seakayakcoach

Hi folks Thanks for the interest in our Scandinavia expedition. The latest is that I'm going to head straight from the Sweetwater Symposium on Feb 25th and fly to England to meet Jeff in Falmouth. My boat (a new Force 5!) should be there with my gear already. We'll pack, maybe paddle a day or two in Cornwall, then head to Goteborg, Sweden then be on the water by March 1st following the coast all the way (with luck!) to the the top of Norway near the Russian border. That will be 2008. In 2009, we'll pick-up where we left off hauling the boats across artic Norway and Finland, putting in on the Bay of Bothnia, paddling down the Finnish coast, crossing just before the Baltic Sea over to Sweden, then back around to Goteborg. It's been exciting preparing for this adventure! and in a month, I'll be on the way for the biggest challenge I've tried. There's a good page about our adventure at http://www.seakayakingcornwall.com/norway2008.html We'll also have a satellite phone and hope to be able to blog along the way. Now for the shameless plug! Jeff will be here for the 3rd Downeast Seakayaking Symposium (guess what at least one of the slide shows will be!) so for 1st hand war-stories, come and join us in September. In all seriousness, thanks to NSPN for all the support you've given Mel and I over the years. All of that has been preparation and catalyst for this adventure. I literally couldn't have done this without the kindness and support from folks like you. Mark

Mel and I are giving a slide presentation about paddling on the coast of maine at Canoecopia in Madison next weekend and we find that we could use some more shots of the beaches and lighthouses along the southern coast (below Cape Elizabeth). Even better would be shots that include kayakers! If anyone has some good shots, we'll be glad to give you credit at the talk! If you can help, please contact me at seakayakcoach@hughes.net or call 207-669-2338. Thanks. Mark Schoon

David Two years would be wonderful--I'd be happy with a single season, but I literally can't trust this suit to last more than a week or two of steady wear. I'm getting gaskets designed for the Coast Guard this time and hope that they work better. I'll let you know. Mark >I wonder if Kokatat is losing it. Until now they've been the >BMW of the dry suit business. > >My gaskets went to mush after two years (as you may recall >from the CST day near Boothbay) but that was my fault -- >left the whole thing hanging out in the open for the summer >-- stupid! > >--David.

Jason I've heard from several professionals who have had similar problems with Kokatat in the past year, so this doesn't appear to be an isolated problem. My intent on posting this in several places is to get a better picture of two things--what other suits are people happy with and second, are other people having problems as well or is this an aberration? It's not a strategy for dealing with Kokatat. It's an effort to reach active paddlers and get more input. Mark >I haven't talked to Kokatat since before I ordered by Dry >suit and they helped me with the custom Sizing. I haven't >heard of any other issues with Kokatat not returning calls. >I don't know if they are ducking your calls but I don't >think that being an outfitter posting this to various >message boards will help any potential friction between >Carpe Diem and Kokatat. > > >-Jason

I'd love it if I had one that lasted 3 years instead of 3 uses. In fairness to Kokatat, my Drytop is 3 years old and is going strong. It's only been the suits that Mel and I have gotten in the last year that have had these recurring problems. Mark >I just replaced the neck >seal for the second time, which is about what I would >expect; they typically last 3 years.

Dee We purchased our suits directly from Kokatat and have had the gaskets replaced multiple times. Sometimes after as few as 3 uses. This is a Kokatat & their supplier issue. I've been thinking about Stohlquist...I'll see what other responses I get. Thanks for replying. Mark >If the gaskets failed right away, that is probably the fault >of the retailer.> >Some people have been very happy with Stohlquist. > >-Dee

My fiance and partner in Carpe Diem Kayaking and I both have had repeated and extensive problems with the Kokatat Drysuits last year, from the infamouse neck gaskets tearing after only a few uses to water seeping in through the fabric and seems. It seems reasonable that a suit that expensive should keep you reasonably dry after a day of paddling! Any way, the customer service is getting poorer, as we've made repeated calls over the past couple of weeks without having our phone calls returned. This is troubling as we're in the industry and guide and instruct professionally. So it's time to start looking seriously for alternatives. Which drysuits other than Kokatat are you using? and are there any you'd highly recommend? I'll watch for replies here or you can e-mail me directly at mark@carpediemkayaking.com Thanks. Mark