ThomasL

HA HA to the 10th PWR

Lisa, Beautiful potential. You will be paddling among the Gods! LOL Seriously I wish I possessed the patience and focus for such an effort. Your reward will be what most of us dare not hope for. Tom

Ken, I have to admit that You represent what is "possibly" missing in this group. In the Northwest and over there in the other hemisphere they do know how to have a good time in the water, and at the pub. I've done quite a bit of camping over the years, and do not see the need to rough it on a rocky outcropping off the coast. If I run into You near Plum Island I will keep up as best I can. Be warned that I do usually pack an Ancient Nikonos II camera! Tom

Ken, I posted the flyer You mentioned after a sedate, low sea,warm paddle along Cranes on Sunday. I like You am not a fan of the L1,2,3....add infinitum, but I'm also old and, at least where self preservation is concerned wise. The dry suit was too warm and confining on Sunday, but necessary. At 18 I swamped and swam in midwestern rivers in March and shivered to the point of hypothermia following. The same exercise a mile out in even this calm March Atlantic would mean death. Sea kayaking is different things for different people, but young+strong or old + less strong, we/you must be safe! ( By the way, my roof leaks...just a little.) LOL Really wish I was again young and foolish enough to paddle with You. Tom

Ken, I'm definitely in the "Old Fart" group, but some of the Old Farts in this network might provide even a former Olympian some useful input. Make the best of what is available, or You could move to the UK where those guys might meet with your needs. LOL Tom

Katherine, I don't know if You are using a Windows based PC or an Apple machine, but any image must be reduced considerably to be accepted as a profile picture here. On my Apple if you open the picture on your desktop and go to "tools" it is easy to reduce the image size by clicking on adjust size in the drop down menu. The dimensions and the resolution numbers have to be reduced to a point where the NSPN page will accept it. It has been a long time since I have played on a Windows machine, but opening the image on your desktop and clicking about until You locate a similar menu to reduce the file size of the picture should be just as easy. Tom

Folks, As a person that started paddling when common sense was the preliminary requirement for safely participating any sport and who is a loner by nature, I will never become actively involved in club paddling activities. Just the same it is very good to know that You with so much knowledge and guidance to offer are attempting to get more of the less focused involved in the club. It saddens me to report that several paddlers I've spoken to interpret the NSPN acronym as shorthand for "no sense paddling now"! With the thousands of new participants in kayaking arriving each year there is a crying need for You to find a way to give some a safe start. Good luck in your efforts. Tom

I am certainly a novice in spite of my 45 years on the water, mostly "learning by doing", but after my Sunday paddle along Cranes from Ipswich to Essex and return,.. I KNOW that the Surge I bought from Doug in Plymouth is MY boat! Worth every penny! Slips through the water effortlessly. Never missed the skeg. Bucking the afternoon tide returning was simply a matter of paddling and occasionally closing my eyes until the beach was in view. That man up in Maine REALLY knows his craft!! Tom

Congratulations Kate! Put my "virgin" Surge in at Ipswich this past weekend and it was a very good experience. No need for skeg, responded well to all inputs. Hope your new boat does as well. Tom

Did post a flyer with tear offs at Ipswich this past Sunday. Hope a few respond before the rain or sun make the effort futile It was a great day for paddling!

In 2007 I met with some of the locals in Alaska and took pictures of their models of traditional kayaks. What interests me most in the Globe photos is the broad beam of the working kayaks of 100+ years ago. Those folks had to "bring home the bacon". The beam of the boat in the Harvard photograph looks about like my 40year old glass Folbot. LOL Guess hauling back multiple seals required something more than "contemporary " designs. We are obviously "recreational" participants. Tom

Noel at New England Small Craft in Rowley sold me a new Palm dry suit this past fall, also at a good price. It is not bright yellow and not gortex, but used it in February and it performed well. It is definitely water tight and works warmly with a layer of polyester fleece and a polar fleece vest. I am mainly a day paddler, so the rigors of a multi day expedition/camping trip is something that the suit is not likely to encounter. I did notice that after 4+ hours the neck gasket did cause some irritation to my "adams apple". I suspect that is a condition found in any secure watertight sealing mechanism. Tom

I'm printing 20+ copies of both to post around town. Hope that NSPN is now going to "loosen up" a bit and let the majority of the public enjoy a less regimented type of paddling experience. Tom

Kate, My wife hails from NovaScotia and over the years we have spent a lot of good times there with her Arcadian cousins, all commercial fishermen. The scenes in your photo story book and video are so very familiar. This coming summer we (Helen and I) plan to do some day touring in the Cape Breton area. Thought about taking our boats, but have decided to find an outfitter. Any suggestions? Again, I really enjoy your presentation, Tom

How about the tiny ICOM88? (I'm looking.) Looks cute...does it stand up?

Brian, Thank You for your instructional link. It looks more informative than many of the library I have accumulated in my computer bookmarks. Like the photos! Tom

Unfortunately I am well aware of how thick the deck and hull gelcoat is on my Quest...several thumbnail sizes "chips" with the glass mat exposed, but nothing structual. Does anyone know something about using liquid styrene to prep the existing gelcoat immediately prior to applying the repair product? One of my son's is a plastics engineer and he is looking into it. Styrene is apparently an important component of the resin, and applying it to the old cured resin makes for a much better bond with the new. Also, obtaining the liquid in less than a 55 gal drum is not easy. Tom

Since I basically "shot my wad" to obtain the new Surge, and have all the tools in house, the Do It Yourself option is currently a very attractive. Tom

I"ve ordered hull and deck gelcoat from P&H through a broker to make the repairs to my Quest. The boats hull # was necessary to supply material matching the batch used on the boat at the time of manufacture. Even with the original formulation I realize that due to sun fade color matching could prove difficult. I will probably make the repairs myself, but would at least like to get an estimate from a reliable professional. Has anyone had experience with a shop specializing in marine gelcoat repair? Tom

Ed, and to all of You that have suggested/educated me in my quest(no pun intended), Today my son and I drove down to Billington in Plymouth. I've been in phone contact with Doug for a few weeks now. After a harrowing 45 minutes of GPS conflicts in Plymouth (thank God my p/up has 4x4 and ground clearance!), I called Doug and he beamed me in via cell. Arriving at his abode/business address he called and said he would be a few minutes delayed. Walking about the property it looked like Charles River with a lot more character. Any way, Doug showed up as promised and we talked. Great fellow, and he INSISTED that I paddle any boat we might be interested in. Still a thin bit of ice on the pond, but the 1st two segments of his dock were in. Anyway, I discovered that what you all say is very accurate. PADDLE THE BOAT 1ST!!! The Surge is a dream from my perspective, and both my son John and I agree that the high tech Light wing, though pretty and extremely light, is a different boat, for a different paddler. We both tried both. Doug has a lock on this seasons new Surge boats down here, and there was no negotiating even on a cash basis. Still, the boat has my heart, so made a deposit(Doug said "no need", but I want the yellow one!). Can't wait to pick it up and try it out on something less than glass flat. Tom PS: At 6'1 and something over 200, my son thought the Surge was ok for a day trip....He can paddle the Quest!

Bill, Thank You for your support. After some observations of hull configurations, and review of paddler reviews I now can see with some clarity the strengths and weaknesses of competing hull designs. My Quest will continue to be my respected bullet proof choice. However, (with luck), I have about 5 to 8 yrs of in the cockpit sea kayaking left in me. So I am looking at a Surge next Thursday which seems to be a bit more forgiving and more importantly LIGHTER. If I cannot strike a reasonable deal then I may go for the cop out Warren Light Craft 15'5". It looks short and a bit fat, but that big "hole in the deck" might extend my kayak years a few.The money sucks, but I'm into self indulgence.LOL Tom

Thanks Guys. Tom

I will be looking at a Surge kayak(The light weight low production boat suggested by some). My question is, assuming I am comfortable in the boat, is my weight of 184 pounds too heavy for the craft? Seems like most of the positive reviews I've seen are offered by very light people in the 135 pound range, often petite gals. Tom

Was a nice day yesterday so thought it might be a good time to try out the dry suit Joel sold me last fall. And then there was the storm hood and NRS paddling gloves the kids gave me for Xmas. Anyway, hit the water at 1100 hrs and all was nice and cozy in the boat under the new Seals Extreme skirt. A little gusty with the chop coming from the port rear quarter going out, and with the lightly loaded Quest it was for me full skeg all the way. Seeing not another soul or boat the entire trip it was apparent that a wet re entry was something that I definitely did NOT want to attempt solo. By the time I got to the island my hips felt like those of an overworked hula dancer which made me appreciate the way many of you in 2011 admonished me for choosing a Quest instead of a more old guy "friendly" craft. Well, I made it and was a little pooped. After a circus like exit of the cockpit in my Star Wars outfit I realized that outside the boat in February it can be damn cold in the wind! A quick gobble of a peanut butter sandwich and a cliff bar and it was back on the water. Heading into the quartering sea was a lot easier, and the wind did drop off a lot. Still, by the time I got back to the ramp in Salem I realized that even a short trip like this in the winter, solo, is not advisable for an old fart like myself. Then to really force the lesson home, I lost control of my boat loading it up high on the p/up racks and did some "nice" damage to the gelcoat. Definitely need that light boat, or a different vehicle, or a younger body. That delicate looking Warren is looking even better! Tom