David Mooradd

Christopher, All, Mark me down for tonights paddle. It's been a few years since I've been active with the group, kids and the daily slog down 128 have crimped a lot of my activities. Good news is I still recognize a lot of names. Looking forward to catching up. See you at 7 pm. David

Hi All, I'm planning to go the Forest River session tonight, thunderstorms be damned. The boats on car, the gear is packed, and I've been given night off. I haven't been here before, hoping there will be a few other brave souls. It's been a while since I have been active with the group, I recognize many of the names appearing on the board but not all. Looking forward to meeting up again with familiar faces and meeting the new ones. David Dagger Meridian (and the color is Eggplant, not Purple)

OK, here's my recommendation... The Columbia River Bear Claw, the serrated blunt nose version. Of course I haven't had to use it in an emergency situation but I can tell you the finger hole gives you a very secure grip, an important consideration with cold wet hands, and the hooked blade shape with blunt nose makes the possibility of hacking unintended objects or people highly unlikely. The hooked shape also makes for cutting rope more effective. As with all stainless steel you do get some rust from exposure to salt water and the rivets that hold the plastic handle pieces on have rusted up pretty good. Another possible down side is the blade is too short and thick to effectively clean out a skeg box. But all in all this is a knife I feel very confident having on my PFD. If I loose it or it rusts up too much I will be replacing it with the same thing. The design I think is so perfect I am surprised it isn't the defacto kayaking knife. Charles River Canoe and Kayak used to carry the knife, I don't know if they still do. http://www.crkt.com/bearclaw.html

I'm going to tag along on this one. May have to cut out a little early but I will be there for 1 pm David

I'd like in on this one. Any details yet; Time, launch location? David

Brian, Thanks for the help. The cable is definitely not JUST epoxied into place, it has a doo-dad bonded to the end like a bicycle brake cable, and like the brake cable where the doo-dad slips into a hole in the brake handle the doo-dad in this case slips into a key hole in the skeg plate where as you suggest, it is epoxied in place - if only I could draw a picture. So it seems to me if I am to simply swap out the old cable for a new one I would need to find a cable with one of those doo-dads bonded to the end. Where would I find such a cable? The second option I suppose would be to drill a slip-fit hole in the edge of the skeg plate and bond the cable into place or drill and tap for a set screw to hold it. But again, where would I go about getting stainless steel cable, West Marine? I like your suggestion of stainless steel wire, like a heavy duty version of a lawn mower throttle cable. Any suggestions where I might stumble upon that?

Hi All, After dusting offing my kayak for my first paddle of the season on Sunday I found the skeg cable had kinked inside the skeg box making it nearly impossible actuate. I dismantled it and straighted the cable as best I could which for the most part corrected the problem. I also sprayed some silcon on the cable to help it slide in the sheathing but it still binds a little and it seems only a matter of time before it kinks again. The kayak is a Dagger Meridian, the skeg is aluminum, the cable is stranded stainless steel with some sort of plug at the end that is pressed flush into a key-hole in the aluminum skeg plate. My questions are: 1) are new cables readily available or is this something I will need to order from Dagger? Incidentally they don't make the Meridian anymore. 2) is it easy enough to detach the cable from the skeg plate and press fit in a new cable (if indeed it is press fit and not epoxied or something like that) 3) is there an alternative to the braided cable, something more rigid like a long flexible rod that won't kink? Thanks for the help or advice, David

I am sorry to see the class cancelled. I was definitely interested but I will be traveling almost all of June and couldn't commit a whole weekend on top of the travel. If you reschedule in the Fall could you consider offering the class in the evening during the week. I know it would be less convienent for some but it would definitely work better for me. David

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who came away for Saturdays class feeling a little beat up. I was feeling pretty stiff when we started out, ended up straining my back a bit. Karen, sorry to have enduced the boat towing swim. Even with the stiff neck I'd love to join you this weekend but alas, I have some household projects that need to get done before January. Have fun and don't forget to stretch. David

I'd also like to express my thanks to all those who helped make this weekend happen. And to those volunteers hanging out on the beach in the torential rain, that was a true act of generosity. Bill and Rick, thanks for the on water assistance and encouragement. And Bill, great pics.

Some work colleagues who were at Halibut Point all week just told me they could see whales spouting less than a mile off shore. Has anyone seen a whale locally from a kayak? Are there likely locations to see whales that are readily accessible from a kayak? Any suggestions for a possible whale watch tour? David

Mike, I just realized this trip was your "Intro to kayak camping" trip. I actually have some experience on multi-night kayak trips but nothing the past couple of years. I was hoping to get a two or three night trip in this year before it gets too late. If you're interested maybe we can talk and start putting togather a trip plan for September. If your not interested maybe you still have some good ideas.\ David

Hey Guys, sounds like a great trip. Any plans to repeat before the season is over? David Dagger Meridian - Eggplant (definitely not purple)

Mark me down for 1. My wife Toni is not going to be able to make it. Looking forward to playing in the surge. David Dagger Merridian - Eggplant (not purple)

I have had three safty flares stashed in my pfd pocket, in a ziplock bag, for three years. I have never used one before and have no idea if they are even good anymore. I would like to try one out so I know what to expect should the time come I actually need it. Does anyone have a suggestion how I might do this responsibly? I was thinking the 4th of July would be a good day, unlikely to draw much attention amongst all the fireworks. Or perhaps I could just set it off in my backyard after a heavy rain storm so as not to set my neighbors roofs on fire. Any thoughts or suggestions?