christopherG

i have to correct you, dee (in the cause of scientific accuracy, after all?): it was not the foam supports at the front of the seat that had rubbed through my fibreglass hull, but the lowest part of the seat -- the twin buttock imprints of the , where it was resting on the hull. here it was worn clean through to gelcoat in two neat ovals (there may have been 1-2mm thickness remaining, at a guess). gelcoat difficult? easy-peasy...

OK, brian's technical responses are always well thought-out and i admire that curious and inquisitive nature of his; but what about "old faithful", the standard 350? really cheap, in comparison, and apparently the biggest-selling submersible of them all...so, david? are you, too, becoming a major player in the gearhead stakes?

alright, alright! so i cannot spell "usage": i apologise to all whose aesthetic sense i violated! (quite right, too). however, i am seeking the person who offered me a rescue hook , not a rescue hook...thank you all for the links. only one was for the hard scabbard (thank you, richard) and they are out-of-stock... i have one rescue hook already and shall soon have another (i have two PFDs, in case you're wondering), but would like a hard sheath for the first. apologies for the second spelling mistake, professor -- we named a racehorse brinks' job a few years ago (he was by seeking the gold): could i have been confusing you and the horse? oy! (ps: don't take me to task for "aesthetic" either -- i'm not going there!)

idiomatic useage (example: "sir, i wish to buy your rolls royce off you! name your price..."); it's quite common -- professor brinks will doubtless confirm...

someone told me they had a hard scabbard i could buy off them: who was it, please? you still willing to sell to me? TIA..

an inflatable paddle-float may do double-duty as pillow when camping, temporary back-rest in the cockpit or splint for a fractured limb. now what benefits can you think of for the foam ones? i cannot immediately think of any, myself...

silly question, jim: you've heard of vaseline? (or any number of similar gunky compounds -- i myself prefer motorcycle chain lube: it sticks where you put it like...like...dogshi...oh, never mind!)

SeaBass and Dr. Binks, you should both be ashamed of yourselves! This thread was started by a tender, serious, enthusiastic, bewildered (and probably be-fuddled) new paddler asking for advice about searching for a new boat and all you two can do is talk about dwindling into the distance and spelling (well, yes: I go on about that myself, sometimes). Desist, I say!! So, no one mentioned rollers for the rear edge of the car/van/SUV? I do not refer to Yakima Hulley rollers; but the Thule system that sits lower down behind the rear bar for helping get the boat "up and over". Might be worth looking into?

So, is there anyone on this list (I mean, in this club) who can explain to me the significance of sugar alcohol a propos of nutrition? (No, I'm not looking for a real chemistry lesson). The new PowerBar Protein Plus with 2g of impact carbs (Wow! Should I be impressed?) has 27g of sugar alcohol in it. What are the implications? One of my co-workers thought it noteworthy and suspect, for some reason. There is one person here, at least, who studied nutrition and who is renowned for her cooking; but even this may be outside of her sphere? By the way, there online comparisons of energy bars to be found; but they tend to be rather inconclusive, in my opinion. The array of these bars in the stores is rather daunting, isn't it? Views?

"...14" at the waterline..."? that's a pretty short boat you've got there, dee!

two words (and two cents' worth): snap dragon! available at NESC...

extraordinary story and i have to say that i believe rick_S is right: what on earth is any human being/kayaker doing out in 5-6' waves, 5-6kt current and 20kt wind, on their own? (did i get the figures right?) he doesn't his boat back, i believe. regarding marine law (peter k): i would think he relinquished his rights to it when he abandoned ship. it must have qualified for salvage when picked up by the frenchman? perhaps one of the crew was a sea-kayaker and rushed up to the bridge, saying: "arretez! arretez, mon capitaine! je vois un kayak de nigel dennis en plein mer...il faut faire de sauvetage..." or something like that -- you think we could write a screenplay about it and sell it for big bucks to hollywood? (or bollywood? no, they wouldn't go for it: i have it on good authority that sea-kayaking hasn't caught on in india yet!)

novice? NOVICE??? are you mad, david? 1998 was just the other day, friend: keith attenborough was already ahead of most sea-kayakers and was already more-than familiar with greenland paddles -- be more careful what you write...

yes, it looked messy in parts; but stop and think what "tens of thousands of gallons" might look like when diluted in of gallons of ocean water. nobody went swimming! don't forget: you grow your vegetables in that same sort of stuff!

Five went out; five came back...what we did in between "out" and "back" is classified -- suffice to say that gelcoat samples were left in fairly copious quantities on sundry rocks and hard places around the western side of the harbour. There was enough swell to enhance the very high tide and to put some unusual crags and ledges within reach of the more carefree (I'm thinking of one particular paddler from the south shore whose notoriety for hard places is legion: this person was later observed practising the lotus position at least 18" above water level -- still in kayak!) Lunch was consumed on an island in the rain and there was some play around Norman's Woe on the way back; but the swell subsided as the afternoon passed and we paddled home on flat water in the sun. Some of the group adjourned to Woodman's for chowder... Yellow Pintail

can you of a boat with "high" rear deck that has an ocean cockpit? surely such a beast doesn't exist? i'm even hard-pressed to think of any boat with a high rear deck, these days...

glenn, there only three or four ocean-cockpit boats that you'd be likely to consider, i would say, and they probably all fall into the "seriously-twitchy" class...(you feel up to a pintail? there is one on paddling dot net right now; but the seller says not whether it is ocean or keyhole) i think you need to try a wonderful sirius! they turn very nicely if you get them right up on edge, i assure you, despite my words elsewhere about them tracking "so straight". i shall hold off on replacing the seat with foam, since i am now certainly going to part with it. the plastic seat is fairly comfortable as it is. the fresh keel strip is almost finished (i get to it this past weekend) and you could try out the boat quite soon. marc schlosser has a sirius and likes his, i believe.

"...John Leonard wearing a tow belt would not qualify, alas..." read the above again, bob (or do i mean dee?): liz didn't mention leonard wearing .

guido/guy, (i) , the cranked shaft does NOT well (if i understand you properly); (ii) i never said i was moving my hands from the "normal position", did i? (iii) neither did i say that i was becoming confused! (iv) i have taken classes twice with mr. hutchinson (one -R in derek), so i think i do understand his techniques; (v) last time paddled with mr. foster, he was using a shaft on the paddle of his own design. with all due respect,

alright, you want some conflict? i have one werner paddle with cranked shaft for my weak right wrist (i smashed it many years ago) and i somewhat DISlike rolling and performing specialist strokes with it... i would rather have a straight shaft for the ease of placement of hands (no crooked bends to get in the way) when underwater; but, then, i do always have my eyes open and make a visual check on correct paddle placement or orientation. i do think we mostly use paddles that are too long for us, on the other hand, and after using 220cm for years, have just ordered one in 205cm. my 0.02/worth.

...again, this Saturday 13th March. There are plenty of spaces available, so...roll up! roll up! roll up! (oooh, dat's funny: a double meaning! ain't he a clever feller?) There are five registered participants thus far -- surely we can cram another hundred and twenty-six in...? You don't want me to have to resort to the services of some of my heavy motorcycle friends for a little...er, persuasion...do you? Come on: you all know where to email me by now? Napoleon (the little feller with large aspirations!)

Ben, with all due respect, to prevent the thing falling to the bottom of the ocean -- isn't that what the carrying strap is for? To be tied to the PFD...

it is under control, (sort of), brian. jim brayden, rick crangle and self were already at a preliminary meeting regarding the safety seminar that they are hosting early in the season -- we shall be represented. closer to the event, we'll let everyone know what gives, i promise!

a "round-trip, non-stop"? hmmm... liz: does the airline also supply the parachute or must you bring your own? good report, commander!

I have a rather thick head, so I'm not quite as concerned about as about the eyes! When two boats are in close proximity to one another, then anything mounted on the boat like that, in the manner in which the legislators obviously see it in their minds, will be a real danger, IMHO. The potential will be magnified when in surf (you're quite right, Michael) or when rescuing (for real OR for practice). Stupid, stupid, stupid...