Fred C

I sold mine last year for $1550. It was in excellent condition and looked close to new. Overall it was a fun kayak to have for a while, plenty of room, fun to paddle.

I have used both the HullRaiser and the Mako saddles for years and still have both. I prefer the Hullraisers by far as long as you are able to lift your kayak and drop it into the rack and do not rely on sliding the kayak to get it onto the rack. The Hullraisers feel more secure and don’t seem to develop the front to back rocking motion that the saddles can even with front and rear tie downs.

Another thought on the logo issue. Once a design is decided upon how about including a car decal with each membership. I have no idea what the cost of a sticker is but it would be a good way to promote the club.

Thanks to Heidi for the design work. They both look great!

But…the poll was awfully short and I agree with some that the original logo should have been among the choices.

I hang ours on the walls of the garage. Home Depot sells “J” shaped pipe covered with foam insulation. Each J holder has a couple of screws that attach it to the wall. I think they are intended to hold ladders and things. Anyway they are inexpensive, easy to hang, padded, and fit the kayaks just right when on edge.

I would try word of mouth like you did by posting here and check other sites that list used kayaks such as:

http://paddling.net/

http://smskn.org/

http://www.bskc.org

Sometimes something local will even pop up on Ebay.

Good luck.

See you there.

Hi Jim,

If you’re still going I would be interested in heading up toward Manchester.

Fred

Does anyone know of any online resource that has information on the water quality we paddle in on the North Shore? With all that sewerage that went into the water during the last storm, I wonder how long it will take to flush itself out.

I agree with Peter. I enjoyed reading some of the posts that have been deleted and am disappointed when I return and find they have been removed. Ultimately the decision to remove or edit a posting should remain with the author but an effort should be taken to resist the temptation to take things off the board. People do want to hear what you have to say.

Thanks to all for the info. I will pass this along to him. I have a feeling he will lean toward a strip built kayak but we’ll see. Either way I hope he builds something and gets out there on the water.

Right now I don’t have an interest in owning a wooden kayak but after I try out whatever he builds maybe I’ll be converted!

Here is a question for those of you with some kayak building / paddling experience. My brother in law would like to build his first kayak. He is a highly skilled woodworker, has built 20’ pleasure boats and many other things in the past with great success. He would have no limitations with space, tooling, or skill level.

What he does lack is kayaking experience as he has never been in one. He asked me for advice in choosing a set of plans to work with. I gave the standard advice about length and speed, width and stability, but know virtually nothing about strip built kayaks and what type handle best. I can see him paddling in the Piscataqua River, Little Bay, and Great Bay area in Maine because he lives nearby. He is about 6’ tall and maybe 185lbs.

Any ideas on what plans he should purchase to build a nice kayak that he can try out as a beginner, grow into a little and in the worst case, if he just doesn’t like it, what would sell easily to those that do like wooden kayaks. What ever he makes will look great but if he chooses a poor design he will have a well made poorly designed kayak.

Any ideas…..

Thanks, Fred

I have the 170 RM and like it. The hatches are not bone dry but they don’t leak so much it bothers me. I am 6’ 3” tall and about 195. The 165 is too tight a fit for me. In the 170 I removed the four screws that secure the seat, moved the whole seat back one hole then put the four screws back in place. That gave me the extra 1-2 inches of legroom I needed. It’s not a fast boat but it is fun to paddle and I used it often last year.

I have the e-trex vista and like it. I would buy something with a color screen next time. I still stick to maps and compass but the GPS is fun to see where you have been, how fast you were paddling etc. I also like to have it available in case I become truly lost, fog etc. It can be difficult to read while underway. Plan on spending an extra $125 for the Bluechart software if you want that for your PC. You will also need to purchase street map software if you intend to use it in the car.

I wasn’t familiar with Defender so I called West Marine’s main number from their web site and they matched Defender’s sale price. I don’t know that it makes much difference but I wanted to deal with a local store.

Paddlers on the trip were Scott, Allan, Judy, Fred, Marie, Bob, and John. We all met at the beach off of Cutter Street in Portland ME. As it turned out there was a race scheduled that day where teams were running, biking and paddling. There was still ample parking but much more of a crowd there than normal. On a hot day like Saturday I will take being on the water anytime over running or biking.

After a quick meeting on the beach we all put in and paddled across to Little Diamond seeing one seal pop up for a quick look at us as we crossed over. The water was cool and calm, practically flat and there was a mist/fog burning off in the distance beyond the fort.

We then paddled at a leisurely pace clockwise along Little Diamond, Great Diamond and Cow Island. We stopped and had lunch on the beach next to Diamond Cove Marina. We then continued down past Little Diamond. On the way back to the put-in we stopped at Fort Gorges. The fort was built in 1858. It is worth stopping in to check it out. There is a little beach to leave kayaks on while you take a walk around. We then headed back to the beach at the put in where those that could, rolled to cool off on what was a very hot day. Total distance was about 9 miles.

Thanks to Bob for organizing the trip. It was a good paddle and it was nice to meet everyone.

Hi Al,

I have the "Snap Dragon Glacier Trek Breathable EZ Skirt". I bought it this spring at REI. I haven’t used it a lot this year but I have been happy with it so far. As for how much cooler it is with the breathable tube I’ll have to wait till the summer is here to get a good idea.

Fred

For what it’s worth EMS in Burlington is having a sale and the Kokatat MSFit is on sale for $78 less another 20% on top of that so after tax it was about $66. I think it was last years model but still a great deal. Size choices were limited for yellow, they seemed to have more in blue.

I am interested. I know just the basics and have lots to learn.

Fred

Anne is also interested in attending. She is having computer issues so I am posting for her.

Sounds great. Count me in.

I would like to attend the inside portion and possibly the on water part too. It sounds like a great opportunity to learn from others who have been there, done that. I haven’t paddled in the cold weather before. What would be considered the minimum equipment needed to go on the water during that time of year? Is a wetsuit sufficient or is a dry suit needed?

I was wondering if anyone has paddled Merrymeeting Bay in Maine and had any information on the area. I see that the Maine Audubon society has a field trip this weekend to take a boat ride and look at eagles. I am unable to make it on Saturday but would love to paddle the area sometime this fall and see what there is to see. Any information would be appreciated, put in locations, recommendations etc.

Thanks