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Hi Gene, I started surfing last year and didn't really get the hang of it. This year I have a new boat and it isn't nearly as forgiving and I also tend to broach more often. When I do I was having trouble working through the bracing and staying upright. I would often fall over the wave since the boat has less stability than my old one and I can't just lean into it with all my worth anymore. Technique is key in this boat. As such I was apprehensive about picking good waves since I was sure I'd dump and that gets tiring after a few times. So, a few Tuesdays ago I just spent time in the breaking zone sideways and practiced getting hammered for awhile. I just took the waves sideways while I was already prepared for it and rode in that way with bracing. The repeated exposure helped me concentrate on bracing properly and now I can go back to learning to surf. I have developed a bit of instinct by way of reflexes and that's infinitely helpful. Due to my lack of proficiency I don't tell people how to do anything but I do know it is helpful to take each boat out and get the feel for it since they are different. Getting the knack of handling what happens when a surf run goes badly helps me concentrate on practicing good runs. Confidence and comfort is a big part of succeeding. "Sacrificing" a surf day and taking my licks allowed me to move on faster. Now to nail the roll in breaking surf zones... Jeff

Thanks. I'm going to make it easy and keep the paddling options to those which hydroskin is enough.

I have some friends visiting next week and will likely be bringing their boats. I'd like to hook them up with dry suits and as it stands am short one suit. Male size L, most likely (Kokatat sizing). Potential for purchase as I'm trying to talk him into that, so if you have one you want to sell or at least rent out I'd be interested. Coastal NH proximity best since I don't want to drive all over the place. Also could do initial exchange at a meetup if that worked out. Jeff

I just saw a commercial for a new movie and John Travolta was using the ProStaffs backwards I have a pair and often people try to use them the wrong way too. Funny to see misuse of things in serious movies, even if cheesy "done a million times already" action flicks. I think they were ProStaffs anyway. Maybe there's a special agent trick when using them backwards? Perhaps they just look more tactical on film that way. But as stated, "Wax's methods aren't exactly regulation." 1:34 in the trailer. I had to suffer through a few different trailers to confirm what I thought I saw.

I got the messages. I can leave here by 10 but I'm not sure where that would put me. I can easily do GB since I'm right here. I'm not sure how long it would take me to get to Tuck's. I'm guessing over an hour. Since Sid is looking forward to Me Time and I wouldn't be there in time to get on the water before 11:30 (I'm assuming), maybe I'll meet up with Spider at the Discovery Center. My stuff is loaded and it is a 3 min. drive so that sounds feasible. I'll be there around 10. Jeff

I see there was a miscommunication timing wise. I'm still game since I'm ready. I'll be up for awhile working on some stuff so I'll keep my eye on this in case it comes back to life. Also can do something else if anyone wants to.

Gene, I see you are interested in that used Nordlow in the Classifieds. Sign up for tomorrow and you can test paddle one!

I think all we need are the 3 commitments for a go, the rest can be last minute if they want.

I'll need to leave here earlier than 9:30 so it would be nice to know if this will happen or not before I go to bed, say by midnight or 1am. With sufficient time padding I think I'll need to be on the road by 8:45, probably 8:30 just to make sure I'm not late. First impressions and what-not, plus if I'm pressed for time I'll be swearing even more on the drive down. Mornings + traffic = 2*evil. Scientific fact. I also would not even be up by 8:45 if I didn't have to be.

C'mon Sid! My boat is on the car, bow and stern lines and everything. I'm even willing to get up in the morning when I otherwise would not have to, and suffer the Boston commute all the way from NH. That's commitment.

For Deer Island Google gives me this: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...047979&z=15 Does that look sensible? Typical New England straightforwardness by having few route #s involved yet a half billion turns along the way. My concerns would be caveats around the area where Google breaks from Rt 1 to Rt 60. If I recall, this area can be a cluster F especially if rush hour. When contemplating a place in Marblehead I purposefully attempted the commute from there through to 93 during morning rush hour to see if it would make me want to kill myself if I had to do it every day (no rail in Marblehead.) Google also goes out of its way to skip Rt 16 so that makes me suspicious. The rest looks OK from a few hundred feet above... Option B is to take 93 to 90, then I only have a small bit of non-highway and the inevitable horrid mass road surfaces. A little longer but maybe smarter?

Usually it is more fun when everyone involved is up for the same thing. I do several other demanding activities so I'm conscious of dynamic. I'm fairly new to kayaking plus do other things so I'm not BCU5. I can do whatever people normally do but want to make sure I'm not hooking up with storm chasers. Distance to the launch isn't necessarily a concern just something I need to plan for because of the commute and a buffer for getting my head up my butt when finding a new launch site. More planning involved when going some place new. Distance and time aren't quite correlated as it depends on how far from the main highway the launch is, not actual mileage. I have pretty good knowledge of the North Shore because I lived in MA for awhile and prior to that I needed to explore the greater Boston area looking for a suitable place to land from NY. I should be able to find spots with little issue so let us not worry about that and we'll focus on suitability. Pick what is best for you guys and I'll go or not go based on my assessment. Probably go since I have no reason not to. I would just load the car tonight if I'm going. I have everything I need for cold weather so that's not a problem. Hands can get cold but that's winter.

I'm interested if you don't mind outsiders. I'd be coming from NH so I'd like to know what the proposed paddle would be, firstly. I'd like to do some new spots but also have to deal with the commute so I have to weigh some factors. I'm not up for 30 miles, rocks, or going cahoona but don't mind if others do - I'm just not interested in bashing my boat and play is not my sole objective. Moderate conditions are fun but within reason is the name of the game at this point. I don't think I've paddled with anyone in this group except Sid so I'm unaware of the dynamic. Jeff

I'd be happy for some direct contact avenues at this point. I need to replace a rusting screw but have no way to contact the source. I can pull it out and try to match it but it would be far easier if I just knew the specs. Plus I'm afraid to remove it without having the replacement in case it gets destroyed on the way out. It is beginning to make me mental since it should be the simplest need to fill. I don't want to talk to the importers. I want to talk to the factory. I don't suppose that information is encrypted in the Latin anywhere on the page is it?!!! I wonder if Pungo owners have these problems.

If my webmaster tried to do the site with .Net or any vendor specific (especially IE technology) he'd have plenty of time on his hands as well as a boot up is @ss. The web isn't Microsoft any more than computers are. The converse in both cases actually.

I knew it! Since my initial post I took the earliest eye appt. which is for tomorrow (Weds) at noon, and immediately I figured everyone would subsequently pick tomorrow as the best day for them. So, any time this week other than tomorrow... Friday might have something forming if people were waiting to not be the first to sign up. No place planned just mention that others might be free to paddle Friday. I'd do Tucks or wherever. For what it is worth I'm getting ready to pack my car and hit Great Bay for a few hours, launching from the Sandy Point Discovery Center if anyone wants to show. Solo at this point.

I've spent a few days in front of a computer learning and need to get some decent exercise. Anyone up for some paddles this week? It looks like a few decent days are ahead of us but I don't mind rain either. I'm looking for some moderate mileage since the goal is exercise. Lakes Region while we still can, or the sea is fine. I've also been trying to come up with trips to make a jaunt to Boothbay to buy a paddle on sale worth the drive but other than MITA islands there doesn't seem to be anyplace to camp this time of year. Nothing wrong with islands but due to logistics it would make sense to set aside several days to get the most of it. Jeff

That's a good question I'd like the answer to so I tried looking it up on the Internet as well as some books. I didn't find an answer. I don't see it explicitly listed on the charts but I suppose you could make an educated guess based on bottom topography since water will want to flow in the direction of least resistance. If the island is quite on its own I would think the tide would go around it fairly symmetrically and the only situations where it would favor a "side" would be when close to other islands or a mainland. Such as with Cape Ann or MDI and you are talking about the narrows/river sections exhibiting the phenomenon and you need to consider timing for that particular piece of the trip. Perhaps the side with the most open water or least restrictions would likely be the "from" direction? In those particular examples I think I've read mention in books describing paddles for the area, so it would be a local knowledge thing. It might also be in the Coast Pilot if there's a reason to mention it. In looking this up I noticed a new NOAA resource compared to the last time I went for charts online. Previously I had to find a 3rd party viewer, and the free viewers were few (esp on Linux and OS X) and not particularly feature rich making printing a chore. Now they are in PDF as Booklets http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/BookletChart/A...okletCharts.htm which should make printing to letter & legal as easy as selecting pages to print. This is the reason I replied as I don't have an answer to the actual question!

I'd rather see a Latin mockup with Rockpool boats than that stupid construction worker animated GIF any day. I'd also rather see them take the time to do it right than rush it out since I believe in doing things properly the first time, but if that were a universal philosophy I wouldn't be unemployed! But if I weren't unemployed I'd not be kayaking. Or posting my worthless opinions on a message board... Since getting into kayaking I've noticed related companies desperately need good QC and tech folk, and as luck has it I do both! Hint hint

I can't find it now, but I came across an "emergency" Valley hatch cover that was neoprene & bungee like a cockpit cover. 20-30 bucks if I recall, so probably a good thing to have in one's kit so as not have to turn around at the put-in and go home unfulfilled. My Prijon uses them but also has hard plastic covers that flip over top. I'm sure they are fine for non-extreme use without the extra protection, but the Prijon has a lip made for them and I'm not sure how well the lip designed for rubber covers holds something else. Gotta be better than Saran Wrap and a rubber band! I think they were actually made by Valley.

Mine appears to have been packaged for general use as the instructions were mostly warnings and the only kayak related speak was of lubber lines. It warned me to keep it away from my loudspeakers but fortunately I keep my subwoofers in the rear hatch, which anyone with sense would do because of weather cocking.

I personally think it is the people with motor craft and sailboats with huge keels that are crazy going out on the ocean. I'm surprised people don't hit things all the time. After spending time on ADK lakes having to worry about unseen hazards I'd think having the water level change all day long would make it just that more complicated. Not everyone has GPS enabled charting computers. Besides hitting something you can run out of gas, have motor problems, etc. I've experienced it all, on freshwater (I wasn't driving!) Even on a big lake you have a shore closer than Africa. I feel safer in a low-draft boat with minimal mechanics, myself. My childhood memories are chocked full of dad swearing and trying to start engines. Trying to find a tow. Tinkering with electricals. Having extra batteries. The trailer lighting was always malfunctioning too. Doesn't sound like fun to me! He's still at it though.

I just put in a compass Sunday. I used the included screws since I can always beef it up later if necessary, and I doubt all four would come out at once. I preferred to start with tiny holes which I can bore out for bolts later. I put a bit of goop in the holes before putting the screws in and also on the points of the screws on the inside, but I feel it should only be semi-permanent in case I need to make adjustments (the adjustment screw is on the bottom) and don't see a reason to over do it - it is just a compass, not a structural element and I don't want to scratch or crack the globe so I'm going to be careful anyway. I did not fill in the recess nor did I seal around the face plate. I have no concerns about water getting under it. I'd be more afraid of water freezing if I had it sealed but some ended getting under it despite my efforts. Now there is plenty of room for ice to grow out freely rather than need to force itself and pop something. It is stored above freezing temps anyway. I have not had the boat out yet to see if it leaks but if it does I'll just put more goop in from the bottom. The most important thing to me was getting the holes drilled right the first time. Everything else can be done over several times if necessary.

I don't understand why kayakers need a reputation any more than bicyclists or pedestrians do. A person doing a particular activity doesn't make an {insert activity here}er. If a person whizzing down a hill on a bike crashes and burns nobody tries to indict bikes. Skiers running into trees. Do people actually associate these situations with a negative of kayaks or is it just perceived? If I were to draw a circle in the sand for "kayakers", the dude in a small boat shooting ducks doesn't get in. He might not even get accepted into the Hunters' circle (they are probably worried about the same negative publicity from this article.) The non-swimmer with the PFD stowed in the hatch who capsizes and drowns doesn't make the team either. FAIL. I'm not sure I'd even consider myself a "kayaker" until I do something impressive like cross the ocean - on purpose. If the people in the news didn't have "kayaks" they'd be in a canoe or johnboat braving the ocean and we can guess what would happen then. Perhaps more people are alive because cheap kayaks were available and they didn't opt for something completely inappropriate? Even an Old Town Barge is probably safer than most other small boats not more properly fitting the kayak description. A friend of mine, when younger, took an inflatable raft out to islands in Salem Harbor to camp. That's a bit risky but that's what was available. Props: Clearly he's more adept at avoiding mussels than I am. Not every accident means someone did something wrong anyway. People used to row dinghies everywhere and capsize all the time but it wasn't a political event. I was just reading about the lighthouse keeper and his daughter from Whaleback capsizing whenever that was. Stuff happens, and not all of it requires the response of a 65 ft boat (holy overkill. Sounds like the jumped at the chance to take out the new toy.) I'd also be willing to bet far more powerboaters get into trouble than "kayakers", as well as swimmers in rips or getting cramps or whatever happens that makes people sink when we naturally float. What about lobstermen and fishermen? They need saving all the time due to being out when they shouldn't be or just having bad luck like anyone else. By the way, how does a reporter get away with "His wife was with him, though it was not clear whether she was in the kayak with him or in another vessel." Does this guy bother to interview or just listen to stories at the bar? Maybe he accidentally hit the keyboard shortcut for Send when writing his story and it went out prematurely. At least cop out with something like, "calls to determine whether the wife was in a different vessel or not were not immediately returned." In any event, I wouldn't put him in the reportER circle with an article like that.

Take him up on it. I went to demo something I made my mind up I wanted (Force), only to buy something I had ruled out completely based on scary web opinions. Once I paddled what became my new boat I found the others a bit boring. I also would like an Aquanaut eventually as that was my second choice of the day but alas no two-for-one sale. P&H does have some interesting boats too.