Gcosloy

Cath, You are definitely too light for the Chatham. While the cockpit is rather narrow the boat is really quite large in volume. I was 175 lbs. and found it ideal for the boat. I would check out the Eliza!

"Spoon" simply refers to the blade shape of a euro paddle. Years ago at Walden practicing rolling with one it was referred to as that "sugar scoop" by a member of the Greenland Pond Scum.

Point taken Brian-I should have made it clear that I was talking about my own experience.

Tom, There is a difference between a paddle float rescue and the re-enter and roll with paddle float support that I recommended. A problem with the former is that you need to be downwind not to get blown over while attempting the paddle float rescue. Also in rough water with big waves your center of gravity is quite high and can easily result in failure. Neither of these affect the re-enter and roll which has a similar profile to just rolling up save you still need to pump out.

While the sweep roll remains the quickest method of personal re-entry and has the further advantage of unnecessary pumping or bailing it is still difficult to learn and even afterwards subject to losing it without frequent practice. This came home to me recently when attempting to roll a new boat for me. I failed three times and needed to wet-exit. This leads me to the suggestion that a re-enter and roll with paddle float is a great, easy to learn, and usually successful back up strategy. You're in the water a little longer and you will need to pump afterwards but the learning curve is much less steep than the sweep roll. Let me conclude by adding that the T rescue, as both the rescuer and swimmer, should be in everyone's bag especially if you paddle with others and don't forget to learn the contact tow with or without a short tow line. Too many T rescues are attempted by the inexperienced in rough and breaking water when a simple contact tow moves the swimmer with boat to a safer position before attempting the rescue.

These are personal anecdotes about boats I’ve owned and liked. Your experience may vary. My first serious sea kayak was the Chatham 16, a marvelous rough water boat that excelled at surfing and an easy roller. Above 4k that I rarely venture the Chatham gets harder to paddle faster and some may find the strong stability makes the boat a bit stodgy. I thought the Chatham 17 would be faster but this was not to be so. Then I got a used Explorer and what a difference, more active primary, seemingly faster and excelled at pretty much everything: turning, rough water, following seas, surfing. Very a brief time on two separate occasions I bought a used Nordkapp LV and wound up selling them both with less than a seasons use. While the boat had everything going for it: fast, great turner, and surfer and perhaps the easiest fastest roller of all, it lacked sufficient stability that I could remain comfortable in it during a long day on bumpy water. Big swells were fine; I had it in up to 6’ beam swells with no problem-just the bumpy sometimes-confused water gave me the shpilkus. (Nervousness). I then got the Impex Force Cat 4 which is arguably the best expedition long boat since the Explorer: fast, great turner on edge, comfortable cockpit and perhaps the best so far in rough water. The Force feels like your paddling a Lincoln town car; all the bumps just get soaked up. Next I got the NDK Romany which behaves similar to the Explorer except it’s a little more playful and a great rocks boat. Not as fast as the Explorer though but the lower volume was welcomed. On a lark I just picked up a Boréal Ellesmere: at 44 lbs. light and a rounded and hard chinned hull it is fast, perhaps not as fast as the Force 4 but it feels faster. The boat is 17’ and turns like a 15’ boat when edged and the chines dig in. Primary is very tender but secondary is strong, making for a very active and playful ride. I haven’t surfed it yet but think it might require a lot more attention: this is a boat for a skilled paddler or one who wants a challenge. I have demoed many more boats as well and while demos are not as informative as owning a boat over time I can report that I was quite impressed with the Cetus MV and also the Atlantic. I’d love to hear about others experiences with the boats I’ve reminisced about or other boats as well. Weather will be poor for the next few days so this might be a reasonable diversion.

Interesting: I have a 6 yr old M88 and usually do remove the battery to dry the few drops that get inside when I rinse with fresh water after use. About a yr ago the latch mechanism broke and springs came out and I couldn't secure the battery to the unit anymore. Finally I did rig something up which did work but that had enough play such that the battery to unit contacts were arcing and the unit stopped working. Icom replaced the latch parts cleaned and greased the contacts and brought the entire unit up to spec. for $46. I'm pleased! I'll take your advice and not remove the battery again!

Just ordered the Olympus 8010 from a third party distributor on Amazon for $139. Yes some of the reviews report slower shutter speed and some image quality issues. After seeing the pics that Doug M. takes with his I think this is a great bargain. As a former woodworker who built custom furniture I used to remark that I didn't want a tool that was superior to my skill level. Yes Sweden and Japan makes sharper steel for their chisels and maybe water stones are better than oil stones but I did great work with my Dad's old Stanley butt chisels. A poor craftsman blames his tools. I used to shoot exclusively with Leica rangefinders and while the glass was always superior to any other manufacturer it was the ergonomics of the camera that really made the difference. No water spotting on the lens is worth the tradeoff on slightly lower resolution or shutter speed.

Thanks for the pics Tom. I would have loved to see this today! What a treasure!

Leon and I had a lovely paddle around the southern Maine Island of Gerrish and Cutts today. Weather was perfect and the seas were fairly mild. When we approached the northern edge of Fort Foster there in the water bobbing up and down was a blue drum perhaps 55 gallon and representing a major hazard to boating, particularly power boats. We called the CG and with my GPS gave them the lat/long coordinates. Instead of sending a boat out to remove it from the water they indicated their intention was to broadcast the information to all boaters in the area. Other than that excitement I managed to hit a rock or reef about 1/2 mile out. Sometimes the swell does or does not break over submerged hazards to alert you and when you're right on top of the location, the water sucks downward exposing you to the reef and by that time its all about how much gel coat did I contribute to old briny this time, not if! This has proved to be a never boring trip.

Ed, Your description is how the NSPN used to roll maybe three or four seasons ago before the introduction of CAM. Personally I don't see that leader defined trips and CAM should be mutually exclusive to NSPN.

In the spirit of full disclosure-four of us all friends and long time paddle buds paddled from Manchester Harbor out to Salem Harbor and back yesterday. A distance of 12-14 miles. Did we practice Leon's rules? No! Why not? Were we bad or shoddy paddlers to ignore them? I don't think so. But this contradiction clearly iluminates my earlier comments about the difference between what we say and what we do. And does friendship make enforcing rules and discipline harder?

Leon, If the shoe fits wear it! I'm not specifically referring to you in the statement-I believe over the years that I've known you, you have definitely evolved and take group responsibility much more seriously. Perhaps you truly are CAMable Leon.

If you don't like paddling with an undisciplined group, don't! Some personalities are not amenable to suggestion-beach briefing notwithstanding. There is a difference however in groups that are tight personally and those that are more like strangers to each other. I tolerate a great deal of variation on the water with friends that I would not do with strangers. Ultimately your first responsibility is to yourself-to keep yourself safe! I know some in the NSPN while they have been very generous in organizing and even leading group paddles and implicitly taking responsibility for group safety may not be as comfortable with that goal on informal paddles with friends. And by the way, Rob, suggesting that there may be a disconnect between what people post and how they may actually behave on the water is a contribution to the conversation. Very few have had the courage to post their screw ups on the water in this milieu for fear of shark attacts. Rick, Leon and moi are a few exceptions and while 5* Rick receives respect, both Leon and myself have attracted too many JAWS on this message board to be encouraged that honest reporting of mistakes makes the contribution that it should.

Wow! After reading much of this discussion I now realize why I'm attracted to solo paddling. Some of the writers in this thread are frequent paddling partners and all I can say is don't listen to what they write, watch how they paddle, myself included. Little bit of hipocracy going on here-otherwise we'd never see the hearding of cats problem among these folks! Why don't you guys lighten up and confess how many of you really paddle-felines that you are!

Aw no-you're making it worse-I never try and belittle anyone, especially folks I genuinely admire. But the proof is in the feelings of the targets-If they feel belittled or disrespected I apologize, and it was never my intention to invoke negative feelings in others-not even third party readers from Jersey! The observation that electronic posts are a very different medium than face to face communications is certainly palpable. Had we both been on the water and had a similar conversation about the proper use of VHF radios I doubt very much anyone's feelings would be hurt or that anyone would need to feel defensive. It's much worse than even email. I'm truly sorry but my defense is that I yam who I yam and also take with equinimity the barbs that are thrown my way when I recognize they are fired with the spirit of good cheer, fun and friendship and never, never emnity.

Actually, I witnessed a marvelous rescue in exactly the conditions you describe. Which may bring up the best safety recommendation of all-if you anticipate dicy conditions, only paddle with folks you can count on. I do, unless I'm solo and then I tend to avoid the dicy.

Leon, I think you and some of us are at a decided disadvantage here: Peter and Phil graduated from the "Thunderbird" school of paddling. You know the Thunderbirds, they travel at mach speeds barely a wing tip apart and roll in perfect unison. Just imagine the marine equivalent: Peter and Phil paddling side by side with barely a paddle's length separation in a 6' beam breaking sea with 20k gusts, all the time conversing quietly about proper "boat control". I'm impressed-when's the next show guys? Biff, unless your embarrassed by your lack of "boat control" and your demonstrable "shoddy paddling practice" by using a VHF radio inappropriately, keep on truckin!

Phil, It's an unwarranted assumption that people cannot control their boats. If we're both paddling side by side in a large beam sea we must needs be apart by many feet. The same conditions may prompt us to separate for and aft as well. At this point neither of us may hear each other. What part of what I posted led you to believe that boat control was an issue?

Some of us have been in seas and wind where staying close enough to be heard vocally is too dangerous. Greater separation and a radio is preferable in this situation. The problem I see often is that one or more paddlers has their's switched off, to save the battery presumably.

Boats don't roll themselves, regardless of what the manufacturer may say! Paddlers roll boats! Some will find a reputed easy roller to be difficult or conversely a difficult boat to roll a cinch for you. Having said this there are two boats that have a near universal reputation as being easy to roll: NDK Explorer and NDK Romany. In my own experience I would have to add the Nordkapp LV which comes very close to rolling itself. I have no experience with Tiderace but did find the Impex Force 4 required more torso and leg torque to roll than say the NDK boats. But again if you have a strong "hip snap" you may find this boat easy. Interestingly, the best boat to roll is probably the one you first learned in. Unconciously you would have adapted your body mechanics to optimize rolling your boat. Going from a non roller to a roller on any given boat, the slight adjustments to do so may never be fully appreciated. Good luck and your welcome to try my Romany.

Next Saturday the calender shows a trip to circumnavigate Gerrish/Cutts in Maine. Will the dreaded Greenheads be gone in the Rachel Carson conservation area or should we prepare for battle?

Less harmful to the environment: vegetable oil, doesn't last more than one season. Silicone paste: works great and lasts a long time.

As much as I love the variety of challenges contained in the Ipswich Bay, coming from the North there is no direct and efficient way to get there. I wish there was a ferry from Kittery or Portsmouth to Cape Ann. Have fun friends.

Rob, Most of what you've surmised is correct: neoprene is better than nylon and a neo tunnel is better than nylon if your goal is rolling and keeping the water out of the cockpit. There is another option which is excellent: wear a paddle jacket with an inside layer for the tunnel (sometimes called a dry top). I have a fairly inexpensive one by Kokatat. It has latex wrists and a neoprene neck for comfort and the inner layer. You seal the sprayskirt tunnel over the inner layer and then drop the outer layer over it. In fact you don't even need a neo tunnel on the skirt for this to work. A nylon tunnel with velcro closure works just fine. Dry suits are made with this option as well. Here is a similar product but with a latex neck: http://www.kokatat.com/products/dry-tops/helix-dry-top-men.html