brambor

one of the demos is a nice black and the back deck is nice and low. They also have a few interesting boreal paddles and nicely designed women's dry top in medium.

Nice store.

FYI

For information on the Freeport ME store:

http://www.paddlinginstructor.com/press-re...realdesign.html

Doug

hmm...what could possibly influence the man's mind to voluntarily head out into the ocean without a life jacket at 11:30PM?

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/778/331427/

BOSTON — A Station Point Allerton, Mass. 41-foot utility boat rescued a man who fell off a kayak near Natasket Beach in Hull, Mass., Sunday, 6:15 a.m.

A concerned friend called the station at 3:30 a.m. reporting his buddy took a kayak out at 11:30 p.m. Saturday but did not return.

....

....

....

Winds were 20-knots, seas 2-to-4 feet, and the water was 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

The man was not wearing a life jacket and was very cold and shivering when he was rescued. He was treated for hypothermia by the boat crew while he was transported to shore.

It is definitely on my short list. I'm mulling things over right now.

It is the same size as the glass one. They are both 14'. ...short of constructing a boat specifically for his dimensions, it would be an excellent choice.

thanks for the tip. I will check it out further. It was great meeting you and the chat was great. It is not often I meet someone in the East who knows about the Winds like you did. i will dig out some pictures and send you the links later.

There is a new Impex Mystic listed on Canoe Kings web site for $1799. They are in Ossippee N.H. on Rt. 16.

Who knows they might take an offer.

http://www.canoeking.com/boats/specials.html

It was a pleasure to paddle with you and your boy on Saturday and compare notes on the Wind Rivers

Thanks. Good options to investigate here. I was leaning towards 15' yaks and not much longer than that. Valley's LV version of the Avocet seems interesting too. It is under 16 feet and appears to be really built for smaller people.

I've had the same issue. My son is now older and a bit bigger than 70lbs. I ended up building him a Pygmy Osprey 13'. He still uses it, and moves it very well. It has front and rear bulkheads, with deck lines. He's moving more towards white water now, and so has started bugging me about getting him a boat for that!

The other kid specific (or very small paddler) boats I considered, as well as would consider are;

Rotomolded. Good for kids who like to use kayaks as pool toys or sleds in the winter!

Epi-Sea kayak

Tsunami SP

Composite - expensive, but will have good resale value when he grows out of it or decides he wants to be a rock gutarist/professional basketball player!

Impex Mystic - great boat

Island kayak Newt (Discontinued but maybe able to find one used)

P&H Vela (probabaly too big right now)

Build as above with stich and glue technique or a skin on frame.

Stay away from LV adult boats right now as they will swamp him, and the 16-17' length will be way too much to handle/turn even in the lightest wind.

The other thing to make sure of is the paddle length and size. Use a kid sepcific paddle, and your child will have a far easier time and more fun.

Having a child or children to paddle with is awesome and a huge amount of fun.

I built a boat once before when I got laid off from work. I got a job and 3 additional volunteer positions ... (beekeeper.photographer and hockey manager)I have no time. Perhaps a few greenland paddles this winter but that is pushing it.

Entirely self-serving response, but...

I would encourage you to build a SOF. Tom Yost has some great, free, and relatively easy to build designs on his website. See my topic "Ever wanted to build a kayak for your child?" in this forum for links. Depending on how old your son is, it could be a project to do together.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

my kid is currently paddling RM Wilderness Systems Piccolo 14 footer with no bulkheads and external rudder.

He paddles with me most of the time. He is almost 5 feet. Weighs 70lbs. Some frequent posters here saw him last weekend (sal doug neil...)l

I'm just thinking that I could be on a lookout for an LV boat deal that might come up before next spring (his birthday) or around christmas... He is obviously on the other end of the weight spectrum. Romany LV comes to mind or perhaps a used skin on frame boat. Any other suggestions are welcome...

Brambor from cell phone...

We're a maybe. I might come with my 11 year old son.

A group from NE seacoast paddlers will be taking a leisurely 11 mile paddle (round trip) from Adam's point, on Great Bay, and then follow the Lamprey river into Newmarket NH. Anyone interested in joining in can follow this link for details.

http://www.meetup.com/NESeacoastPaddlers/calendar/11211376/

This past Wednesday we went for a morning paddle. Previous night's forecast was moderate but when we arrived at the shores in Falmouth Landing I could see this normally very protected harbor churning. I could only imagine what it would be if we ventured behind clapboard island. We then thought about checking out Cousins Island. The put in was very windy and waves were washing into the cockpit. Some of us were uncomfortable to paddle in this. We decided to just play in the waves right near the shore to get a good feel. After about 10 minutes of play we felt that just hugging the shore might be fine. We ended up circumnavigating Cousins Island and had a great trip but the forecast did not match the conditions.

I understand that had I checked the marine forecast immediately that morning that it could have been different but at that particular day I could not do this easily. We were dropping our kids at school with out kayaks loaded and we were running late.

Now, my post is not a complaint but just a mild interest in seeing what the success ratio of the forecast is and also to see what we were paddling in according to the official opinion. For someone as green as I am I might exagerate the paddling conditions according to how I felt about it while the official report might be more benign.

Hopefully all of us check a marine forecast before we go to paddle. Sometimes when we get to the water, the conditions don't necessarily match what the forecast predicted. I usually print out my forecast beforehand with tide information.

Is there a way to check what the ACTUAL conditions were the previous day versus what the forecast predicted? I would love to compare the waveheights and the wind speed especially.

Cool Picture. Do you know more about where it was taken, who took it and what was the occassion?

http://rlv.zcache.com/img/imt-prd/isz-l/pd...51298178973.jpg

Recently I went on a very successful, fun paddle in a 9 paddler pod that casually fractured into two groups as the helmeted rock-seekers chased challenges. Further confusion played out as some of us chose clockwise vs counterclockwise circumnav of a small island in rough conditions. After a while it seemed pointless to try to count to NINE anymore, especially as I got tossed by a breaker against a rock completely out of eyesight of anyone else!

Later one of us just shot off for a long distance solo addendum, too.

Eventually we collected again, having suffered only two or three capsizes, and finally carefully divided into two groups to formally extend the paddle.

Nevertheless I'm nagged by the "couldas" and "shoudas" re group management and activity decision-making. Had we had another "WTF, you lost Gene!" episode...well you know. Can we address this a bit at the upcoming meeting?

I for one would like to see all groups larger than 8 or so be at least casually redefined as two sub-groups initially, independent of mutual activity, so that we're not always wondering where paddler X went. It's then easier to sort out and keep track of folks, and of course can be modified later on the water as changes occur.

So far I have seen a lot of references to Kokatat

Now I have a question which brand out there seems to be most favored by the ladies? I want to make sure I show my wife the best stuff

REI Framingham has one Stohlquist Men's Medium latex-necked (forget whether that's gPod or bPod), bottied, relief-zipped, skirt-tunnelled Drysuit on clearance for $440!

I have the neoprene-necked version of this suit and find it remarkably good for the price.

The Cordura-soled booties are a welcome adjunct when walking a bit too.

I suppose I shouldn't expect it to last as long as a $1k Kokatat, but at 1/2 price it's an attractive buy...esp as I don't like latex neck seals.

This thread is really giving me a lot of great information and I want to thank all of those who answered (and please continue this conversation). Yesterday I found about a rolling session in local YMCA. I will be enrollingintorolling and hope it will bring good things to me.

b

The only contact I'm aware of was from the following post on the meet up board

You didn't introduce yourselves, we have no clue who you might be. You requested a different day than our usual session and said you could bring one paddle expecting that we would supply qajaqs and all other necessary gear. One member sent you an email suggesting that you might want to reword your post and that apparently was the last we heard from you until now with this post attacking our group. Just who is the unfriendly one here?

Ralph

Michael,

Around the end of November I'll have enough money to look for a new or used XXL drysuit and new size small drysuit and new size xs drysuit (if they make anything like that)

B

Are you planning on buying a drysuit this year or is this a someday purchase? You could look at the Kokatat Tempest dry pants, or if you wear a XXL you can buy my non breathable no relief zip bibs from me for a really good price!

Good point Phil. I will definitely test it by exiting the kayak. Perhaps this weekend.

I did use this combo in surf before while striper fishing. I found a good fishing spot in the surf which only produced at specific tide setting. It meant I had to be in the water above my waist and still be ready for incoming surf. I usually fished the spot for one hour with minimal water intake into my waders. ... swimming, however could produce different results.

B-

I'd test your wader/drytop combo by wading into some surf (with folks near by to pull you out should you have problems) before you commit to using it as safety clothing. It may work fine, or you may find that the bottom of the drytop doesn't seal well and you end up filling the waders with water. The latter result could be catastrophic in a swim.

Phil

Sometimes within a few months I should be able to purchase a drysuit. In the meantime, however, I'm thinking about some interim solutions.

I have a nice pair of comfortable, breathable waders with neoprene stocking foot and a nice paddling dry top with rubber closures for arms and neck. I'm thinking about putting the waders on and secure them with a wader belt and then over them put my paddling dry top which has two bungee closures on the waist.

I could also carry a spare set of dry clothes in a hatch compartment.

I also have a good pair of rubber boots. I'm not really sure I understand the benefit of rubber boots in case of wet exit. Won't they fill with water and restrict movement?

Pimple?

Nipple

Today I tested the pump in front of the seat ... and it doesn't do squat. It's too small to affect anything.

yeah and since I don't get the numbness anymore (rarely), I don't know how to prove that it is working

As regards numbness/sciatica the pump under the legs would be the worst thing for someone like me (and I presume others). Aside from our Force 4, the angle of the stock seat was sharp enough that it dug into my thighs and excited/accelerated the symptoms. Home-made seats of closed cell foam did the trick. Most of the time my legs are up against the thigh braces, relaxed or otherwise, but when I stretch my legs out they have the full height of the cockpit.

Thanks for the link Brian. I will check it out. I will test the bilge pump in front of the seat when I get back on the water. I'll try to figure out a good attachment which is secure and also easy to remove for usage. The idea was that it could do a double duty but maybe it's just an idea that will pass. . .

It depends on your intent. If the idea is to use the bilge pump as support for your legs, I'm not sure how well that will work. If it's just for convenient storage, it should work, but you have to make sure that the pump is well secured, as having it rattling around in the cockpit or losing it during a capsize/wet exit would be a safety hazard. There are several ways to store a bilge pump, with the most common being:

- Behind the seat

- Between one of the cheek plates and the hull

- Under the foredeck

You can see some of these in my Webshots albums at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg

So I'm stuck in Omaha Nebraska until Friday, having slight withdrawals and I was thinking about a suggestion given to me by NESC last year about a foam tube.

I was mentioning my legs going numb... one of the suggestions was to put a foam tube under my thighs, right in front of my seat.

I have since greatly improved leg numbness by doing nothing else but paddle my kayak. Basically I got used to being in the kayak. But ocassionaly I do get the leg numbness.

This coincides with my thinking about the placement of my bilge pump. The harmony bilge pump width is ideal to fit behind my seat in the cockpit. The bilge pump is covered with foam sleeve on the outside. I thought perhaps placing the bilge pump in front of the seat might be a good idea. I'm just brainstorming here...I can't really test it but I was wondering what your opinion was about it?

Coastal Maine Kayak has a used Anas Acuta for sale. I would guess that you could demo the boat.

I think they also have a new pintail - or is it the other way around ? ;-)

http://www.coastalmainekayak.com/

Emilie and I are searching for the right salve to sooth the itch for a better boat. We're happy with our tandem, but our solo's leave much to desire.

Does anyone have an Anas Acuta or Pintail that we might be able to try out on a good L3 NSPN trip? ...or know where we would be able to wring one out as a demo? ...flat protected water demo doesn't count.

We are searching this year with the intent of purchasing next year.

Thanks!

Ty

Brian,

I wonder, in regular T rescue, what is the preferred positioning in respect to incoming waves. Is the rescuer holding the other kayak and facing the incoming wave? (my guess) or should he have his back to the wave with the rescuee facing the wave?

IMO, not only would this rescue NOT work in rough conditions, it would be dangerous. The reasons are:

- At NO point does the rescuer have a firm grip on the victim's boat. Laying across the hull without something to grab onto may be stable, but it's NOT secure and in rough water, it's quite likely that the rescuer would lose his grip and capsize.

- Having the victim crawl up on the rescuer's deck just makes the above problem worse, as it makes the rescuer's boat less stable and subject to the effects of the victim if he should lose his balance.

- Dragging a boat that far across one's deck and keeping it there for any length of time is an invitation to injury. One good wave and the rescuer could end up with a face full of kayak and/or get slammed onto his aft deck by the boat. Having the victim on the rescuer's foredeck prevents him from leaning his boat toward the victim's boat and using gunwale to lever the victim's boat out of the water. He has to lift it up and across, which is strenuous and could result in injury.

- The rescuer must maneuver between the victim and his boat. That leaves the victim at least momentarily without any support or conact and also makes him prone to drifting away from both boats. There is also the possibility of the rescuer hitting the victim with his boat, which would be pretty likely in waves.

- On every kayak I've seen, the foredeck is higher than the aft deck. That means that the victim will probably have to pull himself higher out of the water to get onto the foredeck of the rescuer's boat than he would to get onto the aft deck of his own boat. What's the point?

In contrast, a standard T rescue is fast, has minimal time with the victim's boat on the rescuer's deck, creates a very stable platform with a firm grip on the victim's boat, requires less maneuvering and never leaves the victim without support or contact with a boat. Even on a boat with no decklines, a T rescue would be more secure. It's also a technique that's been "battle proven".

Considering that this rescue doesn't offer any obvious advantages over a traditional T rescue (speed, ease of execution, stability), I don't see any payback for the increased risk involved. Essentially, this seems to be a solution in search of a problem, just another flatwater trick that would be worse than useless in conditions.

Thanks Brian,

I think my braces are relatively ok except for the deep brace where the boat is on the side. I'm hoping to get into the rest of this in pool sessions or on an occassional paddle with friends.

btw: It is Pawlatta. I did a quick lookup and found that:

The Pawlata Eskimo roll is the classic paddle roll, a slow motion sweep roll using an extended paddle. It is named after it's Austrian inventor Hans Pawlata, probably the first non-Eskimo paddler to roll a kayak. He taught himself to roll based on historical descriptions of artic explorers back in 1927.

Sculling and bracing techniques are prerequisites for learning to roll ("gateway skills"), so learn them first. I suggest learning low bracing, high bracing, deep high bracing (capsize until you're submerged on your side, then brace back up), sculling and deep sculling (sculling while laying on the surface of the water) before you attempt to roll. Essentially, what you're trying to do is gradually learn to recover from deeper and deeper capsizes, which ultimately is the second half of a roll. The first half, capsize and setup is pretty easy.

Sculling techniques can vary dramatically, as standard Euro technique is designed to keep you out of the water using short, fast, choppy strokes, whereas Greenland sculling is always done while laying on the water, either on your back or chest, using longer, slower, smooth strokes.

A standard Greenland roll is really little different than a Palawta (sp?) roll or extended paddle roll with a Euro paddle. This is arguably the easiest roll to learn, as it's not strenuous and doesn't require precise timing or dramatic hip action.

After my first try I now find sculling slightly intimidating to do it again. I think I might wait for a pool session.

Is there a preferred order of competency techniques to learn?

For example:

1. sculling

2. greenland roll

3. euro roll ... and so on ?

Additional tips I found useful:

(boat has to be tilted away from you as much as possible - knee and back work together)

- to make sure that it is your bottom knee that is pushing up on the hull and not your foot on the footpeg, take both feet off the footpegs. Later when you put them back on, make sure you keep the "knee only" action (tip from Henry Davies);

- arch your back as much as you can (and more), shoulders flat on the water - think of extending as far away from the boat as you can - the twisting required to have the shoulders flat also helps the knee action;

- keeping your head in the water:

-- think of "keeping your eyebrows in the water" (an Helen Wilson tip). Nose can be out!

-- keep your neck fully relaxed, head loose in the water - if your neck tenses, your head will come up too early

- paddle: relax arm and hand and let it float up to surface so blades settle parallel to water (from John McConnell). Then even a gentle wrist movement will add support (especially with a Greenland paddle - tip Roy Martin)

Good practice!