tyson

Excellent! ...and put some serious thought into buying used boats. It makes the journey cheaper. I used my first kayak for about 4 years. I finally replaced it when I had borrowed and tried a number of boats and found one that I really didn't want to return to its owner. My journey continues as I contemplate which boat should be its companion and which boat will someday be its replacement.

I paddled a 14' kayak in conditions like those for 4 years. The only one of these issues that is much of a concern for short boats in current because that can be about speed. 15+ft should be fine. Get a GPS and go paddle it. If you can sustain 3kts and are happy with the kayak, you're fine. If you can sustain 4kts, you're golden. (my current kayak starts getting difficult near 4kts)

Different people will want different manners in their kayaks. Looking at the picture of it on the CD web site, suggests to me that it has very little rocker (lots of keel in the water at the ends of the boat) which will make it resist turning. It also looks like its rear deck is a bit high which will make layback rolls (the easiest type for many people) more difficult. The review that Ernie posted a link for seems to confirm this. If you want a kayak that goes straight and you don't plan to be in conditions that require a roll, it could be a great boat. I look for boats to be more playful and would not find it to be a good match.

Brian, Thanks for that post. I had responded on an other forum where I saw this link posted suggesting something like that, but I couldn't recall if/where I had seen mention of that sort of behavior before. It really would be interesting to know if that shark is no longer interested in kayaks.

I saw that link before finding this post. I thought he looked familiar. That's quite a story to have in your "archives" for the grand kids! Ty

It _should_ be perfectly reasonable to report when and where you will be setting them off and do it yourself. A discharged flare is no longer a disposal risk. It lets you become familiar with their operation. ...and gives you a chance to see if they work and how visible they are or are not. Training is vital, yet not allowed.

DPreview.com's review of a wide set of cameras (they have the Olympus 8000, but not the 8010) suggested that in good light the Optio W60 is nearly as good on image quality as the better cameras. The W80 was considerably worse. For typical outdoor photography, I've been quite happy with the W60 quality, but those reviews would make me shy away from the W80 (which has higher resolution) and the Olympus 8000. I don't know if the Olympus 8010 is any better. For me, the reason to get the W60 is the optical zoom range. I had a W20 which had less and it bothered me. The W60 is much better in this regard, though I still often want more.

This past Sunday. I posted a trip for Narragansett and no one bit. I changed to Seabrook Harbor and Frenchy joined us. Had a nice relaxing paddle with a bit of gentle surfing.

Not quite. The Ikelos is the foam core variant. The Corryvrecken is the fiberglass version, same size. And, yes, it is a large beast that puts a LOT of power to the water.

How about my 230 Coryvreken that has bee collecting dust since I picked up a stick?

I've had no confirmed takers. Based on latest condition forecasts, I'm going to shorten my drive and launch from Seabrook Harbor. Waves won't be quite as big (if the forecasts are to be believed) but the period will be approaching twice as long so the waves should be better formed?

Here's the scoop: I don't really have time for this, but I'm not very good at setting my priorities, so I'm going anyway. There is a 40% chance of some storms, but my take on the forecast is that if it happens, it would be a passing storm and we will be close to shore. magicseaweed.com forecasts: surf: 3.5-4 ft at 6 seconds High Tide is at 8:44, low is at 1:59 Yesterday it was forecasting 8 seconds or so which would have been better, but with the Narrows in play plus 3.5-4 ft of surf, there is sure to be some fun there. Beach briefing will be at 9:30, so have your boat ready for your butt at that time. If we need to we might be able to get away with a bit later, but I don't want to be too late for the Narrows tide rip. I can be reached as tyson at j3 dot org. If you are coming, drop me an email there to confirm and please include a phone number were I can call if there are any last minute changes. I will send back my cell phone number. Meet here. The parking is on the south side of the road on the west side of the bridge. Should that parking lot be full, we might go to the lot/ramp on the east side of the bridge and north side of the road. Look for the white Subaru wagon with a red over white Anas Acuta and an ivory over red Tahe Greenland. Cheers! Ty

3 out of 20 is just barely having fun!

I have an itch for some bump. I'm definitely busy tomorrow(Sat), but might have a chance to scratch on Sunday . If the weather holds up, Sunday looks like it could be fun down at Narragansett. I'd plan to get there reasonably early to catch the ebb in The Narrows. I can't promise that my schedule will work, but if interested post here. Cheers! Ty

What is a "beach sticker"? Where do you get them and what do they buy you? Thanks! Ty

Maybe we all need to equip our cars with surveillance cameras?

Am I really expected to sign up for a HotMail/Windows Live account to see this?!

Looks like you need to take your camera in for an alignment.

I find this comment odd. What does it mean that you can't edge and/or can't get the paddle into the water? If there is too much force on the paddle to drive it into the water, then there sure as heck is enough force there to provide support. If you "can't edge", then that means that the water is providing enough support with little or no paddle. I wonder if it isn't a case of this action just not feeling familiar to you? The best thing I ever did for my surf zone skills was to spend some time playing in the soup zone with my boat sideways to the waves. Slowly work your way out further into the waves as you feel comfortable with paddling and edging in that environment. When a big wave hits you, throw yourself into it with confidence. Dive into it! It WILL support you! Bring the paddle across the deck and into the water as able and needed. You don't need to lead with the paddle.

If the wave window-shaded you, then you could have leaned on it harder. Rolling over into the wave doesn't happen very often and you might be surprised how much you can commit to edging into the wave. I "always" use a low brace, except perhaps there are times that I instinctively change to a high brace. ...but pretty much always a low brace. When the wave it letting you go, if you feel that the brace is starting to sink, add a bit of sculling to brace. It will hold you up. If you really commit to edging into the wave and putting your paddle deep into the solid "green" water (not on the top or in the white) you should be able to take a wave that is well over your head and remain upright. ...and yeah... what Rick said.

...or you could go over to the dark side and try a stick.

I believe it is typical/correct for a steep angle paddle to be shorter than a shallow angle one.