josko

Had a chance to observe some good paddlers in NDK boats and noticed they tend to be quite far forward and emphasize forward (sweep, rudder, etc) strokes in conditions, (as oposed to 'lean back and rely on ruddering, stern drawing, prying...) coaching I've had in the past. I started to wonder how much of that had to do with hull shape - therse folks were largely in NDK's, which tend to be fishform, and much of my prior observations were of folks in Swedeform P&H's. So, does it make sense to think of steering a swedeform boat from further aft than a fishform boat?

A related question I keep asking myself is why folks go through the time, expense and effort to get 4* (and 5*) certification. I can understand it for people employed in the field, but the answer is not so obvious (to me) for those of us who don't have a financial incentive from ceretification.. I guess my own partial answer is that BCU training help me plug holes in my skills that I wouldn't otherwise even know were there, but that's still not a complete answer of why go through assesments.

I really like the degree of control I get by rotating my wrists. Also, using body rotation to set the paddle rudder angle would require me to rotate much more than I feel I need to with a vertical blade. To some extent, I may already be doing that, but wrists add a lot more control.

With advance apologies for thread drift, is there a NSPN group active in winter kayak camping?

John, my key to the stern draw is to rotate WELL into it, in effect keeping both arms in front of the chest. Agree that a draw without rotation is an invitation to a dislocated shoulder.

Ooh, how could one not love cod tongues with scruncheons?

Here is an article I found useful: http://www.seakayakinguk.com/action/images/forwardpaddling1.jpg http://www.seakayakinguk.com/action/images/forwardpaddling2.jpg http://www.seakayakinguk.com/action/images/forwardpaddling3.jpg

Here is a related article: http://roguepaddler.com/weight2.htm

Phil, a low-angle rudder works for me if i plan to move it out to a stern pry, but for a stern draw, it moves my front arm out into an awkward position, plus I find it hard to generate a force (away from the stern) anyway near comparable to that achievable with a high angle/crossflow. I really like and appreciate the ability to generate a lot of force in either direction (towards or away from the stern) by just wrist control. The body and arms can stay put, thus allowing me to focus on edging. If you've never tried a high-angle stern draw, you'll likely find it a go-to move in a range of surf conditions.

I'm used to dropping in a high-angle neutral stern rudder when I pick up a wave. Works well for me and I like control that I get out of it. Recently, though, I've been surfing bigger waves, and am having a hard time with blade stability in the water. Namely, when the kayak gets going, say >10 kts, the neutral blade (Ikelos) tents to flutter (shaft changes angle minutely clocwise or counter-clockwise) and all of a sudden develops a significant force either towards or away from the stern. It's almost as if the blade is stable at lower speeds, but tends to get unstable past 10 or so knots. Yanking the blade out of the water quickly is the only solution I have so far. I haven't dunked yet because of it, but came close. So, the questions that come up are: Has anybody else seen this transition from stable to unstable with a high-angle stern rudder in bigger waves? If yes, what's the cure for it? (An obvious cure might be to reduce shaft angle, and get longflow instead of crossflow accross the blade, but that seems to take a lot of control nuances away for me.) Is there an alternate approach (to a neutral stern rudder) for kayak surfing at higher speeds?

FWIW, Brunton is awersome - took it (10-year old compass) back, no questions asked, and they just senmt me a new replacement.

My junk folder's lately clogged with spam from 'Rapid Media', selling various paddling mags, videos and God knows what else. I can't seem to turn it off. Is anybody else getting this? Does anybody know what's going on here?

I saw that on their website, but just can't get it to fit in the box. It jams up at the overhead knot after the line goes through the skeg.

I'm having a hard time finding the correct rope to replace my Explorer rope skeg. 3 mm rope seems to fit in the skeg and skegbox, but is to small for the cleat. 4 mm rope fits fine in the cleat, but jams up in the skegbox. I'm now thinking of splicing some 3 mm and 4 mm rope or replacing the deck cleat with a smaller one, but before I do, thought I'd put it up here: what is the correct line for use with the NDK rope skeg?

FWIW, we're doing a trip presentation Saturday evening, Oct. 11, in Stonington, CT. (During Autumn Gales)

Oh, I'm so tempted, but fighting Boston traffic that time of day all the way from the South shore is intimidating. Any chance of doing this again somewhere south of 128?

Speaking of swell, is anybody surfing Eduardo this Wednesday? I'll be in RI somewhere.

The Brunton 70P compass on one of my boats's got a dime-sized gas bubble in the dome. It doesn't seem to be damaged in any way, and I don't think operation is affected. It was installed in '06 or '07. Have other folks had this happen? Is there any way to get rid of this bubble? If not, should I replace the compass or let it be?

FWIW, I took the Solo-taught WFR at Joe Dodge Lodge (Pinkham Notch) in Jan '14.

We'll likely give at talk at the Autumn Gales, and are certainly game to set up another date this fall/winter. (I think people are way too scared of polar bears without a good reason.)

I suppose it's a matter of degree, but wood smoke releases toxic chemicals as well. Where do we draw the line? Is it a bad idea to have a driftwood campfire on the beach because of toxins in smoke?

On a recent remote trip, we were finding plastics washed up on the beach and got into a long discussion about whether it's better to burn a (say) old sneaker on an already-going campfire, or let it sit on the beach. I know packing it out is the best thing to do, but sometimes it's not practical. What's the next-best to do with plastic litter?

We do have a lot of experiences to share and are getting a presentation together - seems like a great way to spend a winter afternoon. (FWIW, Sunday a week ago (8/17) we bullied a bear off a beach 'cause we really wanted to camp there..)

FWIW, just back after a 26 day (self-supported) trip Nain-Hebron-Nain. Still working on a full trip report.

I'm trying to stick a couple self-stick 2" wide velcro strips to the insides of my Explorer (just ahead of the seat) to hold a pump. I'm wondering if people found that self-stick pads stay on, or whether they need to be backed up with some other sort of glue such as contact cement. Or would I be better off with Epoxy and some padeyes?