brambor

I have to be in Marlboro Massachusetts tomorrow around 9pm. I decided to wet a paddle somewhere between Lewiston, ME and my destination. I leave work at 4PM. Any suggestions on where to go without wasting too much time to get to the water from the turnpike? I figured I could have about 2 hours of paddling before I'll pack it up and continue my drive to Marlboro.

I thought perhaps somewhere in Kittery looks close enough to i95 or perhaps around Portsmouth. I could be on the water around 6PM.

I welcome any suggestions or joining ...

Was it about kayaking?

our usual decision process:

What do you think?

I don't know what do you think?

I don't know, whatever you think is fine with me.

I think whatever you want to do then.

Really?

Sure, whatever you think we should do.

Okay. Well, let's do two singles then, alright?

(Pause)

I was really leaning toward a tandem.

Okay. Then... A tandem? Are you sure?

Well... Whatever you think.

...and so on.

She will appreciate all the decision making.

thanks Emilie, she's my height, but lighter, I'll send her out with some sandbags.

exactly. Sizewise, stylewise or weightwise ;-)

Don't depend on that. A boat that is good for you may or may not fit her size or paddling style.

Emilie

Thanks Suz,

I will try it with my other boat too and thanks for the tip about the legs.

The secret is that it is all in the legs. You can "slip" into the water as your instructor does or you can simply scull down.

If you imagine that at one point, your upper leg is holding the boat up, as soon as you pass your primary stability, you need to switch legs and while lying in the water, your lower leg is now holding you up. BUT it isn't just your thigh, it is your whole side of the body that is crunching to hold you up. Of course any help you can get from your blade is good too.

Lifejacket or not, it doesn't really matter. This is easier in some boats than others but once you have the technique, it carries over to other boats.

Suz

I had the peculiar pleasure to try some sculling last week. I had a great time, laughing at myself and overall enjoying the moments.

As a part of the demonstration the instructor showed me how he can lay down on the back deck and then slide their upper body into the water and manage to float, then also easily slide his back onto the kayak deck and recover to continue paddling. All of this without a life jacket!

We then tried the same with me. And I sank like a rock every time we tried it. I even had a lifejacket on, tried it in his boat, tried it in my boat, tried it with his paddle, tried it with my paddle ... it appeared that he was holding the boat with all his might to keep me from going under --- basically the failure could be only blamed on my lack of technique or perhaps on my body build. 6' 230 with thick legs.

I have the chance to try the practice again.

Is there anything I can do on my own to be better prepared for next time?

ed

that is exactly what i was looking for right now. I am already on a waiting list for those pool sessions in the fall...hopefully...so actual instruction and a chance to paddle with someone was the idea. I called him around 4.30 but his line was busy. Will try tomorrow again.

Just to clarify, I was providing the name of an individual who lives close to them and would be willing to go paddling and teach rolling on a non-commercial basis. There are many fine coaches in Maine and Mark and Mel are right up at the top in my opinion as are John Carmody and Tom Bergh and there are others who are not as well known among NSPN folk.

I was suggesting another route to learn this basic stroke and more along the lines of the midweek skills sessions available to those on the North Shore and Seacoast NH and a private message seemed appropriate under the circumstances.

Nothing against professional coaching at all.

If looking for professional training at any level, then going up to Mark and Mel's Downeast Symposium would be among the best in my opinion. Great place, great classes, great time.

Ed Lawson

I'm on their waiting list and Theresa is a great person to deal with.

You may want to contact Coastal Maine Kayak. Maybe there are others who might like to join in on a small rolling class as well.

http://coastalmainekayak.com/information.p...o_id=12#rolling

Neil

A few days ago I joined NSPN. I have received a lot of good advice and I get good vibes from the whole group here. Thank You.

I have checked out the calendar of events and I think that the opportunity to paddle midweek and get some instruction is great. The only issue is that if I were to drive from Maine I would most likely arrive at the end of the sessions. I understand why there are no events on weekends - because we all want to take 'real' paddling trips.

One of the desires I have is to learn how to roll. I have put my self on a waiting list with one of the local outfitters but I don't think anything will take place for a few months.

I think I'm between level 2 and 3. I can do a self rescue.

So here is a shout to anyone in the Maine waters (Brom Brunswick to Kennebunk) who wants to do a short paddle during the week and perhaps help me to learn how to roll in between things.

exactly how much convincing did it take you before Tom sold you the boat?

"I think everyone should have a Romany at some point in their paddling life. "

Like Deb, I resisted the NDK cult for a while...but, after spending over a week on Muscongus Bay in a Romany Tom Bergh loaned me and my convincing Tom that I really wanted to buy a Romany from him I got my own in 2005... I paddle it more than my 3 other sea kayaks combined.

And though I have no desire to own an Explorer, I do recommend Explorers to most paddlers who want expedition length boats and are not small people. Especially novices, as it is such a reassuring boat that both takes care of you and supports skills development.

If I get lucky this weekend I'll get to buy the Romany S

I can't help but get weird vibes about the Q boat from everywhere I mention it. Looks like it is not a very popular choice. I don't see many for sale used but I also don't see many offered new.

after a question has been answered corectly, thoroughly, there is no need to further address it....so to say that anything is "the answer" to an explorer....well, i think the manufacturers can only be less right at best.

and more people have paddled those "logs" into lumpy, bumpy exciting water than you'd care to count.

if you want your excitement to come from the water you paddle and not the boat your in, then the explorer is a really good choice. most folks come to appreciate em when it gets a little bumpy.

it ain't fast, it ain't slow, it'll turn just fine and go straight as you want and it's very predictable....and it's that predictability that you'll most appreciate once the water gets to the point where predicting that takes most of your concentration....it's about then you're glad the boat is "log like".

I am looking to buy a boat this weekend. I have just spent 2 hours with a very knowledgeable kayaker talking about yaks and I had a chance to paddle NDK Explorer HV and NDK Romany Surf HV. Both fit me great. Regular explorer was too tight. The good part is that I love both of these boats for purchase. The bad part is that the guy for some reason did not commit to the sale right away and I will have to chase him a little bit to complete the sale this weekend.

On the other hand I also have a chance to get my hands on a Valley Q-Boat for a decent price. I did not paddle the Q-boat but I did have a chance to sit in it and the fit was good too.

From some threads I read that the Q-Boat was Valley's answer to offer something similar to the Explorer. It appears to me that the Q-Boat has harder chines than the Explorer.

I should add that I am currently in Nordkapp H20 and my wife has a Seda Ikkuma 17. I thought that I would get a third boat for me or for my son (we are both of similar build. I thought the boat could be slightly different than our 2 boats to offer some variety. The Romany Surf seemed to fit the mold. The Explorer was great too. Both were noticeably slower than my Nordkapp. The Q-Boat is a mystery to me.

Cotton is a no-no to use for cleaning lens glass. It is best to use a microfiber cloth. You might have 'cleaned' the UV protective clothing right off.

The cover/window over the lens of my Optio camera was no longer shedding water like it did when it was new. I expect that I "cleaned" it too much and wore off the water repellent that the manufacturer had applied.

I tried using some Rain-X on it. It seems to work well for fresh water, but not so well for salt water. The pictures from Woods Hole that I hope to post shortly had a lot of blurs and distortions from water.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

I may try carrying a patch of cotton for wiping the lens cover since the quick dry stuff doesn't work but I would be happier if I could restore the original water shedding performance.

Thanks!

Ty

Red on top over white.

Brambor -- as Bill Gwynn and Brian Nystrom wrote: forget touching the seat until you are convinved that you are UNcomfortable there! (Most seats are quite good, in any case) Just go ahead and carve a piece of foam for the backrest...

Is your Nordkapp, by any chance, teal green on top, over white?

I'm liking the bag of rice behind my back. In case I get stranded somewhere it will feed me for a while. I might make it puffed rice

If you go the foam backrest route (a good idea, IMO), you only need to make it 6-8" wide. There's no need to fill the entire space behind the seat.

Ok. Let's say that the seat is bearable but I'm still wondering about the backrest...do you think that filling the gap with foam or some inflatable bag is a way to go ?

A foam seat can be very comfortable, but I also think they can inhibit your forward stroke. It's a bit easier (for me) to twist and turn on a smooth glass seat. If the glass seat isn't uncomfortable I wouldn't bother cutting it out.

I wonder if the surform tool can be bought somewhere local (in the Portland, ME vicinity) as opposed to getting it from Amazon with its $6 shipping and handling charge. ?

The most comfortable seat you will ever sit in is one you make out of closed cell foam. It can be done with limited skill and tools. We've also allowed for a gel seat to be placed in the middle of the foam but I've paddled days (when I forgot the gel seat) and was still happy with the seat.

Another thing you might consider is to move your bulkhead forward such that there is only a foam block between you and the bulkhead. The top of the bulkhead is now more or less even with the coaming to facilitate draining the cockpit. The day hatch is now much larger. This, however, takes a bit more skill but is also not extremely challenging. I believe Brian Nystrom has instructions for doing one or both of these tasks.

This is my second year kayaking. I started with a 'rocker' right away. My first kayak is a used Valley Nordkapp 18 footer. First season was unnerving but this year is much better. I am now focusing on whether I have the best configured seat.

My seat has back support adjustable with straps. One thing that drives me crazy is when I get into the kayak, it is easy to drag the back support with me and end up sitting on it. Reaching back under and pulling it out is a formidable task in the tight fit of the Nordkapp (I'm 6' 240lbs).

The other day I put my nalgene bottle behind the back support, in between the coaming and the backrest. Surprisingly it felt much better. It held me more upright. I started thinking whether I should consider upgrading my seat?

Or should I forget it and just stuff some inflatable bag in the space where I had the nalgene bottle?

it happens often :-)

Couldn't be one of us NSPN'ers. Were too smart for that! Hope I didn't speak to soon.

The concept of 'low tide / high tide' is suddenly becoming much clearer to some folks

I just got back from paddlin around little harbor area near Odiorne, and when I came back saw this.

Hopefully no one from NSPN. Interior was flooded, and fire department said engine was probly as well..