Brian Nystrom

If you need to buy supplies and tools and devote your time, unless you really love this kind of work, then you may be best off just paying to have done.

I think it all comes down to whether you expect to be doing more of this type of work or if it's a one-off job. It also matters whether you can use the tools/supplies required for other jobs. Then again, some of us are just hell-bent on being self-sufficient - or mule-headed.

I guess I should chime in here, since my name has come up a few times. The reason that Bob couldn't find any instructions from me is that I haven't had the opportunity to shoot pics of the process yet. Here are a few pointers.

Removing the old bulkhead

As Bob mentioned, a Fein Multimaster is probably the ultimate tool for doing this and it's extremely handy for household work, too. The downside is that it's expensive, but it's one of those tools like a cordless drill that you'll wonder how you ever lived without.

If you prefer to go low-tech and inexpensive, a hacksaw blade with one end wrapped with duct tape will do the job just as well, albeit more slowly. Set it up to cut on the pull stroke. If you go this route, you'll need to protect the hull on the far side of the bulkhead where you can't see it while you're cutting. Thin sheet metal, like a coffee can, taped to the hull should do the trick. If you have an assistant, they may be able to help you control the blade. To start the cut. you'll either need to use the end of the blade to scratch your way through the bulkhead or drill some holes close together to make a slot.

Cleaning up the hull and deck

Again, the Multimaster works well for this, but a palm or ROS sander will do the job, too. As Paul suggested, a rasp is the best manual way to do this. I've never bothered to try to get all of the old bulkhead material off, just to sand/grind it down until it's smooth and doesn't have any edges that will catch on anything.

Making a new bulkhead

If you're moving the old bulkhead farther forward (not common) and you cut it out carefully, you can probably trim it to size and re-use it. If you're moving the bulkhead aft (most common), you'll need a new panel, since the old one will be too small. Jeff and Paul's suggestions are excellent, but you can also laminate a panel from several layers of glass cloth, if need be. That's what I typically do on my own boats. If you decide to go that route, let me know and I'll send you some instructions.

Making a pattern for the new bulkhead

First, you need to measure and mark the hull where you want the new bulkhead to go. Keep in mind that you have the option of angling it forward ~15 degrees to to make a comfortable footrest.

Once you have the boat marked, you can take a long piece of copper wire or plumber's solder and bend it to fit along your marked lines. Remove it and place it on a large sheet of paper or card stock. Trace around it, cut it out, then fold it in half along the vertical centerline. Trim any spots that are inconsistent left-to-right, then test fit it. Mark any areas that need further trimming or that have gaps. Make another pattern on cardboard and test fit it. It doesn't need to fit tight everywhere, as you're going to glass it in with 3" wide tape. I usually just try to get 3-4 contact points that will allow me to wedge the panel into place temporarily.

With the pattern complete, trace it onto your bulkhead panel and cut it out. Test fit and trim, if necessary.

Installing the new bulkhead

Someone mentioned using glued-in blocks to hold the new panel in place, which is definitely the way to go. If you have a hot glue gun, this is an ideal application for it, as it will hold firmly enough, but the blocks will be easy to remove afterward.

With the panel in place, you can start glassing it in with 3" tape and epoxy. What I usually do is use one piece that follows the full curve of the hull from seam to seam, let that cure until it won't move, then flip the boat over and use a second piece along the deck. If the bulkhead is not being used as a footrest, 2 layers of tape should be sufficient. If you are using it as a footrest, 3-4 layers are necessary. I typically do each layer in a separate step, so that they overlap at the joints. When working on the hull, you may need to cut the tape on the inside curve and overlap it. Keep a pair of scissors handy, then clean them in denatured alcohol to remove the epoxy while it's still wet.

Final cleanup

Once you have the bulkhead glassed in, remove the support blocks. There will be some uneven edges on the tape and probably a few epoxy runs/drips. You could sand them down, but I prefer to use a curved carbide scraper to remove them. I find it easier to control and it doesn't make a lot of dust.

Speaking of dust, as Peter mentioned, it's extremely important to wear proper protection for your eyes, lungs and skin when doing this type of work.

That should cover it. Have fun and good luck!

S-glass and epoxy can make an incredibly tough, resilient, yet light boat. The video of Patrick Works of Tideline Kayaks/Onno Paddles fame flexing one of his S-glass/epoxy hulls until it's flat, then wailing on it with the claw (!!!) side of a hammer, with no damage, is legendary. While it's more expensive than the more commonly used E-glass, it's considerably cheaper than either Kevlar or carbon fiber. Considering that E-glass is short for "Electrical" glass and S-glass is short for "Structural" glass, you have to wonder why people are building boats with the former.

Reading Impex's description of the K-Lite layup, it sounds like it's their most durable option, in addition to being the lightest. Note that they refer to it as an "expedition layup".

I like the idea of epoxy-based boats - especially if they're post-cured - as the difference in strength and resilience compared to polyester and vinylester boats is substantial. Using UV resistant vinylester with glass instead of gelcoat as an outer sacrificial layers makes a lot of sense, as it add strength, stiffness and abrasion resistance that you don't get with gelcoat. This is something that Nick Schade (of Guillemot Kayaks fame) has promoted for years. The only downside I can see to it is that scratches will show more, especially when they expose the glass layer.

One question I have is how durable it would be long-term if it's constantly exposed to sunlight. UV inhibitors don't last forever and epoxy is UV sensitive, so I would make it a point to store it under cover. I wouldn't think normal use would pose any problems, but it would be a good idea to ask Impex about this. Perhaps it would be prudent to have the hull re-coated with automotive clearcoat or exterior varnish every few years, just to make sure that it's adequately protected from UV.

Jupiter II,

Argh! You beat me to it, Bob!

as in Tippecanoe and Tyler too, something before even Godfrey's time.

Wait a minute...there was actually TV/radio before Sir Godfrey's time? Rumour (notice the proper British spelling) has it that Sir G. predates electricity.

I have never used Sponsons, but my understanding is that the boat needs to be set up in advance, before they came be used?

That's absolutely correct, which is one of the reasons that sponsons are largely useless as a rescue device. Unless all the boats in a group are rigged for them in advance, you can't attach them. Perhaps sponsons could have some utility for guided trips with rented boats that are all rigged for them, but that's about it.

While expensive at about $650.00 for a PLB and $150 for SPOT, I would think a solo kayaker in northern waters would consider it essential equipment. It's definitely a last resort and hopefully an investment never needed. But the one time you might need it, could save your life.

I agree, but considering that the person in question could even be bothered to carry a VHF, it's unlikely that he would have bought a SPOT, either.

I agree with Rick that the key reducing paddler deaths is education. People need to understand the level of risk they're accepting. As we've probably all seen, most people don't have a clue as to how dangerous cold New England waters are and how quickly they can find themselves in a desperate situation if they're not adequately prepared. It can be a difficult thing to convey, but we need to make the effort.

Speaking of education, is NSPN still distributing the safety brochures to local retailers?

One thing that really surprised me was that when this guy called from Star Island, no one told him to stay put and arranged for a boat to pick him up. My impression is that conditions had deteriorated by that time and he should not have gone back on the water. A simply "Pon-Pon" call out to other vessels by the CG might have gotten him a ride home. This is just speculation, but it's food for thought.

I think we probably all have met - or possibly even have been - someone who gets involved in an activity, does something ill-advised a few times and "gets away with it", then becomes complacent about it. Based on the descriptions of this paddler as having been "experienced" and having done the same crossing several times before, this seems like an obvious case of that. He apparently had neither the equipment nor the skills to do that trip while allowing a reasonable safety margin and lacked the judgment to make the right decisions when he found himself in trouble. These things combined to cost him his life. Sadly, this story is now fodder for the next edition of "Sea Kayer, Deep Trouble".

As difficult as it can be to impress upon beginners that there are substantial risks to paddling New England waters, it's even harder to to convince a "veteran" of the need to be more careful. There are still people who refuse to wear seatbelts, simply because they haven't needed them...yet. Hopefully, this tragedy will serve as a warning to the paddling community that even an experienced paddler can get into a fatal predicament when complacency sets in.

My thoughts to ponder (use of DSC VHF and/or sponsons for safety) stand alone. That is, they are independent of this incident or the details of this incident. Perhaps I should post them on another thread; I posted here because of the relevance to the unfortunate death of a fellow paddler.

A VHF could have made a big difference, as the CG can home in on the signal, which at least gives them a bearing to the location of the radio.

IMO, sponsons are useless as a safety/rescue device. About the only use I can see for them is for extra stability when fishing or something similar.

You'll certainly find out if your Romany has any voids in the deck!

Looks okay, but I have chipped my coaming enough doing regular t rescues (dumping part) that I would be concerned about cracking the coaming or seperating it from the deck. A well done T rescue solid enough that I am not sure you would need to resort to a more stable method. Maybe one of the five star paddlers can comment on conditions getting to the point where a regular t wont work, but I am not sure I would want to risk breaking a boat in those conditions. Having broken boats enough times in lesser conditions I can say that it never made the situation better.

I agree with John and would like to make one specific observation. If the victim's boat is hit by a wave at the stern, it is quite likely that it's going to swing one way or the other, creating a "scissors" action that will be very difficult for the rescuer to control. The likelihood of the rescuer getting whacked by the bow or having the boat torn from his/her grasp seem very high. Given this - and the fact that a standard side-by-side arrangement is very stable and generally controllable - I can't see any reason to use the ladder method in conditions.

Additionally, when holding the boat at the (narrow) bow, the deck lines are quite close together, which reduces the leverage that the rescuer has to control the boat and prevent it from twisting as the paddler climbs up and in. In rough water, especially with an inexperienced "victim", it could be difficult for them to get in without the boat twisting and capsizing.

All in all, it seems to me that this rescue technique is a "solution in search of a problem". I'll try it out on the water to see if there is some significant benefit that I can't see from my desk, but I'm skeptical.

I have an alternative for you though- Kokatat is making a Launch Sock - new for this year. Here is the link: http://www.kokatat.com/product_detail.asp?code=lsk I think this will work for your needs. You would need to cut the top down to size.

That does sound like an interesting development. I'll have to find some place that stocks them so I can try them for size.

GT socks can be purchased. Can't imagine that would be difficult to sew them on and then seal the seam... Although you probably can't buy the Gore-Tex seam tape easily. I won't be doing that as a show 'n tell though!

Suz

Has Kokatat changed their policy, as the last time I looked into it, they wouldn't sell their Gore-Tex socks separately. I've looked at other GT sock options, but haven't found any that looked like they'd work on a dry suit. As a last resort, I may end up making my own.

Bring your drysuits/tops and I will have 303 and zip wax on hand for all. We will talk about what to wear under a dry suit. Proper care of dry suits/tops and will change a gasket at the workshop - neck or wrist - both if time allows. If nobody brings a suit that needs a gasket, have no fear, I have plenty on hand so that I can demonstrate a gasket change.

Got any Gore-Tex socks I can install on mine?

Just trim it and be done with it. Stretching is a complete waste of time unless the seal is close to the correct size to begin with. If it's painfully tight, stretching won't work and attempting to stretch a latex seal substantially will damage it. You can use a sharp blade or scissors, either will work fine. Once you've trimmed a seal, you'll never waste your time stretching one again.

I'm still out here, though not paddling much.

I have found myself using my Nordics more lately. I have found the liners supplied are a pain due to their length. I use 2 different weight liners depending on conditions. I will second Brian's comment that they can be a pain to put on. But shorter liners do help that a bit.

I toss the stock liners and use wools liners with the cuffs cut off, to eliminate any length problems. If you want to use the stock liners, you can do the same thing with them, cut off the cuffs and hem the edges. Carrying multiple sets of liners allows you to change to dry liners partway through the day (your hands will sweat in the gloves), or to adjust for different temps.

I agree with Mr. Budd that dry gloves are the way to go. Nordic Blues work well, but are a bit of a pain to put on. If you buy them, you want to get them a bit large, as the added room makes them warmer. You may also need to trim the seals as you would on a dry suit or drytop, or they may cut off your blood circulation, resulting in cold hands.

You can also make your own version of Nordic Blues by gluing wrist seals onto Atlas lined fisherman's gloves, which are available for ~$20 at marine suppliers that cater to commercial fishing. You don't save a lot compared to the price of NBs, but I made mine using the slightly lighter weight orange Atlas gloves, which I find to be more flexible and better suited to paddling.

I've seen Deep See Dry Comfort Gloves mentioned on Paddling.net. They look interesting online, but I haven't seen them in person. It appears that they may be designed to be used under the wrist seals on dry suits and tops.

http://www.deepseeinc.com/products/dry_comfort.html

Part of the issue on the drag forces is that they go up very rapidly - typical frictional forces in a turbulent regime go like the square of the velocity. With bow/stern wave effects, things can get a bit more complicated as the bow and stern waves can interfere with each other - so it's not going to quite go like the square of the velocity, particularly as you approach the limit of hydroplaning, where the force goes up faster than the square of the velocity and then drops off significantly in planing. Direct measurements for a given hull shape are usually the best way to go.

John is right. If you compare speed increases that are well below the theoretical hull speed (1-2, 1.5-3, 2-4 knots), you should get numbers that are much more in line with the standard predictions. Once you get to the point that wavemaking drag is the dominant factor, the predictions break down.

Aside from thinking that fisherman have one of the most dangerous jobs there are yet I can't think of any that go to sea wearing wetsuits unless they are diving.

They also don't wear PFDs, carry VHFs or do many other things that responsible kayakers do and many die each year. One thing thing that common to virtually every commercial fishing mishap is that if they're not rescued quickly, they die, plain and simple. They take a calculated risk - though one wonders how much actual calculation is involved - and many pay the price. Suggesting that kayakers follow the lead of commercial fishermen is pretty ridiculous. I value my life too much for that.

In case you didn't know the wet suits they are talking about with arm "direction" aren't the farmer john style that many have with no arms whatsoever. Roger Pollock has a wetsuit with arms he surfs in and finds comfortable, I don't know how the arms are configured.

Another option is wetsuits designed for triathletes. They provide enough freedom of movement for swimming, so paddling shouldn't be a problem.

I've never tried a drysuit in semi-warm to warm conditions. I thought about it once or twice this summer but never did.

I've done it many times and find that it's comfortable up to 70 degrees or so, especially if it's windy and/or the water temp is low, creating a cool air layer near the surface. IIRC, the warmest temp I ever used it in was ~80 degrees, which was too much.

For summer, I wear a short-sleeve dry top and love it. It provides just enough protection against wind and spray, yet isn't excessively warm.

Brian's next-level comment prompts me to add that a HYBRID sprayskirt with a nylon tunnel doesn't impede rotation.

True, though most of them I've seen are pretty crappy and don't seal well at either the top or the bottom. If you can find one with good neoprene seals at these points, it should work well and provide more freedom of movement.

In cool weather I'm still a wetsuit guy. Just easier to don than fighting with that zipper and latex cuffs, and of course in the hot sun a wetsuit is much nicer if ya can't roll to cool off.

I'm puzzled by these comments. I could easily don and doff my dry suit twice in the time it takes me to stretch on my wetsuit, especially if my skin is damp or sweaty. If a wetsuit goes on and off easily, it's an indication that it doesn't fit properly (too loose). To insulate effectively, a wetsuit needs to be skin-tight.

I also don't understand the comment about comfort in the sun, as in a wetsuit, you're basically "stewing in your own juices" and you have to live with whatever level of insulation it provides, whether you want it or not. In a Gore-Tex (or similar) dry suit, you stay relatively dry and you can easily adjust the amount of insulation to the conditions by varying your under layers.

IMO, there is absolutely no comparison in comfort and versatility, the dry suit wins hands-down. The only advantage to neoprene is that it's cheap.

One thing that definitely inhibits torso rotation is a spray skirt with a tight fitting tunnel and a taught deck. Until you try an akuilisaq - which is only tight at the coaming rim and the top band- or a tuiliq, it's hard to appreciate how much more freedom of movement they provide.

Although I started out paddling in a wetsuit (for cost reasons, like most people who go that route), I quickly gave up on it, switched to a dry suit and never looked back. The wetsuit has been collecting dust for years.

I have heard folks say they can exit a OC as fast as a keyhole, but I doubt most feel that way.

It depends a lot on how old/stiff/creaky you are. Then again, knowing that there's a dumping wave coming up behind to pound you can result in a substantial - if momentary - reduction in age and gain in flexibility. Adrenalin is the fountain of youth!

For the most part I agree with the others' comments. I'm a big fan of ocean cockpits, don't even own a boat with a keyhole anymore and probably never will. Entry and exit techniques are different than with a keyhole, but no big deal. I'm not quite sure what Bill means about surf landings being a hassle, as once you hit the beach, you just pop the skirt and slide out. On steeper beach, gravity actually helps you get out. Perhaps we're talking about different things.

As for the Pintail itself, it's a great boat for surf and rock play, but if I'm just going out for a day trip that's going to involve little or no rocks, I prefer the Anas Acuta. It tracks better and needs less constant attention than the Pintail. It's also slightly faster and doesn't "hit a wall" @ 4 knots or so the way a Pintail does. That said, there will always be a Pintail in my "fleet", as there's nothing better for "bashing around" days. As long as you're not in a hurry, it works fine for day trips, too. Regarding the skeg, I use it a lot with the Pintail, pretty much whenever I'm not playing in rocks or surf. Of course, the rope skeg is notorious unreliable, but that's another issue.

When looking for used Pintails, the pre-'95 boats with the original rounded hull and flat aft deck are the most prized by "Pintail-o-philes". The newer boats with their squarer hulls and higher decks are still nice, but they just don't feel the same. I know a few people who've owned both and all prefer the older design. Valley will now make the older style boats on special order and a carbon/kevlar version might be the ultimate play boat!

FYI, all keyhole cockpit Pintails are the newer design, as the change was made when the keyhole was introduced. The ocean cockpit models were changed then as well.

Many islands in Maine prohibit or discourage campfires, but allow stoves. Does anyone here know if wood or twig burning stoves are allowed in places where gas burning stoves are allowed?

An open fire is a fire on the ground. A stove is a stove, regardless of the fuel it uses. OTOH, some areas prohibit the gathering of wood for fuel, so that's the type of regulation I'd be concerned about.