Brian Nystrom

There's also the DIY approach using heat-seal Nylon. Making dry bags with this stuff is incredibly simple. You cut it to the desired size and shape, heat seal the edges to form the bag and sew on an appropriate length strap...done! I made a bunch in various sizes so I can organize my gear in them. I have two colors of fabric that help to differentiate what's in the bag (red for emergency gear, yellow for food and other often used gear).

I do use some commercial dry bags, mainly in the larger sizes, but I purchased them before I learned how to make my own. Commercial bags do have the advantage of being true cylinders, as opposed to large pouches and they're probably stronger in high stress situations, but I've never had a failure with my home-made bags.

While I understand your premise, I think you're way overestimating the strength required for sea kayaking situations. Even if you actually do get into the situation you describe, exactly how much force do you think you can apply to a rope? Even if you could brace both feet and get a perfect grip on the rope (effective doing a horizontal "squat"), how much force can you generate? 200lbs? 250? 300 (if you're a stud)?

Obviously, one needs to consider the loss of strength at knots and the possibility of working over an edge. I'm not suggesting that one should use shoe laces as a tow rope, but strength is really the last thing that needs to be considered. Handling characteristics are much more important and any rope that meets those needs will be more than strong enough.

Just about every tow line we have has a much higher breaking strength than we need. The one I use has a spectra core. They could make it much smaller but it will tend to tangle and won't be very easy on the hands.

One could make one out of the same line as we use as deck line to save space, Having it thicker makes it easier for one to work with and pull by hand when it has some tension.

Exactly! The actual forces on a tow line in use are in the tens of pounds, so virtually anything could be used. A size and texture that's easy to handle, along with a small amount of stretch to act as a buffer (if you don't have a bungee shock absorber in the rig) are the most important characteristics. Anything that fits that bill will be strong enough.

Michael, how do you use the paddle float to stabilize a paddler who is being towed? I've not seen that one before so curious on the set up.

One method is to use a pair of paddle floats on a spare, lashed to the aft deck. It forms an outrigger that can help to stabilize someone who still has a modicum of balance. For people who are really sick or incapacitated, it's necessary to have someone raft with them.

Wrist seals should be a very comfortable fit, with much lighter contact than most people would think. You should be able to pinch them with your thumb and forefinger and easily lift them off your skin. Jim Braden showed me this years ago on the dry suit he used for scuba diving and paddling. If it works for diving, it will definitely work for paddling. I've been trimming my seals to fit this way for years and it works great.

As for positioning, I put mine as far forward as possible, as I haven't found any difference in comfort. If I feel the need for minor temperature regulation, I may pull them up my arm a couple of inches to expose my wrists.

The last time I saw someone paddling with their paddle upside-down, I mentioned it and moved on. I saw him again later and he had the paddle right-side-up, but backwards. I mentioned that and he decided to argue with me, so I moved on...

It's a nice design, but unfortunately, he made it the wrong size. A footprint should be slightly smaller than the size of the tent floor. The reason is simple; if the footprint is larger than the tent, water running off the tent will collect on it and run under the tent, between the floor and the footprint. If it's slightly smaller, water runs off the tent onto the ground and the tent floor stays dry.

I feel I've never paid due attention to cockpit padding. This winter, I'm game to go buy some foam pieces and have at it, but realize that I don't know how, or more importantly, what I'm trying to achieve. How tight do I want my butt in the cockpit/ What about thighs, knees? I've also heard the 'new' school advocates a looser stance and fit than the old 'wear your kayak' adage, so want is the latest line on thought of padding out a cockpit?

The "wear your kayak" concept is important in whitewater kayaking, where you must be able to maneuver your boat rapidly and precisely. You can endure a tight fit because you're not in the boat for long periods of time. In a touring boat, you need some room to move around, but you also need to be able to lock yourself in when necessary. With a properly outfitted boat, all you need to do is flex your ankles to lock your thighs under the coaming and brace yourself solidly in the cockpit. When you don't need solid control, such as when you're just cruising along, you can relax and shift around a little, which makes long days on the water much more comfortable.

While 303 will help to preserve the seals, the best way to prevent tearing them is to apply talc to the insides of the seals before you put the suit on. The seals will slip easily over your wrists, head and ankles, dramatically reducing the stress placed on them, not to mention eliminating a lot of hair pulling and swearing.

Either that, or you can mark it as spam in your email program and let it filter it out.

In an interview, one of them said "we went out to see the seals", despite all of the recent publicity about white sharks around seal colonies in the news. They were in a tandem and apparently had no idea how to self-rescue. Draw your own conclusions...

I've figured out the reason my second hand Romany has water in the day hatch after any rough water or rolling session is that the black plastic ring screwed onto the deck, onto which I attach my brand new Valley hatch cover, is leaking along one of the edges where it meets the deck of the boat. What is the best way/ best material to seal this?

Well, the best way to do it is to remove it, clean up the surfaces, then re-bond it properly using 3M 5200 or a similar high-strength adhesive. However, that can be difficult to do without damaging the ring, if it's firmly bonded in other areas.

If the hatch ring is held in place with screws, remove them and see if you can determine the extent of the poorly bonded area and whether the ring will come off without a fight. Also, check carefully that it isn't cracked at one of more of the screw holes, as NDK has a tendency to over-tighten the screws, which causes the flange to split. If you see any cracking/splitting, the ring will have to be replaced, since once it starts, it only gets worse with time and use and no amount of sealant will create a permanent repair.

Anyone have any experience with that or how long i could expect a tube to last?

I don't think there's any way to predict it, but freezing should extend it's life substantially. If it's unopened as you originally stated, I don't think there's any specific limit to the shelf life.

I would go with the Aquaseal, as it's thinner and easier to spread. You can thin GOOP with toluene and it will work fine, but it's not something you're likely to have kicking around.

I haven't seen 3mm cable in stores in the US, so it's probably a case where you'd have to order an OEM replacement cable in order to get it, or perhaps order bulk cable online. However, I've never done that and have had good performance from the bulk 1x19 cable from local marine suppliers, in either 1/8" or 3/32", depending on the boat. Whether the minor diameter difference between 1/8" and 3mm matters depends on the inner diameter of the housing used and the tightness of the bends in the system. The closer the housing fits the cable and the sharper the bends are, the more friction there will be in the system and the greater the effect that diameter and stiffness differences will have. In systems where there is generous clearance between the cable and housing and the bends are minimal, it isn't likely to make a difference. Also keep in mind that there will be salt and grit accumulation in the system over time that effective reduces clearances and increases friction.

There are two things you could have done differently that would have made the installation much easier. The one that would have had the most impact is to taper the end that you're threading into the housing. I typically use a Dremel tool with a stone or sanding drum to round the end so it can slide through the housing smoothly. Once that's done, an application of Super Glue will keep the strands together during the installation process.

As for the cable size, it's possible that the original is 3mm in diameter, which is slightly smaller than 1/8". Although the size difference seems minor, it can have a substantial impact on the amount of friction in the system. I've found that in some cases, 3/32" cable is actually less likely to kink that the stiffer 1/8" cable, simply because it slides through the housing with much less friction and effort, whether it's when you're adjusting it with the slider or when the skeg hits something and gets pushed upward.

Off topic but what's the best way to get the glue/foam off when you're removing someone else's outfitting? I have (ahem, cough, cough) a few boats I really need to outfit better and having old residue that holds sand and dirt is really annoying.

Acetone has been suggested but I know it can soften a gel coat if you're not careful.

Acetone is too volatile, potentially harmful to the boat and won't dissolve some glues. Lacquer thinner is a better choice. If there is glue residue that is solidly bonded to the surface, there is no need to remove it unless there's too much buildup. Any loosely adhered adhesive residue should be removed.

As for the new adhesive, Weldwood Gel Contact Cement is my favorite, along with Lexel or any of the GOOP products.

for what it's worth, I hold my pump in place (during camping trips, when hatch space is at a premium) with heavy-duty self-stick velcro strips attached to cockpit floor. I put it there 3 or 4 years ago and it's still there. I wouldn't count on it to hold the pump in surf, but it has served the purpose for me for a handful of multi-day trips.

It works OK in that application because there isn't any constant strain on it, unlike if you use it to hang the pump under the deck. I did the same thing in my first kayak. For anyone contemplating this, I recommend putting the 'hook' side on the hull for a couple of reasons:

• Whatever is placed on hull is going to get full of sand and salt, and it's a lot easier to get it out of the 'hook' than the tight pile of the 'loop'.
• If the hook is on the pump, it will snag on other items when you transport it in your gear bag.

In my experience, the adhesive on the standard Velcro won't hold long-term if it's under tension, such as if a pump is hanging from it. Also, in cold conditions, the hook portion will often separate from the adhesive, leaving a sticky pad on the surface. Using other adhesives (Lexel, GOOP, epoxy) to improve the bond can help, but the hook side of Velcro is molded polyethylene and most adhesives don't bond to it well. Scuffing the backside with sandpaper helps somewhat. The loop side is woven and porous, and I find that most adhesives work fine with it.

There are Velcro-like products that use high-bond acrylic adhesives, such as 3M Dual Lock, but they can be hard to find. You can identify these products easily, as they are thicker, the "hook" side is comprised of pegs with flared ends and the mating part is either identical or is a very heavy loop pile. On a clean surface, these bond pretty aggressively.

Suz, the reason for your back discomfort in a wetsuit is pretty simple, they're designed and cut to be used in standing or prone position where your body is straight, not for sitting. Consequently, when you sit, the back of the suit gets stretched and it bunches up in the front. It's the same reason and neoprene shorts tend to ride down in the back when paddling. It's too bad that wetsuit makers don't offer a cut that's similar to a cycling "skinsuit", which is designed for a position where you're bent at the waist. I have seen some paddling shorts with that type of cut.

Then again, I can't stand wearing neoprene for paddling (other than boots and gloves), so it's irrelevant for me. I typically transition directly from a dry suit to a dry top with Hydroskin (or similar) shorts, based on the conditions.

One garment that I find really useful in summer & early fall conditions where you have cool/cold water and warm air is a short sleeve dry top. It provides excellent core protection against wind and water, but the exposed arms allow you to regulate your temperature so you don't overheat and sweat excessively. Waterproof/breathable fabric is key here, too.

Brian, you are certainly a "blast from the past! I'm not sure that others here know that you were involved in running the Walden sessions back in the late '90's. Your generous assistance was instrumental in many people learning to paddle, myself included.

I'm glad to hear of your interest in Greenland paddles (GPs) and I suggest that your first stop online should be QajaqUSA.org, which is the best source for Greenland paddling information online. Their "Greenland Kayaking Forum" is an excellent resource for the type of information you seek. http://www.qajaqusa.org/cgi-bin/GreenlandTechniqueForum_config.pl

They also have Technique and Gear sections with all kinds of information on buying, building and using GPs.

There is also a local group of Greenland paddlng enthusiast that refers to themselves as the "Walden Pond Scum", since that's where they hold many of their practice sessions and clinics. I can't find their website, but you can probably hook up with some of them through the Greenland Kayaking Forum.

There are some of our NSPN contemporaries who are GP enthusiasts, such as Keith Attenborough, John Raleigh and Adam Bolonsky. As far as I know, they are all still paddling.

I made the switch to GPs in 2000 and never looked back. Since then, I've built 3 skin boats and a bunch of paddles, and written a book on Greenland paddle making (shameless commercial plug). I'm currently prepping for a cycling trip in France, so I haven't been paddling, but once I get back, perhaps we can get together.

Whatever the truth is - if there even is an absolute answer for all conditions - it's obvious that waxing doesn't make any significant difference. The scratches on the hull have a far greater impact, so unless you're willing to apply enough wax to fill in all those irregularities, you're wasting your time from a performance perspective. Protecting the surface from oxidation is another matter entirely and it's realistically the only valid reason for waxing a kayak. However, unless you carry and store your boats upside-down in the sun, there's little point in waxing anything other than the deck.

I don't know about the negative reviews you've seen, but I've got a Sealect round cover on one of my boats and it's vastly superior to Valley covers. It goes on and off much easier in ANY temperature, but still seals tightly, stays put and it won't rot over time. It was also less expensive, which certainly doesn't hurt. Valley is long overdue to change to a more durable material (like Kajaksport has has been using from the beginning) and I refuse to subsidize their stubbornness any longer. All of my replacements going forward will be Sealect covers.

It looks like it would be great for fixing broken paddles, tent poles, etc.

Perhaps there is some formula, somewhere, that would take the guess-work out of this process, based on one's neck measurement?

Not really, as there are several sizes and thicknesses of neck seals from various vendors, so there's no "standard" starting point. Also, people have different tolerances for how much neck pressure they find to be comfortable.