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sea kayak info

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  MarkDoogue 
#1 ·
In an attempt to keep myself alive while paddling all over creation in a sea kayak I "mentioned" to Santa that I would like books pertaining to kayaking.

One that I found in my stocking was "Sea Kayaker's Savvy Paddler - More than 500 Tips for Better Kayaking." It covers everything from major equipment purchases to planning and packing for multiple week trips. It doesn't go into subjects like the mechanics of an eskimo roll, it is more a checklist of do's and don'ts to make your paddling more efficient.

Some of my favorites:

#1 - A week of competent instruction is worth a year of just paddling around.

#9 - The best way to learn to stay dry is to get wet, often.

#21 - Every time you go out for a day paddle, spend the last twenty minutes doing a few practice rolls.

#36 - Test paddle a loaded kayak. Feel and performance will be very different with a load on board(at least 50lbs.) You can use two-liter bottles filled with water.

#60 - A paddle that's shorter overall will permit a greater variation in stroke rate.

And the one I found most interesting:

#127 - Glue a piece of neoprene or 1/4 inch foam under your feet in the cockpit. It will keep your feet warmer and prevent sandy boots from wearing a hole in the hull.

I'll post worthwhile tips from time to time. I also have a line on a decent kayaking school down in RI that I am looking into. I want to procede correctly so I don't find myself in over my head at some point next year. Buying the kayak is easy, being safe is a full time job.

Happy New Year.

~Mark
 
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#2 ·
Mark, I totally agree on the idea of instruction. Safety and dealing with emergencies is an obvious area but, just like casting, it seams there are efficient and not so efficient ways of propelling a kayak. Since this will be a first for me, getting the right technique down before developing a bunch of bad habits seems like an all round smart move. Fortunately there are several schools in my neck of the woods also, so I plan to sign up for a few lessons before the season gets going.

It looks like we have quite a core of enthusiastic paddlers and I'm really looking forward to checking out all those previously inaccessible areas!:smokin:
 
#4 ·
MarkDoogue,

Those were some interesting tips. I personally enjoy kayaking (open water) and fly-fishing (although I usually just use the kayak to get where I want to fish and then I get out and fish).

#127 - Glue a piece of neoprene or 1/4 inch foam under your feet in the cockpit. It will keep your feet warmer and prevent sandy boots from wearing a hole in the hull.
This actually sounds like a very good idea. I generally paddle a wooden kayak I made last summer (the hull is four millimeter mahogany plywood with fiberglass on the outside and epoxy on the inside). Although I am not concerned about putting a hole in my boat, your ankles will feel much better with some foam under them. I usually put some small towels under my ankles, especially if I will be paddling for a while, but I have often thought about using some foam.

#21 - Every time you go out for a day paddle, spend the last twenty minutes doing a few practice rolls.
First, I have not done an Eskimo Roll in my kayak (as she is only 22 inches wide and has knee braces, it should not be too difficult, though), and am not an expert in this field. I also do not know the focus of this book, but I would mention that many fishing kayaks may not be designed in such a way as to allow you to roll. If there are no knee braces, a roll will be nearly impossible as you will just fall out. In the case of the sit-on-tops, some of them of them are so wide that it may take a tremendous amount of power to roll them (there is a special roll that open-water kayakers use in which they lean back to begin the roll that gives more power than a traditional white-water roll, but I have only practiced white-water rolls). In other words, get some advice from an experienced kayaker before trying to roll a kayak if you are not sure that it was designed with rolling in mind (I hear that there are rolling clinics in many areas, although I have never attended one).

#36 - Test paddle a loaded kayak. Feel and performance will be very different with a load on board(at least 50lbs.) You can use two-liter bottles filled with water.
I have noticed that my kayak handles differently when she is loaded, even relatively lightly. Remember that, if you are doing rolls, you need to be able to do them with a loaded boat (or know that you cannot do them with a loaded boat).

#1 - A week of competent instruction is worth a year of just paddling around.
But the year paddling around is a lot of fun! :)

SeaKayaker
 
#5 ·
One more tip....

My book shows a "rescue stirrup" in the safety section. Here is what it says:

"Some paddlers find it impossible to reenter a kayak with a high back deck. Fatigue or hypothermia may disable an otherwise proficient paddler trying to get back into the kayak. A rescue stirrup can be a necessary leg up. Cut a piece of 1-inch nylon tubular webbing long enough(about 14 feet) to reach around the cockpit coaming and hang 18 inches into the water. Push 6 inches of garden hose through the tubing up to the midpoint to create an open step in the flexible webbing. The webbing can be tied into a loop the correct length for the boat, the person, and the technique being used. Remember that much of your gear might be used to rescue someone else."

It is like a stepladder for kayaks that hangs around the cockpit. You could carry it behind your seat, and it just may save someone's life in the cold ocean waters of the Cape.

~Mark
 
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