Brian Nystrom

...but I'm not sure if the wrist and neck seals will fit you (possibly too loose?). It seeps a bit of water here and there, but it's basically dry (no puddles in the feet).

...is wherever you happen to be paddling. ;-)

While the actual specs for JIS-8 can vary somewhat, the main difference is that it's a rating for continuous immersion, where JIS-7 is for 30 minutes. That doesn't mean that a JIS-7 radio can't exceed that spec (I suspect that the M88 will), but there's no guarantee that it will. As we've seen with some Standard Horizon models, some radios appear to be designed to barely meet the spec.

...not only has good prices and inexpensive shipping, but since they're in CT, delivery is typically next day, 2 days at most to MA and NH.

Being over 40 and unable to wear reading glasses while paddling (just try it sometime), I find LCD viewfinders to be utterly useless, especially in bright light. Unfortunately, none of the new crop of waterproof cameras that I've seen have optical viewfinders. Has anyone seen any models that do have them?

>As I recall the price was ~ $25 for

>an 8ft 2x4.

I checked with one of my suppliers yesterday and they're getting $24 bucks for the same thing. Their 4x4's are $52 (a 4x4 yields two paddle blanks). I guess the price of cedar has taken a major hike since last year.

...that lip balm wouldn't make your eyes sting! ;-)

I bought Coppertone Sport spray on a lark (it was on sale, cheap) and I've been pleasantly surprised how well it works. I've given up on Bullfrog, which is very effective but REALLY rough on the eyes.

I've heard of some stores stocking 2x cedar and lauan "doorskins" that some people use for building kayaks, but the 4 stores near me (3 HD's and 1 Lowes) don't carry either. Bob's right that the quality is often spotty, at best.

If you're willing to make a trek up to NH, there are a couple of good sources in the greater Nashua area, Friend Lumber in Hudson and Currier Lumber in Amherst. Jackson Lumber in Lawrence is somewhat closer to you and they have a lot of everything.

Get a dual chamber float. They're faster to inflate/deflate (you generally only need one chamber) and they provide redunancy in the event of a leak.

...that is, measurements based on body dimensions, are meant to be a starting point. They are based on the body dimensions of an average Greenlander of times long past, so they're not always ideal for American, who may be shaped quite differently. One needs to take several things into consideration:

- Are your body measurements typical for someone of your height? In my case, I have long arms that would suggest that I need a 96" paddle, which is very long for a GP. I started out with 90" paddles, which seemed more reasonable and it was a good choice.

- How wide is your boat? A wider boat may require a longer loom. The general rule is that the loom should be aproximately equal to the gunwale width of the boat, if it's wider than the "arms at the sides" method recommends.

- Do you have any physical limitations? You may need to make accommodations if you have limited ability to rotate your torso, or stiff shoulders, etc.

- What are your personal preferences? In many cases, the only way to know for sure is to make a paddle and try it. You may also find that your preferences change over time. For example, the paddle I made while writing the book is 84" long and I find I like it better than the 90" paddles I used for years.

The upside is that making GPs is fun and inexpensive. For the price of one commercial paddle, you can make a slew of GPs!

>Brian - how about a brief description of the basics of

>holding and using a Greenland paddle in your next edition?

>This would provide context for the paddle dimension

>discussion. Some of us hate to follow even clear

>instructions without understanding why.

That's on my list of additions, but it will probably be a while before I publish a second edition.

>If the paddle were held in the same way, most of the

>hand would fall on the shoulder of the paddle. Is this the

>idea...?

Yes, that's exactly the idea. The standard grip on a GP is with the thumb and forefinger wrapped around the loom and the remaining three fingers wrapped over the base of the blade.

Keep in mind that if the loom is a bit short, it's a pretty simple matter to lengthen it, so erring on the short side is preferable on your first paddle. One's first paddle is always an experiment, so don't fret over the details. Chances are that you'll make several paddles just to try out different designs, anyway. At ~ $20 a pop, it's no big deal to play around to your heart's content.

This measure was originally tabled due to complaints from paddlers. Similar bills have been repeatedly defeated in other states due to public outcries. If you take a defeatest attitude and don't make your opinion known, you end up having to live with whatever the legislature gives you. If you're not willing to participate in the process, you have no right to complain about it.

Remember, it's a lot harder to get a bill repealed than it is to prevent it from passing in the first place.

This is what happens when people can't be bothered to get involved. Warnings about this were posted months ago and appear to have been largely ignored. This could have been avoided. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!

Check out Nigel Foster's instructional series.

>>...it seems that you have "drank the Kool-Aid" when it comes

>>to sponsons. Most of what Tim claims is out-and-out lies.

>>The Coast Guard report has nothing to do with kayaks (it's

>>about their inflatable rescue boats).

>

>Jeeez Brian-" I think you have drank the Kool-Aid" and "with

>all due respect" are somewhat mutually exclusive. But that's

>Ok I hear and respect most of your good points.

I don't mean any disrespect, Gene. Taken in isolation, Tim's arguments can seem compelling, but all it takes is a bit of research to uncover his deceit.

>My only

>point was not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. If

>Tim is a nut and generally abusive in his rancor against the

>kayak industry, I don't think I'll invite him over for

>drinks any time soon.

It's way more than that, Gene. He is an extremely sick and IMO evil individual. The fact that he constantly uses the deaths of children, in combination with his lies, to sell a product shows how truly disturbed he is. It really sickens me to the core. In his bizarre world, the kayak industry, the ACA and anyone who teaches kayaking skills are the enemy - who are all conspiring against him, BTW - and he viciously vilifies them and anyone who disagrees with him. I don't understand how anyone could support his actions by buying his products. Perhaps you simply haven't seen the worst of his writings, but I have and I've been one of his targets. Trust me, it's not pretty. Maybe you can laugh it off as the harmless rantings of a lunatic, but as far as I'm concerned, the guy should be institutionalized before he hurts someone. If you want to see exactly what you've inadvertently bought into, I'll gladly forward you some typical Timmy rantings.

If someone wants sponsons, there are other companies selling better systems than Tim's (Voyageur, for example), so you don't have to contribute to supporting Tim's warped, twisted agenda and heinous marketing in order to have sponsons for your kayak.

>However, I've read the CG report that

>I referred to and they did review the efficacy of Kayak

>Sponsons and did give them an A-OK as a useful addition to

>ones bag of tricks.

I don't disagree with that, but that's not the way Tim sells them. He claims that they are the ultimate solution and strongly implies that all you need are his airbags and you're perfectly safe in your kayak or canoe. Again, it's extremely deceptive and dangerous marketing, particulary to the beginner audience he targets.

>I think that many of your valid points

>made against sponsons could equally be made against the use

>of the paddle float, and yet most of us never leave shore

>without one.

You're absolutely correct that paddle floats suffer from many of the same disadvantages and I don't recommend having only paddle floats rescues in one's arsenal of skills. I do carry a paddle float, but primarily because it has other uses, similar to those for sponsons (and at a fraction of the cost). The only time it's ever used for rescues is if I'm demonstrating it for someone.

>I think it was Matt Boze who gets the credit for first employing and recomending them.

Perhaps so. (BTW, it's "Broze".)

>Matt must be a

>very nice guy, since hoards of negative criticism doesn't

>rain down on most of us who use (not rely) on paddle floats.

That likely has nothing to do with it. If you read any of the Broze brothers' writings, you'll find that they're well reasoned and based on sound science and experience. One may not agree with their conclusions, but you have to respect their logic and integrity. Essentially, they're everything that Tim isn't.

>Since weather forecasting is not an exact science and even

>then the weather can change instantly on the open water,

>none of us can with any degree of confidence say we are

>prepared enough and skilled enough for anything.

Of course not.

>The carrying on deck of a paddle float or sling, or set of

>sponsons does not exclude my ability to brace and roll if

>need be. Why must you conclude that the existence of one

>always precludes the other?

I didn't. However, these products are often marketed as a single safety solution that obviates the need for skills. They are least useful when you need them the most. If you can brace and roll well, why would you feel the need to carry all this stuff on-deck, especially since it just gets in the way? FWIW, the only rescue gear I carry on deck is a contact tow. The rest (actually, just a pump and paddle float) is stowed securely in the cockpit where I can access it from either side of the boat. Since you don't need any of it unless you're out of the boat, there's no need to keep in on deck.

>Another thing which is perhaps as useful in the kayak as

>skill is good judgement.

I would say that it's far more useful/important than any other skill or gear.

>If we could always rely on perfect

>judgement, there would be no need for VHF radios.

When you get right down to it, all rescue gear and skills are simply hedges against poor judgement and accidents that are beyond our control.

>When and if I ever get into deep trouble and after

>everything else fails me including my sponsons, it will be a

>terrible failure of judgement that's at fault, not technique

>nor skill, not even sponsons.

That would more than likely be the case...for any of us. However, it's important to understand the limitations of safety gear and not be taken in by slick marketing or maniacal rants and lies.

...it seems that you have "drank the Kool-Aid" when it comes to sponsons. Most of what Tim claims is out-and-out lies. The Coast Guard report has nothing to do with kayaks (it's about their inflatable rescue boats). His "voodoo science" about stability and rescues is pure hogwash. He never addresses issues with rough water and all of his pictures are of people on placid ponds in obviously warm water and weather conditions. It's a whole different world when it's windy, the water is rough, the temp is cool and water is cold.

Since you've never used you sponsons in rough conditions, you can't be sure whether:

A) You'll be able to deploy them or not. It will be an interesting trick to hold onto your boat and paddle while attempting to clip on and inflate sponsons on both sides. This is also one reason that paddle float rescues are ineffective in rough conditions.

You'll be able to re-enter or not. The cowboy re-entry is another technique that looks good on a pond but doesn't work well in rough water. Since you cannot control the direction of the boat relative to the waves, you will end up broached. Sponsons will make the boat pitch more as the waves strike from the beam, making it more likely that you will simply be dumped off the downwave side as you try to make your way forward.

C) They will keep your boat upright or not. In beam seas, they will prevent you from leaning into waves, dramatically increasing the likelihood that you will be capsized again downwave. When that happens, you're then in the water with an inverted boat, with the sponsons making it more difficult to right it.

Other disadvantages of Tim's sponsons are:

1- The boat must be specifically rigged for them, so you cannot share them with other paddlers unless their boats are also rigged for them.

2- They must be inflated. Each sponson has considerably more volume than a paddle float, which means it will take at least 3-4 times as long to inflate them. Hanging around in cold water for that long is not a good idea. Yeah, I know that Timmy claims that you can carry them inflated, but that's so inconvenient that no one is going to do it.

3- They're expensive. This is certainly not the overriding consideration, but there are better investments in safely that could be made with the money, such as a rescue course where you would be taught multiple USEFUL techniques.

4- You're supporting an absolute whackjob with an insane vendetta against the kayak industry, based entirely on lies. He rants against PROVEN safety and rescue tecniques and exploits the deaths of children in order to line his pockets with your money. He is a very sick, twisted individual and I find him and his tactics utterly dispicable. BTW, according to Tim, I'm a "Nazi and a baby killer", among other things.

Since you already have sponsons, I'm not going to suggest that you throw them away or anything like that. Just please don't be taken in by the illusion of safety that Tim claims. I can see uses for them, specifically for fishing, where they would provide additional stability (though they may be vulnerable to damage). As with a paddle float, a sponson could be inflated partially and used as an emergency back band in a kayak. I'm sure there are other ways they can be useful, too.

---------

The bottom line of this discussion is that there are no shortcuts to safety and rescues. You can't buy your way to it. One needs to put effort into learning techniques that are viable in a variety of conditions. It takes time and practice. I'm not insinuating that anyone here is unwilling to make the committment, but IMO slings and sponsons are just dead-ends that distract people from focussing on the techniques that are proven to work.

>>IMO, slings are a really bad idea for several reasons:

>

>There are drawbacks to almost every rescue technique.

>

>>1- They encourage - actually, they require - terrible

>>technique. For a standard paddle float self-rescue, you

>>should be on your stomach in the water with your feet at the

>>surface. This allows you to kick/slide yourself up onto the

>>aft deck with a minimum of effort and does not require much

>>strength. The worst position to be in is with your body

>>vertical in the water, which requires you to lift most of

>>your body weight in order to get onto the deck. Slings

>>require you to be more or less vertical in the water.

>

>You don't have to be vertical to use the sling. Also, I

>would expect the most important thing is to be able to get

>back in the boat.

That's the whole point of any rescue. There are better ways that using a sling.

>>2- They put excessive stress on the paddle. The poor body

>>position combined with the pulley action of the sling puts a

>>lot of stress on the paddle shaft. Even if you're using a

>>sling that doesn't wrap around the paddle (combined with

>>rescue rigging to hold the paddle), hauling most of your

>>weight vertically out of the water puts a lot of stress on

>>the paddle. If your paddle breaks, what do you do? The

>>heavier the paddle and the higher the aft deck, the greater

>>the problem.

>

>Yes and no. I would agree that it adds stress, but you're

>not standing on the shaft. It's a temporary lift to help

>get the paddler back onto the back of the boat.

It only takes "temporary" stress to break a paddle.

>If your paddle breaks, use the spare one you should have on the

>deck.

I agree that people should carry spares, but it strikes me that the people most likely to use a sling (beginners) are also the least likely to have a spare paddle.

>>3- They don't work in when you need them the most. Sure,

>>it's easy enough to put your foot into a sling properly on a

>>dead-flat-calm pond, but try it sometime in the kind of

>>conditions that are likely to cause a capsize. That's a

>>whole 'nuther ball game!

>

>Again, could be said of most anything

All rescues are more difficult in rough conditions, but some still work well, while others become essentially useless.

>>4- They are an entanglement hazard. In rough water, it's

>>very easy to end up with your foot through the sling. Even

>>if you get your foot onto the sling properly, you're quite

>>likely to have your feet go under the boat. Getting

>>entangled in a sling in rough conditions is very dangerous!

>>What happens if a wave rolls your water-laden kayak over on

>>you when your foot/leg is tangled in the sling? It's not

>>hard to imagine many ugly scenarios.

>

>Same could be said for boat tethers, paddle leashes and

>paddle float leashes.

I don't use or recommend those, either. There is simply no need for them for most types of paddling.

>>Rather than relying on a flawed idea that requires extra

>>equipment, you'd be much better off to work on your

>>technique. If you can't use the standard method, have

>>someone show you the "heel hook" method of re-entry. It's

>>easy and doesn't have any of the disadvantages of slings. In

>>fact, it may actually be better overall than the standard

>>technique.

>

>The use of the stirrup does not mean that the paddler can't

>work on proper technique.

True, but if someone comes to rely on a sling, they're less likely to work on proper technique that may be more difficult for them to learn. Using a sling leads to a false sense of security, since the technique is difficult (or impossible) to use in conditions that are likely to cause a capsize.

>It does provide a means to

>reenter the boat until the paddler can develop the proper

>technique.

The time wasted screwing around learning to use a sling can be better spent working on superior techniques.

>If the paddler doesn't, then it's the paddler's

>fault and not the fault or existence of the equipment.

What good does pointing fingers do when one is in the water with no way to get back into the boat?

>Also, the "heel hook" is a good method, but it's used for

>assisted rescues when the purpose here was for self-rescue.

Not true. It works fine with a paddle float for self-rescue, too.

IMO, slings are a really bad idea for several reasons:

1- They encourage - actually, they require - terrible technique. For a standard paddle float self-rescue, you should be on your stomach in the water with your feet at the surface. This allows you to kick/slide yourself up onto the aft deck with a minimum of effort and does not require much strength. The worst position to be in is with your body vertical in the water, which requires you to lift most of your body weight in order to get onto the deck. Slings require you to be more or less vertical in the water.

2- They put excessive stress on the paddle. The poor body position combined with the pulley action of the sling puts a lot of stress on the paddle shaft. Even if you're using a sling that doesn't wrap around the paddle (combined with rescue rigging to hold the paddle), hauling most of your weight vertically out of the water puts a lot of stress on the paddle. If your paddle breaks, what do you do? The heavier the paddle and the higher the aft deck, the greater the problem.

3- They don't work in when you need them the most. Sure, it's easy enough to put your foot into a sling properly on a dead-flat-calm pond, but try it sometime in the kind of conditions that are likely to cause a capsize. That's a whole 'nuther ball game!

4- They are an entanglement hazard. In rough water, it's very easy to end up with your foot through the sling. Even if you get your foot onto the sling properly, you're quite likely to have your feet go under the boat. Getting entangled in a sling in rough conditions is very dangerous! What happens if a wave rolls your water-laden kayak over on you when your foot/leg is tangled in the sling? It's not hard to imagine many ugly scenarios.

Rather than relying on a flawed idea that requires extra equipment, you'd be much better off to work on your technique. If you can't use the standard method, have someone show you the "heel hook" method of re-entry. It's easy and doesn't have any of the disadvantages of slings. In fact, it may actually be better overall than the standard technique.

You'll end up with a huge fuzzy mess and if you coat the resulting surface, it will end up feeling like sandpaper. Since the coat you're applying is for cosmetic purposes rather than being structural, there is no need to sand. Clean the surface carefully, first with water, then with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner. Make sure it's completely dry before you coat it.

If you do need to shape Kevlar, use a sharp scraper, preferably a carbide scraper that will hold its edge. Scraping shears the fibers cleanly, rather than turning them into fuzz.

...could also damage the fiberglass and the heat required to soften epoxy would melt a plastic deck.

Awlgrip comes in quarts, which is about as small a quantity as one could expect.

If the boat was mine, I'd used epoxy. Before doing so, you need to rinse the boat thoroughly to remove any salt on/in the surface. Allow it to dry completely. You should probably wipe the surface with denatured alcohol to remove any oily material, at least in the cockpit, and allow that to dry. Mix the epoxy and pour it into a paint tray. I prefer to apply it with a roller made for the purpose (West System sell roller covers made for epoxy). I find that cutting the roller cover in half and using it on a 3" roller frame works best. Roll it on thin in order minimize runs.

While you're applying epoxy, you also have the opportunity to apply an extra layer of fiberglass where your heels rub on the hull, if you wish.

I wouldn't bother coating the epoxy with anything since it's inside the boat where it will receive little or no UV exposure.

In rock/ice climbing parlance, a "cow's tail" is a piece of webbing that's attached to the climbers harness at one end and has a hook or carbiner on the other. It's used to clip into a tool or piece of protection so the climber can hang on it and rest. The closest things I can think of in kayaking would be contact tows and rescue stirrups. How they could be used for "repair" is beyond me.