Brian Nystrom

I apologize for making an off-topic post, but the "Contact Us" page is broken (the Department dropdown list doesn't work) and I need to speak to someone about a problem with posting to this forum. Can an admin please contact me?

Thanks

Brian

I wonder what happens when the folds fatigue and start to split? It's inevitable with plastic, especially when you add UV exposure and beach abrasion to the mix. The one year warranty isn't very encouraging, either. Perhaps I'm just not seeing the strength in the structure, but I can't help thinking that one dumping wave would fold this thing in half. While it's certainly ingenious, it looks like a lawsuit waiting for a place to happen.

If they are referring to noise canceling when transmitting in a noisy environment which often applies aboard powered craft, then it would be on no advantage at all on a kayak.

If it can reduce wind and/or wave noise in the background, it could be very useful in the kind of conditions that lead to rescue call.

Thule makes feet that attach to pretty much any factory rack and they go on and off fairly quickly (if that's a concern). Linda has that setup for her old Passat wagon, though she recently bought a Subaru Outback with a factory rack and crossbars. If you're interested, I'll ask her what she wants to do with the Thule rack, since she only needs the cradles with the new car.

Thule bars are pretty rugged and will last a long time, as you've seen. If you can get them off your old car, they'll work with the new feet. OTOH, the bars are the cheapest part of the Thule rack system.

Ripping up your drysuit in cold weather can quickly become a serious matter. Is there a (Kokatat) dry suit field repair kit and/or instructions somewhere on how to replace a gasket, fix a major tear, zipper failure etc? I'm planning a long camping trip, and could use help in larning what i can repair in the tfield, and assembling a kit to help me do it. Any help appreciated.

Replacing a wrist or ankle seal is at least feasible in the field, but a neck seal is another matter, as it requires forms and lots of clamps. If any of your seals is iffy, replace them before your trip. For an extended expedition, consider switch to neoprene seals instead of latex. Fabric tears can be fixed by sewing the edges together then covering the damaged area with duct tape, Aquaseal or one of the Goop products (Marine goop is best for exterior applications). I've seen people duct tape torn seals in a pinch, but it's better to carry some latex and/or neoprene and a tube of aquaseal or Goop as well, so you can effect a more durable repair. Remember that many dive shops do dry suit and seal repair, so they're an option if you're near civilization. If a zipper fails, You're pretty well screwed, but zipper failures are pretty rare. Again, I've seen suits duct-taped together, but it's not pretty or very effective.

Oil canning, in the context in which I used it, is when a rotomolded polymer boats get large shallow depressions in the hull. This usually comes from leaving it out in the hot sun and sometimes that is not even necessary for it to happen with this type of boat construction. Also having it tied tightly on a trailer, or roof rack when its real hot and sunny out can do the trick. Composite boats don't usually oil can. I just accept it as a trade off for the low coast and maintenance of a plastic boat. I have 4 of them in my family fleet,

Actually, that's not "oil canning" at all, it's heat deformation, which as you state, is pretty much unique to rotomolded polyethylene boats.

Oil-canning is when the hull flexes and pops inward under pressure, then pops back out when the pressure is released, like an old-fashioned oil can - hence the name. it's most common on boats with flat panels or wide, curved hulls. Boats with more flexible hulls - like many polyethylene kayaks - are also more prone to oil canning, but it happens to composite boats as well. Many rotomolded boats are too rigid for oil canning to be an issue. It's more a function of design and construction than material.

Looking at the picture, there appears to be plenty of material there than can be rounded over by sanding, as others have suggested. Another option would be to fill in the offending area with epoxy putty, creating a smooth surface.

Can you post a picture of the skeg control?

There are small (1/2") sanding drums available for Dremel tools and they come with most Dremel kits. If you happen to have a larger sanding drum that works in your drill, so much the better. Another alternative if you need to remove a lot of material is to cut most of it off with a hacksaw or handheld hacksaw blade, then sand it smooth.

One of these can be quite handy and you can find them at any home center or hardware store:

A Dremel tool will take a while, but it will get the job done. I would lean toward using a sanding drum with the coarsest grit you can find to do the rough work. Switch to a finer grit for creating a smooth finish. Make sure you're wearing a fine particle respirator and eye protection.

You can order a welding rod container online and they'll ship it to a local store at no charge. The other alternative is to make your own from 4" PVC pipe. While it's tempting to use a glued-on cap on one end and screw cap (a.k.a. a "cleanout") at the other to save money, using two screw caps makes it much easier to hose it out after use.

I agree that this looks like a nicely applied bead of sealant, but boat manufacturers typically do not use silicone; they use Lexel or something similar. If it IS silicone, you won't get anything to stick to what's there and once you peel it off of the fiberglass, you'll need to clean it with a pretty aggressive solvent. Either Dow or 3M sells a cleaner specifically for this, but lacquer thinner will do the trick and it's readily available (not "paint thinner" which is mineral spirits).

That said, peeling the sealant off before you know the source of the leak is a bad idea, since you may be creating problems where none existed. Find the source first, then focus on the repair.

It's somewhat ironic that just last weekend I was discussing loading boats on vehicles with someone and regaling him with the tale of "amazing Mary" who despite having two knee replacements, being petite of stature and of "mature" age, is able to hoist a boat up onto her motor home. You are truly one of the strongest, most determined women I have had to pleasure to know and as others have said, you are an inspiration. Enjoy your transition to mellower waters; I'm sure you will continue to inspire others you meet there.

I have an older Standard Horizon HX270S that worked fine, had a good range for broadcasting & receiving, but I now can't get it to take a recharge. I did steel wool the terminals that the recharge's contact strips touch on the back of the rdio, but still can't get the recharger's light to come on and indicate a recharge is taking place. After two multi day trips, the battery is now dead, but wondered if anyone has a suggestion for getting it recharged.

If I have to replace it, what are some of the solid bullet proof ones others would suggest. Interested in a solid build versus one with all the latest and greatest bells and whistles, plus don't want to break the bank.

Thanks. ~Scott

The problem with your radio is probably just a dead battery, which is indicated by the charger behavior. Your least expensive fix is a new battery, though there's always the possibility that there's a problem with the radio, too. Try to borrow a battery from another club member to test it. If the radio is still good, you know what to do.

That said, I'll chime in with another recommendation for the ICOM M88. I have two of them and their darned-near bulletproof. I know I can count on them if and when I absolutely need them.

I need to replace the deck lines and bungees on my AvocetLV but can't remember the widths necessary. I will probably order from Quality Nylon Rope (www.qualitynylonrope.com) in RI as they have a color selection and are supposed to be the best.

I will also check West Marine.

Thanks for the help.

Deb M

The size you want in Quality Nylon Rope products is 3/16".

It's amazing what a difference preparedness can make...

Another summer option is a fleece sleeping bag. It's warmer than a liner, but much better in warm temps than typical down or synthetic fill bag. Another Consideration is to get a rectangular bag. When it's really warm, you can sleep on top of it, when it's cooler you can sleep in it and if the temp drops further, you can sleep under it with both layers on top for extra warmth. On top of this versatility, fleece bags don't absorb water and they're very inexpensive. However, they are bulkier than some other options, though I haven't found it to be a problem when kayak camping.

I apologize if this sounds callous, but it's the same story we hear over and over again; a kayaker goes out alone, in questionable conditions (weather in this case), doesn't wear a PFD and winds up dead.

Honestly, what do we need to do to make people think before they jump in their boats??? Most of these deaths are 100% preventable if people would just use their heads and dress/equip themselves appropriately. It's so frustrating to see people making the same mistakes with the same outcome, every single year. I guess we should be prepared for another political battle against proposals that attempt to protect us from ourselves.

Shhhhh! Whatever you do DON'T tell Markey about kayaking! He'll try to ban it as "too dangerous for the American public". If he can't do that, he'll make us go through TSA inspections at the beach and confiscate our knives. He probably won't let us carry our "flasks of tea", either, unless they're under 3 ounces.

Excellent lube for skeg cable is silicone paste. You can get a small amount in hardware stores that sell Culligan water filter systems. The O ring when you replace the filter gets smeared with the silicone to insure a good seal. Eldredges in Kittery and York has it; both are Ace hardware sites. The paste unlike a liquid or spray lasts.

While silicone grease (that's what the "paste" is) is an excellent lubricant, it tends to attract sand and grit, as does any viscous lubricant. When it comes to lubing cables, the thinner and drier the lube, the better.

Aside: Brian, do you know if WD-41 is yet available, commercially?

Regarding skegs: I have always known them to be a pain-in-the-a*se! They are more trouble than they are worth, although NDK, as it was, used to make those rope-controlled ones that were easy to fix in the field (I mean: on the beach!) Ernie: in the attachments that someone quoted, one of the first statements by Valley was something like: "...most likely caused by landing with skeg deployed"!

I think everyone should practise paddling on edge for periods of time, to get used to cross-wind conditions with control by other means than skeg...

Christopher, you can usually find WD-41 in the same aisle as "Preparation I".

I've got skegs on all of my boats except the one I built and I find them very useful. The only boat I've owned that didn't have or need one was a Betsy Bay Aral, but I sold that years ago.

Personally, I think that rope skegs are a self-fulfilling-prophecy; they're so unreliable that it's critical that they're easy to repair in the field! Most cable skegs are field-repairable with little more than an Allen wrench or two and those that use glued cables can be modified to use a set-screw instead, making them easier and faster to service.

I agree that people need to have the skills to deal with any type of equipment malfunction on the water.

Why carry an extra piece of single-purpose gear when, I presume, you've already got a radio that will provide you with weather information? I like cool tools as much as the next person and I can see the appeal, but there comes a point that it's just more stuff to lug around. If you want to do this simply to satisfy your curiosity or to have a fun toy to play with, by all means do, but from a practical standpoint, there's no justification for it. Are you going to carry a barometer and anemometer, too?

The first article seems pretty good, but there are a couple of their recommendations that I would not follow:

1. 3m 5200 is a poor - and rather pointless - choice for bonding the new cable into the skeg. Any epoxy will do the trick, including the "5 minute" varieties, which will allow you to get the boat back in service quickly. They don't actually cure in 5 minutes, but the boat should be usable after an hour or so of curing time at room temperature. Higher temps will cure the glue even faster. When you need to change the cable again, epoxy can be softened with heat.
2. WD40 is a "water displacer" - hence the name - and it's a feeble lubricant at best (BTW, it is not "silicone").There are a variety of Teflon (PTFE) and wax-based lubes that are far superior. There are also lubes made specifically for wet environments, such as Boeshield T-9 that work well. For the cyclists out there, any chain or cable lube for bikes will work fine for skeg cables.

Is this it? http://www.qualitynylonrope.com/p/SR316ReflectiveRopeB.html

I couldn't find exactly what you described.

Is this t he bungee cord needed? It's a tiny bit thicker but couldn't find 3/16's, only 7/32's.

http://www.qualitynylonrope.com/p/SR7ReflectiveBungee.html

Doug

Yes, that's the right stuff if you want reflective deck lines. This is the cord I typically use: http://www.qualitynylonrope.com/p/P316PolyesterRopeB.html It's essentially the same thing, just not reflective.

BTW, there is nothing special about 5mm cord, as it's only .01" larger than 3/16" cord, essentially the same size.

Scott, what you need is 1x19 cable as opposed to 7x19 cable, which is much more flexible. As for the diameter, the stock cable may be a metric size and the choices at West Marine may not match exactly. If that's the case, choose the slightly smaller diameter cable (3/32"?). It won't be as stiff at the larger size, but it creates less friction and is much less likely to bind in the housing and cause problems. That makes it less prone to kinking if the skeg gets whacked while it's down.

If you don't have cable cutters, a cut-off wheel on a Dremel tool works well. You can also use the Dremel to taper the ends of the cable, which make it easier to install.