wilsoj2

I've had three different pfd mounted hydrators and find the Kokatat the best. I've got it on a Kokatat pfd but it should easily work on most.

"playing around with a sculling brace on the off-side" -Ed Lawson This is the only thing that works for me when working on my second side roll. Once I've done a sculling brace a few times, I capsize and scull up, and after a few times I can capsize and simply roll up on my second side. It does not in any way screw-up my first side roll. However, I am someone who has to regularly go through the exercise noted in order to have my second side roll work when needed.

Good news spot -- nice screen appearance Rick

A couple of pertinent videos from Epic:

Derek Hutchinson asserts the overhang increases the waterline in lumpy seas making the boat more efficient. I once read that the 'clipper' bows of Greenland boats was so the boat would ride over rather than crash into ice. I find this true of many obstacles when paddling my sea kayaks. I find rockered boats more maneuverable than those with straighter keels. My Nordlow and Romany are joys to throw around. I am somewhat unsettled with the way an Explorer slaps down and shudders after cresting a wave. I would imagine an Epic 18 or QCC700/800 would do so to an even greater degree. My Nordlow and Aquanaut seem smoother moving through lumpy seas.

Congratulations. You'll have fun with her. I paddled John Carmody's Cetus for a day on Muscongus Bay in July 2007 and was pretty impressed. I see the companion boat is a Nordkapp LV... interesting contrast. Have fun!

$160 can be a lot of money for for a replacement half Cyprus, it seems reasonable. I found Werner wonderful to deal with. They replaced my Rio 4 piece with Sherpa as there was reported to be some problems with the Rios in certain temperatures.

We've been paddling Muscongus Bay for years. We launched at Round Pond this past summer. We've launched off Bradford Point where folk seem to leave their vehicles overnight. We've stayed on Flood's Cove for some part of the summer starting in 1990 so, we've most often launched there. I think John Flood would be approachable for using the Cove as a launch point for folk not renting. www.floodscove.com/

Simple works for me. I've got pads but found I rarely used them while in the boat at sea. Writing with a grease pencil on the deck works best for me.... I still have some notes on deck from an outing in my Nordkapp this summer on Muscongus Bay that I have to copy off to something less than 17.5 feet long

With great ice cream

Roll Aid Back-Up is a valuable last resort when your roll fails. If you have a hip snap the Roll-Aid provides enough flotation to get you up.

THANK YOU ED! We've been paddling on Muscongus Bay for some part of the summer for over ten years. Ed's list is just about exactly the procedures and sensibility we follow when on the Bay. Our encounters with Lobster Boats have nearly all been benign. Only once did it seem a boat intenionally charged us. We've had no close calls. It is not uncommon for Lobstermen to note we are being considerate and trying to stay out of their way. We've gotten a number of nods, waves, and smiles over the years. Once when encountering a lobsterman whose engine had died we offered use of our VHF radios and a tow The up side of all those lobster pots on Muscongus is that it cuts down on the pleasure power boaters. BTW, when heading into port at the end of the day many lobster boats are on auto pilot. So, it is particularly wise to give as wide berth as possible and be very alert.

Neil, This is the tow system used by more experienced paddlers ans coaches I know than any other. Each iteration of this tow belt is slightly different, but all have been good. Most I know make some minor adjustment to the stock setup. e.g. if it is currently as pictured I would move the float further away from the carabiner

Maybe I'm a wimp or just getting old. However I tend to stick to a dry suit until the water temp hits 60F. Which means while in Maine I'm usually paddling in a dry suit into July. Sometimes I'll go to a Farmer John at water temp of 55F - but usually only with good splash top. In ww, I tend towards separates for much of the warmer season.

In 2003 my final three boats on my list were Aquanaut, Ellesmere, and Explorer (Q-boat wasn't around at the time). All three are great boats. My sense is as others have said that the Q boat is more demanding/less forgiving than the other three. I find the Aquanaut the most confident in snotty seas. It is slightly faster than an Explorer and about equal with an Ellesmere. The Explorer is the most generally confidence inspiring. I don't think you can go wrong with any one these three.

Play! My personal playboats include a Romany, Elaho DS, and a Nordkapp LV. You've got an Explorer for solid, reliable, and reassuring. I suggest trying something fun and maybe a bit demanding such as a Pintail or Nordlow.

Both were on my short list when I settled on an Aquanaut in 2003. Both are good boats for an array of uses. As I recall, I found the Ellesmere quicker and more lively. I would guess it is slightly lower volume. I think a paddler would be fine in either. It probably comes down to preferred fit and personality.

Sorry to have missed that -- it wasn't in the earlier description. I should have reread before posting. My apologies. There had also been some question as to whether the North American versions would be identical. It now seems as if they will be. As of this morning the BCUNA site does not have new sylabi loaded for North America.

Actually there has been an amount of discussion on Wet Planet: http://wetplanet.org/forum/index.php?topic=595.0 http://wetplanet.org/forum/index.php?topic=584.0 et al The 4* is now a "Leadership Award." An aspect not written in the syllabus but apparently conveyed by the BCU spokesperson at SKG was the requirement of 'British conditions' which includes rocks. Not too much of an issue for those of us in the Northeast, but maybe difficult for some of the Southern BCU centers.

I like Platypus collapsible 'bottles'. I have a number of 2-3 litre ones. For a day paddle, I usually carry at least two litres in addition to what I have on my back. I tend to figure at least 2 litres of water per person per day. I store my additional water behind the seat and/or in main compartments. I don't like having things shifting around. I really don't want anything loose in the cockpit. I find Campmor a good source: http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...gId=40000000226

It has been frequently noted on paddling.net boards that there is no significant difference in drag under 4 knots among sea kayaks. Here is the current thread generated by the Sea Kayaker article: http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread...&tid=774376

Cool, however Kokatat sent me a new suit only two years ago under warranty as they determined the Gore-Tex was delaminating so my Expedition suit is in very good shape. It will be a little while before getting another. That being said, I leave my hood rolled and secured 90% of the time so it has never been a problem. I tend to wear a NRS Mystery Hood in winter, supplemented with a Henderson Ice Cap when rolling in <40F water. The drysuit hood has come in handy a few times. I've become most fond of the sleeve pocket as somewhere for quick access for Gu, inhaler, etc...

Friends who were on a 3* Star assessment with Bill Lonzano a couple of weeks ago noted that Bill mentioned that it would be the last 3* assessment he would be doing under the old system. During my 4* training at Downeast in September, at least one of the coaches referred to the new scheme as being in effect next year. The BCUNA site states: "The new Star Awards themselves will officially go live in North America on January 1, 2008." - http://www.bcuna.com/pages/Main-Pages/Updates.shtml All that being said, word from the UK that is filtering back over here indicates some difficulties which are not unrelated to some of the difficulties envisioned here. I wouldn't be wholly surprised if some of the concerns/difficulties result in the delay of introduction of the new scheme here. If the new scheme is introduced here as articulated on the BCU website and as conveyed at SKG, the ACA may see a rapid increase in courses be offered and engagement with its articulated system of open water training and assessment...

Congratulations to Deb! Consolation to Mary. This may have been the last assessments under the old system. Next year will be the new system with 2 day 4* assessment...

The Ice Cap is a god send! We've been using dive suppliers for a few years for an amount of our cold weather gear. The Deep Sea gloves and the Henderson Ice Cap both come from such shops.