Michael_Crouse

Kim and I will be there, but we'll be a bit late. Anything we should bring besides the usual work gloves and boots?

I'll be there

What's the name of the glue that we used at the outfitting workshop that works so well? Also any ideas how to remove it? My boat has some heel pads that the previous owner installed but for me they're under my calves/knees and they prevent my feet from sliding into the boat easily.

I think New England Small Craft sells Feather Craft, they might have a Java in stock. Give them a call www.nesmallcraft.com

Congratulations to both of you!

Buy it at http://www.cackletv.com but you'll need a paypal account, they are free. I believe skulling happens when you capsize on a shallow beach, it's best to wear your helmet when skulling. Sculling is someting entirely different, we'll be working on that at Chebacco on thursday. There is also some footage from a tidal race in Wales on the DVD.

It's a nice video, Kim and I were watching it last night. My favorite part is the expedition in Russia. They had to bring a Russian citizen along, So this poor russian kid gets to launch in all of this surf and he'd never been in a kayak before. He's going to make it, he's going to make it.... doh! he didn't make it. Yes he still goes on the expedition with them. Maybe we'll have to do a post paddle preview sometime?

>Whats a Sponson? Oh I can't wait for the day when all kayakers don't know what sponsons are :-) Sponsons are long inflatable tubes that attach to the sides of a kayak for added stability. Great idea, but they don't work. The added bouancy is too close to the boat to be very effective, we all know what happens when that paddle float moves next to the boat. They add lots of drag (when deployed) they have fewer uses then a paddle float, they take longer to inflate, some are made poorly. I saw the inflation tube fall off a pair of sponsons. Maybe they're good on a canoe or if you're sailing a kayak, but IMHO they're useless.

Since you're paddling an Avatar (a brit type boat, whatever that means) I assume you want another boat with a skeg. I'm also assuming you want to stick with plastic. I would try a VCP Avocet, Necky Chatham 17, P&H Capella, and a VCP Aquanaut (when they finally come out in plastic). I tried a Chatham 17, I was way too big for it but it seems like a fun boat.

Note that this article says 18ft kayak type outrigger, maybe it was an outrigger canoe? from http://www.eagletribune.com/ Andover kayakers found By Alex Quinones Staff writer An Andover couple lost in Maine's Casco Bay found their way to safety this morning after spending the night on one of the bay's many islands. Michael Handa, 61, and Ellen Handa, 55, of 377 Salem St. in Andover were reported missing off the coast of Portland about 7 p.m. yesterday by the husband of Cindy McNett, 44, of Topsham, Maine. McNett was with the couple in their 18-foot kayak-type outrigger when they failed to return home from what was supposed to be an hourlong trip from Jewell Island to Basin Point. About 12 hours later, the experienced paddlers found their way to safety. This morning, the trio told The Eagle-Tribune about their night without shelter in Casco Bay. An hour into their trip, Michael Handa said the fog rolled in and it was like being in a "big cloud." Rather than find their way home, the three decided to find a place to spend the night. "We didn't want to keep paddling and find we had drifted out into the ocean," McNett said. They circled the rocky shores of Bangs Island and found a clearing to pull up on shore. They had no sleeping bags or tents, and did not intend to spend the night. But the weather forced them to stay. It rained several times throughout the night, forcing them to sleep on a rock that provided some shelter. "What was uncomfortable was the passing rain showers. Half a dozen rain showers," Michael Handa said. At times, the trio said the fog would lift enough for them to see house lights on nearby Chebeague Island. They considered getting back out on the water but decided to just wait until morning. "We were worried the fog might appear again and we'd get lost again," Handa said. At 6:30 a.m. today, the trio paddled up to the island. There, they found Will Vaughan, who was bailing out water from his boat. Vaughan took him to the home of his friend Bill Armstrong. Armstrong was upstairs reading a local newspaper blurb about the trio's disappearance and was considering going out on his 30-foot boat to try to find the paddlers himself. Armstrong said he found the paddlers cold and drenched. He gave them dry bathrobes, threw their clothes in the dryer, and served them hot tea while they waited for an 8 a.m. ferry ride back to the mainland. "I know that if I am out on my boat, people will come to my aid," Armstrong said. The Coast Guard deployed two rescue boats and a helicopter that had to be called in because of mechanical problems. "They were out all night searching," said 1st Class Cadet Jared Harlow of the Coast Guard. Harlow said the boats were called back in at 6:45 a.m. after the paddlers notified the Coast Guard they were all right.

A lively discussion is a perfectly healthly thing, but when it turns into name calling and personel attacks it is inappropriate. It really depresses me when I see bickering like this on our message board. These messages are not just read buy us, I am amazed by all the people I meet who spend time on our website. Sometimes when I see a thread degenerate into name calling and insults I just want to remove the whole thread. We should all read what we've written before we click on that post button. Not to so sound corny but like we wrote in our brochures "Our website is our home, come visit us" We are currently making a mess of our home

Ok everyone first off lets all take a deep breath and remember that we are arguing about kayaking. Remember this is the thing that we all do for fun. It always seems odd that we can argue about things like this. At GOMSKS I had a chance to take a short class (2 hours with six people) from Tom Bergh. I thought it was a great class. Someone I know described Tom's style as being similiar to Nigel Foster, very reserved, laid back, and thoughtful. WIll I take a lesson from Tom in the future? yes. Will I also take a class from Nigel Foster, Mickey (Armand), Bob Foote, etc... yes. The message posted by someone under a creative name has been deleted, just a reminder that we do have an acceptable use policy on these forums Forum Acceptable Use Policy The site administrator reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the user agreement without prior notice to the user. It is the responsibility of the user to regularly review the terms of this agreement. The user agrees to the following terms 1. All information that you provide to us for your membership is correct. 2. You will not use your membership to spam, harrass, or exploit other members in any way. 3. Vulgar, Abusive, Racist, and Sexist Language will not be tolerated. 4. No mass posting or flooding of the boards is allowed. Forum Webmaster

Credit should not go to me for the towing demo, someone else lent a hand since I arrived late. Step aside Mr. Foster, I'll take over now.... yeah right :-) Don't forget the tandem kayaks that we felt the need to roll, or the Chatham 17 that looked just like John Leonard's Pintail when I was paddling it. A great weekend, lots of great people coming together to do what they love.

I'll be there

If I couldn't clear a spine and a CG boat couldn't land, I'd call for a helicopter, or an EMT that could examine his spine. Like I said the rest of that person's walking life is in my hands. If you think someone's spine is injured and you can't move them in a stable manner then don't move them. I assume that when you say litter you don't mean a back board? A litter isn't going to keep someone spine stable.

The protocols for clearing someone's spine involve being in a wilderness context. So if you crash and burn in some surf on Nahant I would call an EMT, even though I know how to clear a spine. Most memorable quote from my WFR... How long do you have to clear his spine? "The rest of his walking life"

MTI makes some great PFDs at very affordable prices, I used one for several years. It took at lot of abuse and it's still going. Last year I picked up an Extra Sport Retro Glide PFD, it's got great pockets, it's shoulder strap length is adjustable, and it's very comfortable. The shoulder straps are slightly elastic, so they're comfortable, although I think that bit of stretch makes them a pain when someone has to haul you up by the shoulder straps. I would recommend trying on lots and lots of pfds and "paddling" with them on in the store. Fit is a very personel thing and we're all shaped differently. Personally I have never found a Lotus PFD that I am comfortable in, others rave about thier fit, go figure. Try, try, try, before you buy.

I was told that on any hatch system like this you should never keep the hatches tightly secured when you store the boat. That way the gaskets won't get too compressed.

I think that paddles have gotten shorter over the past few years, or rather that people are switching to shorter paddles. When I started paddling I had a very low angle stroke, now I've developed a higher angle stroke, thus the shorter paddle. I wouldn't be surprised if people are using 205cm paddles in a few years! It could be worse, you could own a 240cm carbon paddle instead of a 230cm $100 paddle.

You didn't say how tall you are. I'm 6'7" and I use a 220cm paddle, so I think that a 220cm is too long for almost everyone out there. If you're on a trip or at a skills session just ask to try someone else's paddle. That's how I wound up getting a shorter paddle. When I started I was using a 240cm... ouch!

There are still some spots open for this Saturday night in Chinatown. What better way to recover from this week's snow storm than with a pool session? Ok maybe some hot cocoa and a warm fire, but a pool session is a close second.

A big hand to should go out to Liz, it was her idea, to Karen for being the registrar and of course to all who spotted, taught, and signed up. So I assume this means we want more "theme oriented" sessions? basic rescues? advanced rescues? self rescues? 1001 uses for a paddlefloat?

Ok I know that NDK quality bashing has become a sport amongst some of us here (me included) but did you notice they mentioned the low cockpit coaming? Did you also notice the secondary stability was referred to as "moderate"? I can't think of a boat with better secondary and they say it's moderate?

Congrats Adam, it's a great article about very difficult subject matter. Another story about safety was published in this months Sea Kayaker. It's about an accident in Baja. The author saw 5 kayakers headed out at night and he didn't talk to them about the dangers of what they were doing. The next day he was out searching for one of them. No the story does not end happily. It speaks volumes about individual responsibilty and sharing your knowledge with others, even when someone doesn't want to hear it.

I should be able to make this (depends on the date). I missed last years clean up but a few years ago we did one of these at Cranes Beach. I got to spend the day on Hog Island cutting down some invasive weeds. It sounds like a great way to spend a day.