mbhazeltine

look up Merrimack Valley paddlers, http://www.mvpclub.org/

We have the Thule areobars on our 2011 Prius and our 2012 Prius V. The ones on the V stay on all summer. Minimal noise and milage penalty. Well work the investment. Look on craigslist for the bars and feet then get the fit kit.

Attended last year. It was wonderful. Very useful and applicable to kayakers

Planning to come tonight, 6-17. Hoping someone can confirm that there will be people there. Mike H

The green vest is very nice, the one thing I do not like about it is that the quick release buckle is on the side and my hand bumps / rubs against it. I have been very happy with the NRS Zen Rescue vest, http://www.nrs.com/product/2161/nrs-zen-rescue-pfd. It has slightly less storage space but I think it is more comfortable. I really second the idea of trying before you buy. I might be at some of the Walden sessions and can bring both vests for you to try.

I have a greenjacket and like it very much. I find the location of the quick release buckle on the side to be a little problematic because my hand bumps it sometimes. I bought an NRS Zen Rescue PFD and have been very impressed with it. It is very similar to the greenjacket but more comfortable for me. Holds a lot of gear - easy to adjust. I also like the feature that the are buckles on one side with make it easier to put on - the greenjacket is a pullover type vest while the Zen opens completely on one side. http://www.nrs.com/product/2161/nrs-zen-rescue-pfd.

I think you can also do J racks on either side and the wing in the middle. Be wary of the factory racks though. With multiple boats on top the wind loading can be very large.

Are people planning on finding a campsite or staying in local motels? Very excited about the course

I needed to buy racks last year for my Prius V (station wagon). I prefer Thule but they did not make a rack for the Prius V when it first came out so I went the Yakima approach. I found them to be very noisy at speed and only marginally better with a wind fairing. When Thule came out with a rack for the Prius V I bought the areo-blades. There are almost silent and have a minimal effect on fuel economy. I also like the fact that my J-racks don't rotate on the bar which they did with the Yakimas. But this is just an opinion - Yakima does build great stuff too. RackAttack is a great place to go - they often have used stuff for sale and they are very helpful. I also like craigslist.

P&H got back to me. The answer is; This model is an original Capella 169 – number 139 was made in September 1998. It’s colour specification Golden Yellow/White/Black. It came supplied with a spare paddle. It was sent to America in 1998. If you send me your address I can mail you the original specification sheet that shows how the deck-lines were set out. I can also supply the ropes and deck-lines at a cost if you require them. As for the Golden Yellow pigment, I can’t send that from here as it’s classed as hazardous, but the number for it is BS 08 – E – 51,

thanks - I have the fittings - I am wondering if there were any bungee cords on the boat. The serial number ends in 98 which does not match the 90 on the builders label.

I recently purchased a very old capella and was curious if anyone could tell me how old it is and how the decklines were set up - they need to be replaced. It paddles great and I love it but just wondering about its vintage.

I just order reflective 5 mm deckline from Kayak Fishing supplies. I will report how it works out.

I built a structure using 4 x 4 as uprights with 8' 2 x 4 arms (cross bar) notched into the 4 x 4. There are three levels to the structure and the boats are hung by straps from the arms. The two upright 4 x 4 are connected at the top and diagonally. In the winter I cover the whole rack with a 20' x 16' tarp and in the summer the trees in the area are my sun screen. It has survived two hurricanes and is still strong enough to climb on. Each arm can hold two boats on their side (4 boats per level), I figured that that would keep the skeg or the cockpit from getting full of ice. Pictures to follow

I have ordered minicell foam from http://www.kayakoutfitting.com/ - they have lots of cool stuff. I have also used http://sweetcomposites.com/

Had it covered but my guess is that it was not as dry as I had hoped.

Thanks to all. Took a flashlight to it last night and saw a small crack or two. filled them in today. My sense is that some water might have frozen in the skeg housing over the winter and made some small cracks. I have attempted to sign up for the Tempest user group and did goop the skeg cable.

I am finding that the rear compartment of my tempest has a slow leak. It is not awful but would like some advice as to how to best fix it. One place it is clearly leaking is from the skeg cable connection but I think there are other leaks. I have tried filling the skeg box with water which is how I found that the cable connection is leaking but my sense is that this point is above the water line when underway so there must be another place. Any advice would be useful. Thanks

Wilderness Systems - Piccolo. A small sea kayak made for small women and children. My daughter learned to roll in one at age 12.

I am looking at the green vest - I can get a great deal through work, but need to go through the factory. I am trying to figure out sizing. I am at the upper end of what the call M/L. I am 6' and 180 pound and tend to get Large coats and shirts. mike mbpaddler@gmail.com