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Bill Gwynn

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Posts posted by Bill Gwynn

    help with layup materials

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I have a Kevlar Avocet. My experience is that the Kevlar itself holds up very well to abuse. But, the flex of the layup leads to lots and lots gelcoat repairs and spider cracks everywhere. So, for big impacts, the kevlar layup will stay intact, but the area affected will be much larger with more gelcoat damage, whereas a standard layup may actually hole, but the damage will be in a smaller area.

    Rescue variations

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    and for keeping the swimmer besides my boat...yeeeeaaaaahhhh....i know that seems to be the de riguer standard these days but for me....you as the swimmer can just keep your hands offa my boat, thanks. if we're in some bumpy water, the last place i want you hanging onto is MY boat....you can cling to your boat thanks and we'll sort it out. maybe i'll like it when/if i try it but i think it's going to take awhile still for me to warm up to that one!

    spring soon!

    I don't bring the swimmer over to my boat until I have got ahold of their boat. At that point, I feel pretty secure letting them hang on to me. It's a good place for the swimmer to be, you can keep an eye on him, help him, and there is less chance of him getting knocked about in conditions. Give it a try.

    Maine on Sunday 2/22

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    You can launch from Kennebunkport at any tide...true. But, once you get up to Cape Porpoise, if it is closer to low tide, there is not much there on the inside except for mud flats and the shipping channel. Kinda boring place to paddle at low tide. On the high tide, Cape Porpoise is a great protected scenic paddle. For those that want some adventure, you can shoot around the outside of the many islands there.

    New Dry suit neck gasket

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I used my dry suite yesterday & think I might have a leak. Any recommendations for testing? Maybe I'll just ad a pump w/ a float switch...

    You can use the same method we all used when we were kids to find the leak in our bicycle tires. Plug the wrist gaskets with some appropriately sized water/soda bottles, you can do the same with the neck gasket. Get some air in there, then fill the tub and hold the dry suit underwater one section at a time and look for air bubbles.

    paddle floats...sleeping etc

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    The double float thing works OK, but if someone is so out of sorts that they are having trouble staying upright, it would be much better to do a rafted tow and have that unstable paddler being tended to personally.

    As far as paddle floats, they have many many uses, therefore are always part of my kit.

    Sea Kayaking Books

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    OK....my PS - I don't have Paypal, so I can't pay my dues that way. Is there just an e-mail address I can send a check (or even money order to?? ) I'm trying to be a good citizen, here.

    Hi John,

    I had responded to your email regarding this question. I must have got filtered.

    Anyways, you do not need PayPal to pay your dues. We use PayPal to handle the transaction, and you can pay with a credit card or echeck as well.

    Bill

    Sat, Dec 20 - New Launch Time 10:00 a.m.

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    How much stock do we put in any forecast? Personally, I take any information I can get and put it all together in my head, then while standing on the beach observing actual conditions, make the call for the days activities. There have been many wonderful days of paddling that would have been missed had I just went by the forecast. Of course, other times, you end up just having lunch and an adult beverage at the local pub. :)

    Cold Water Immersion video on youtube

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I also have never seen a video that shows a person in cold water immersion until they are "almost" hyperthermic--maybe there are other videos out there--I have just not seen one--

    Not kayaking related, but good info with video on cold water survival.

    http://www.yukonman.com/cold_water.asp

    Maybe Bill, you can answer these questions for me--

    Do you know of any gender differences in hypothermia? Is gender a factor? Or, is the gender factor negated by body weight? Given that all things are equal in equipment, if one person weighs more than another person, the heavier weight person, stays warmer longer - regardless of gender?

    Les

    I have never heard of any gender differences. Certainly body size/weight is a factor, but overall physiology/health would be a bigger factor.

    Cold Water Immersion video on youtube

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Yes Bill, "gasping" as an example of uncontrolled breathing was mentioned but not the consequence of immersion with the potential of uncontrolled intake of water into the lungs. I thought the video was potentially misleading in that one could come away with the reassurance that hypothermia didn't set in for at least 30 minutes and that the gasping and loss of muscle coordination lasted only a short period of time. This video should not be a training tool for kayakers. Cold water immersion can be problematic for anyone but capsizing a kayak in cold water is even more so. The gasp reflex can lead to sudden death and an unprotected head under water can lead to vertigo which may make staying upright very difficult.

    I agree that this short video is not a great "Training Tool" for kayakers. It's not meant to be. I did however find it to be accurate information and in no way misleading.

    Anyone interested in additional information on cold water immersion and hypothermia, see the Hypothermia Page here at NSPN.

    Cold Water Immersion video on youtube

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    The Gasp Reflex is actually bronchospasm produced by the "Mammalian Diving Reflex".

    "Gasp Reflex" does not affect everyone, and may affect some others in even reasonably warm (60 degree) water. As Ed said, wearing your hood (as well as other appropriate cold water gear) will greatly reduce the odds of having this happen to you. Also, we should all be testing ourselves and equipment in cold water to see how we respond. At the annual NSPN Cold Water Workshop, we all get in our gear and get in the water and stick our heads in. It's quite an eye opener doing it both with and without a hood.

    Cold weather/cold hands

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I have injured and frost nipped my fingers on both hands so they are very sensitive to the cold. Cold translates as pain.

    I find that with any kind of glove, my fingers get cold and painful. My solution is Pogies. I use Pogies all winter with nothing underneath and my hands stay toasty warm; even on the coldest windiest days. That said, when my hands have to come out of the Pogies, they get very cold very fast; this can become an issue in cold weather rescues, re-entries etc.

    I love my Pogies.

    Hey Jon,

    Have you tried just some thin gloves under your pogies? They may be enough to "take the edge off" when you need to do things with your hands out of the pogies.

    Cold weather/cold hands

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I have also found the reactor gloves too tight and uncomfortable. Thinner gloves and pogies together work well. For real extreme cold you can go with the nordic blue gloves. They are truly waterproof with a latex wrist gasket. You will give up a lot of dexterity, and they are a pain in the butt to get on without help, but they will keep you warm and dry.

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