Paul Sylvester

Real losers might be the taxpayers.....

If you have 50 series rubber I suspect it's the same as my '06 Ltd Leg, the fine 205 50 17 size, probably shod with Yoko ADVAN A82 made specifically for Subaru. Yes, what I have...... Lastly, I have an odd experiment you can try: I've a set of Michelin X-Ice studless, very quiet 225 55 17 winter tires with 60-70% tread on craig's for $220 the set. Now these would be 3/4" wider and 3/4" taller than your 205 50 17, as they're for an '06+ OB. They'd fit, and offer slower response, more pothole comfort, and about -10% speedo correction. Nice offer but I can't mess with wifey's speedo calibration.... If tirerack's or the dealers are too pricey for new steel I'd consider used 16" alloys from WRX tricksters on eBay. Will try e-bay and tirerack.com We just bought it so we have not been through a winter yet, tires are half worn and I just don't like the idea of 50's in the snow on such a small car. You have given me some ideas and things to consider thanks, Paul

Ernie, Would you have any extra rims around for an 08 legacy? I have been thinking about winter tires on my wifes car. It has 1/2 worn 50 series low profile wheels right now, figure that a narrow tire would be better for the winter. Plus I could keep the alum. rims out of the salt... 4 rims or 4 rims and tires? steel, no aluminum The local scrap yards have none and said aftermarket would be cheaper than them finding them through parts search. thanks, Paul

PS: I believe Rick and Paul are down in CT doing the rough water weekend with G Paquin and crew. Pintail......Yes we were down in CT with Greg and the brits (Kayakwaveology) helping with his class. We had good swells friday so they surfed and did wind skills. Sat. was the Wiccapiset tide race, sun. was rescues and tows in wind. Great to watch the participants in the conditions, some for the first time in the soup. Never back away from safely paddling in the wind, it will build your skills fast. I'll try mailing you again......

If you do an insurance claim maybe they will cover your boat repairs. New garage doors should only have a limited amout of down pressure. And it should reverse automaticly when it hits something. Often the down pressure gets cranked up if the bearings and wheels get worn and resistance is up. Checking and resetting the balance springs on the door is crucial also.....

The seats and rails are light, agree 1-2 lbs max reduction. hardly worth it if you like the seat. I like the yakimas footpegs for a few reasons. So if you or anyone removes them and wants to sell Yakima pegs and rails I could use a couple pairs for my next boat projects. psylatmetrocastdotnet thanks,

Would like to build a little boat but not this year...... You should post this up on Nick Shade's Kayak Building Bulletin Board. Link through the Guillimot site. Alot of people that follow the site have built kids yaks and can help/ comment.

I plan on heading out saturday to catch the fun. Most likely it will be Portsmouth. Possible trip around gerrish. There are some spots where we should get surf off of the shallows, rock play, rescue practice and whatever else comes along./ All the usual cam stuff.......and a good chance to step it up a notch. any interest for rough water play? figure level 4 Odiorne 9:30 butts in boat. e-mail me directly...... psylatmetrocast.net Paul

I heard from a source that when they wanted something more than the AA they, Goodman /Valley took an AA and floated bondo or something from chine to chine to get a rounded shape. From there they could test it and then start the mold- plug process. Will travel to buy old Brit boats that are beat, old and tired... Was in one of the early AA's once.....real neat..

Never been to this ramp but assume it is up in Great Bay.... Dover PT high tide is about an hour after Portsmouth. Dover landing is after Dover pt. Just get the tables that show the bay and it should show these areas.. I would bet that the high at the ramp is two hours past Portsmouth+/- wag, no time to look it up...

The Blackburn is only about you, a boat and a paddle all else is irrelevant......

Few years back on 95 in Peabody I saw two cute little rec boats all fastened to their racks laying in the breakdown lane......

Short answer is that it is only a few mins. by kayak to the harbor mouth. Not a big deal.... Move fast from Pierce and we could pop out through Chauncy to Brave Boat and play the coast back to Portsmouth. Small swells could make it fun at Wallis....we will see. Practice skills, rolling? Lets have some fun........

Loading up shortly... looks like there might be a little swell left over. Figure on finding it...

If you have cracks in the hatch rim at the bolts there is no need to put in new rims IMO. What worked well for me was to remove the bolt and use a file, knife or whatever to remove any residue and then fill the old hole with unthickened epoxy. For leaks: Before filling the whole hatch try dribbling water around the hatch rim. Let it set awhile and see if you get drips coming through. I really like the smoke idea......... Set the boat at an angle and fill your ends, you could have a small split at the seam or a toggle hole leak.

An Avocet worked for my (then) 13 yr old and is great fun for me to surf in...and I have had newbies in it at the lake. Used are short money.....

Assume you are moving it forward not aft as stated? I would use epoxy since it is stronger and you can thicken it easy. You would need a small quart size with dispensers and thickeners. About $60 +/- I did this once and it is easy. Where the old one is glassed in there will be a minor ridge left behind that can be worked down with a rasp. Be careful that you don't get into the hull glass by chipping. The bulkhead glass is stronger/ thicker than the hull glass..... Tools needed, dust mask, drill with bits, vac, rasp....dremmel or anything you are comfy with. Try a 12" sawsall blade with about 14 -18 tpi with a pair of small vise grips for a handle. You might start your pattern with the old bulkhead, or use cardboard and get it close. I suggest that you buy a 1/4 luan handi panel at Home Cheapo (about 6.00$ ) Shape it and fit it to the hull. Little gaps are expected. Laminate 6 oz cloth on each side of your 1/4"plywood. This is easy and clean if you have flat surfaces that you can press it between. I use two old formica cabinet doors with wax paper. After the glass sets, trim it up and re fit it. Then do the surface prep on all surfaces. Use an epoxy type fillet with 2" glass tape on both sides. I like strong bulkheads because if your feet ever break a bulkhead on an endo you could have a bad time. Beware of any power tool that can catch and kick under there...

competition for Freya.......

I get lots of spider cracks in the gel coat as the kevlar flexes pretty well. "I'm always patching chips" With the money you are spending on kevlar does it make sense to look at wood strip designs? Light, strong and I never had to install a keel strip on a epoxy layup and the designs have come a long way. Just a thought........

We are lacking a certain intensity, Who remembers Dick Beal? Man that guy was intense. Solo, but very experienced.

QUOTE(B @ Mar 19 2009, 12:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I made my statement based on what I've heard from others that remembered the old days and from the level 4 trip I was on last summer when I was kept in check by Rick. I was surprised and disappointed at not being allowed to instigate a little practice. Afterward hearing statements like "we just don't do that anymore" bothered me. Where does the important learning come from if not the leaders? Is everyone having to pay for training when it's at your fingertips? The learning needs to start at the lowest level trips. Hell, I used to bail out of my boat on simple trips around a protected harbor and make people rescue me. It's the simple things that count. Press the fundamentals. Getting sharked is for those game, for those that are in the arena of combat conditions. Scenario based training should be included in every trip, by every leader. My point is that it's the simple things that count. The water is 50 degrees on average year round here and I'm in the water all the time. My point is simply to "teach for independence". Sometimes that has to be instigated. B Bob, Those were the days.... if I had not run into you I would not have jump started my skills quite the same way. Yes, we need more people that are outgoing and assertive in their interactive teaching (like you). When you and John L. would get together it was a riot. Some of the best laughs were on flat water, running up on each others rear decks and tipping people over, the chases, etc. Point taken, Paul S.

Still have 6 months and 7 days before the big 5-0 .......and if I have mellowed you better find a box and dig a hole....

Still alive and well..

Also, out in deep and rough water does the rocker and overhang help or not? The Epic pitch implies that it doesn't... from Epic: “A common misconception is that sea kayaks require extensive "rocker" or extended-bows to perform well in waves or rough water conditions.†The Epics have a full looking bow ( imo) and that fullness may give them confidence to make this statement. Don't they almost look like a surfski bow? Not sure of the lenght of their long boats but if they are only 18' or so they may get acceptable lift in moderate conditions. The lightness of the skis and Epics will keep them high also...... Rocker just helps in turning and correcting, I would not expect alot of rocker in a fast boat. also, my 19 foot go fast boat is not the fastest in close 2-3' waves because the rear will catch the wave while the bow will bury in the next wave. The ice cream stand in my town has 75 flavors, anyone seen any used Epics around? :^)

Comments only......nothing to add. I used to think it was fun when the whole front of the boat would plough through the wave and you would get that wall of water on your chest pushing you back, now my boats with full bows (ndk) allow me to ride over more and get a cleaner ride......still get deck wash it just takes much bigger water. Big water=more fun go fast vs. rough water, different boats for all, This is the arguement to buy more boats and you have covered it well