’ve thought about it and have questions, we’d love to hear from you and answer those lingering questions that might be holding you back. It’s not all blood, guts and adrenaline. Simply put, this event is aimed at folks who are looking to do more. So that’s it…you’ve been looking to do more…so come and do it! Looking forward to hearing from you! Best, Greg Paquin Kayak Waveology www.kayakwaveology.com www.autumngales.com

Originally designed by pt barnum, I would agree that at $140 it makes something disappear. Common sense, women, a buncha jacksons from your wallet.

where'd you go? what'd you do?

Josko - Tow line length is dependent upon the conditions you are going to be towing...since that changes, your preference might change. I think speaking in absolutes isn't very useful in this case. I don't know that there is AN "ideal" I've been thankful for a full 50 feet of line only once...big swellies (8-ish feet? It was a real long time ago) rolling through with a paddler on tow who was unable to do much. I was mostly glad that they were farther behind me and so the longer line posed less risk of them surfing into me. They were generally in a totally different wavelength...it wasn't terrible comfortable but it got the job done. That was one time in a stretch of years of paddling. So a rarity, but I was happy at the time. Other than that 30 odd feet has proven to be more than sufficient but I don't see the issue in carrying more line and then just daisying it to a shorter length depending upon the day.

tshirt cannon from sporting event would be better but it comes down to storage issue. if folks are considering a throw bag then they oughta be aware of the limitations of same from the seat of boat...and that 50 feet of line is about less than 3 boat lengths.

havent seen jeffs tow rig and i am sure its more than adequate...to play devils advocate...you can daisy a line to make your long line a short tow....and you can throw your belt like a throw bag...keep the biner end and throw the actual bag...swimmer could then use belt to attach for tow. they would have quick release end and you'd have scissors or knife for qr on yours. also throwing a bag from a boat is hard...you dont get any distance really...hunters used atlatyls (sp?) to increase distance of harpoon/spear throws...could you/should you use paddle split in same way? never tried that one...

havent seen jeffs tow rig and i am sure its more than adequate...to play devils advocate...you can daisy a line to make your long line a short tow....and you can throw your belt like a throw bag...keep the biner end and throw the actual bag...swimmer could then use belt to attach for tow. they would have quick release end and you'd have scissors or knife for qr on yours. also throwing a bag from a boat is hard...you dont get any distance really...hunters used atlatyls (sp?) to increase distance of harpoon/spear throws...could you/should you use paddle split in same way? never tried that one...

Greg Paquin at Kayak Waveology has some Peak UK tow Belt systems...pretty nice set up and good/better alternative to others. http://www.kayakwaveology.com/products-page/peak-uk/

i'll be there and likely early. big red car / blue boat.