I was stunned last evening to see a message that extreme sea kayaker, Eric Soares passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 1, 2012,.  He was only 58 years old.

For those of you who may be relatively new to paddle sports or are not familiar with sea kayaking in particular, Eric Soares was a co-founder and commander of the Tsunami Rangers, an elite group of kayakers based near San Fancisco who pioneered equipment and techniques for paddling in challenging conditions like sea caves, rock gardens, and large waves.  Along with Michael Powers, he authored the book, “Extreme Sea Kayaking” and more recently wrote an autobiography of sorts, “Confessions of a Wave Warrior” along with many magazine articles and letters to the editor.  In 2003, Soares nearly died from an aortic dissection and underwent several surgeries to save his life.  While he was eventually able to return to an active life, in the end it appears that he died of complications related to this underlying heart problem.

While some would argue that Soares and the Tsunami Rangers are a bunch of crazy risk takers, most of us in the sea kayaking community know better.  For as long as I have been paddling (which goes back over 20 years), Eric Soares was a staunch advocate of personal responsibility and safety who strongly encouraged kayakers to dress for the water temperatures in full wetsuits, develop their skills and practice regularly, use safe equipment appropriate to the environment, and to paddle in groups with other skilled kayakers.  The Tsunami Rangers were some of the first sea kayakers I ever saw regularly wearing helmets to paddle.

Certainly most of us will not be flying out to California to attend any memorials, but I would encourage all sea kayakers to take the time to read Eric’s two books.  While the two are very different, they are both worthwhile reads.  In taking the time to remember Eric Soares, It is fitting that at the end of the chapter entitled, “Take Heart!” in “Confessions of a Wave Warrior”, he leaves us with this lesson learned, “Don’t take your life for granted.  Go for it, now!”

Bon voyage, Eric.

Sherri

I just finished watching the second volume of the University of Sea Kayaking (USK) DVD set, “Greenland Rolling with Maligiaq & Dubside”.  It covers 21 of the 35 rolls/skills included in the 2011 Greenlandic National Kayaking Championships.  Most of what I had to say in reviewing the first volume of this 2-DVD set would also apply for this second disc.  The format and presentation of the instruction is basically the same in both DVD’s.  The section on “Getting Ready to Roll” is actually a complete repeat of that same section also found in the first DVD.  It has been included in this second DVD for the benefit of viewers who may not have seen the first DVD before watching the second volume.

As always, I appreciate the excellent camera work and the inclusion of several different camera angles for viewing each skill.  Dubside does a very nice job of pointing out subtle aspects of each technique and often gives suggestions on ways to make it easier to learn some of these rolls with appropriate credit being given to the instructors from whom he first learned these ideas.

My general impression is that this second DVD is more for the serious Greenland rolling aficionado.  The rolls and maneuvers included in this second volume are generally more difficult than most of the rolls included in the first DVD, and some have little or no practical value.  Dubside admits at one point that some of these rolls have been included in the Greenland competition just to make it tougher for the competitors and create a way to separate the best and strongest rollers from the rest of the competition.

The bonus sections on “Learning to Roll” and “Euro Paddle Transition” are well done and useful to the paddler who is just learning to roll but would likely not be necessary for the level of kayaker who would be attempting to learn the rolls included in this DVD.

If you are a serious traditional Greenland-style paddler and/or you love to roll just for the sake of rolling and are looking to add some new skills to your repertoire, then this is going to be a must have DVD set for you.  If you are just interested in using Greenland technique as a stepping stone to learn your first roll, then I would suggest that you buy the “Part 1″ DVD and pass on the “Part 2″.

Sherri

Often, there is the perception that open pool sessions are really only for the more skilled kayaker who wants to practice rolling over the winter, or perhaps wants to learn how to roll. While pool sessions are very useful for those two goals, beginning paddlers should also take advantage of pool practice over the winter.  There is much that can be learned and practiced over the long winter months that will make you a better kayaker come spring.

Here is my list of suggested sea kayaking skills that can be worked on in a pool, even when space may be a little tight:

Wet Exit: If you aren’t comfortable tipping over, releasing your sprayskirt, and getting out of your kayak, by all means you should be in the pool doing as many wet exits as you can until exiting a boat after a capsize becomes completely second nature and boring.

Improve Your Balance: Play with your boat and do a bunch of crazy stunts to get more comfortable with the balance and stability of your kayak.

• Instead of getting into the cockpit of your kayak, sit on the back deck right behind the cockpit with your legs straddling the kayak out to each side hanging down in the water.  Try paddling your kayak while sitting up on the back deck.  If this is a little too challenging at first, put a paddle float on both blades of your paddle so you can stop yourself from capsizing until you get a better feel for balancing.
• Try getting your feet and legs out of the cockpit while your kayak is floating in the pool.  Dangle your legs out to the side of your boat and then try to turn yourself around in a 360-degree circle keeping your butt in the seat the whole time.  At different times during this exercise, you will have to balance your boat with both feet hanging over the side on the left side of your kayak, and then again on the right side of the kayak.  You’ll have to balance while lifting your legs up and over the front deck and up and over the back deck.
• Try doing a 360-degree circle like the one above, but do it while seated on the back deck of your kayak.
• Try climbing out as far as you can toward the bow and stern of your kayak while it is floating.
• You can begin to work on a balance brace by doing a back float in the water with your feet resting on the seat of your kayak inside the cockpit.  Gradually start trying to inch more of your legs and finally your butt into the cockpit of the kayak.  The cockpit will end up flooding, but your boat won’t sink if you have watertight bulkheads.  The flooded cockpit will lower the boat in the water slightly and make it easier to start getting the feel of the balance brace that Greenland-style kayakers often do.  To bolster your confidence at first, you can use that same paddle with the floats on both blades as some additional flotation, although wearing your life jacket should provide more than enough flotation to do an easy back float.
• Practice your bracing skills or just your ability to balance by putting a swimmer on your back deck (or your front deck) which will make your kayak much more unstable.

Fine Tune Your Boat Control: Edging a kayak is an important skill for paddling in waves, making your long sea kayak more maneuverable, and counteracting a boat’s tendency to weathercock.  If you haven’t learned how to edge your kayak, or you want to build up the muscles to be able to hold a deeper edge for a longer period of time, there’s no better place than your local pool.  You can practice edging right next to the pool deck.  Try not to touch the pool deck while you hold your edge, but it’s comforting to know that you can put your hand down and stop yourself from capsizing if you begin to lose your balance.

Stationary Pivot Turns (or Pinwheel Turns): When you have developed the confidence to edge your kayak without needing the pool deck nearby, move out into the middle of the pool and practice turning your kayak a full 360-degrees using a combination of alternating forward and reverse sweep strokes.  You can begin by keeping your kayak level as you do these strokes, but for maximum turning efficiency, you will want to edge your kayak toward the same side as your working paddle blade.  In other words, if you are doing a forward sweep on your right side, your boat should be edged toward the right.  When you switch to the left side to perform your reverse sweep, you will also change your edge from the right side to the left side.

Can You Draw? A very useful skill for all paddlers is the basic draw stroke – with either an in-water or out-of-water recovery.  If you are very new to paddling, you should definitely take the time to learn how to do a draw stroke.

Learn to Scull: If you already know how to do a basic draw stroke to move your kayak sideways, try learning the sculling draw stroke.  This sculling stroke can gradually lead into a sculling high brace.  Using the back face of your paddle blade, you can also do a sculling low brace.  Sculling is really all about learning to take control of the blade angle on your paddle.

Practice A Hip Snap: This skill is critical for doing effective braces like the slapping and sweeping high and low braces.  It is also a lead-in skill for the bow rescue and certain rolls like the C-to-C Roll.  You can start by doing hip snaps as you hold onto the pool gutter.  Move on to holding the bow of a friend’s kayak, and eventually work on hip snapping with just a paddle float or life jacket in your hand.

Learn to Brace: Even in a restricted space (which is often the case when you have sea kayaks in a pool), you can practice the slapping low and high braces, sweeping low and high braces, and sculling low and high braces.

Experiment With Your Paddle Float Recoveries: While it is not advisable to paddle alone and assisted rescues/re-entries are preferred over solo rescues, you never know when you might find yourself responsible for getting back into your own kayak without the assistance of your fellow paddlers.  At those moments, your paddle float will become indispensable assuming you know how to use it.  While all rescues should eventually be practiced in the conditions in which you paddle, a pool is a great place to work through the mechanics of how to do a basic paddle float re-entry.  If you can’t do it in a pool, you’ll never be able to do it in wind, waves, and cold water.  A pool is also a great place to experiment with all the different ways that you can use a paddle float to re-enter your kayak.  Not all of these are going to be super practical methods, but the more ways you find that you can use your paddle float, the more options you may have when the “you-know-what” hits the fan.

• Standard paddle float re-entry climbing up with your stomach on the back deck behind the cockpit while holding the paddle against the coaming with your hands.
• Standard paddle float re-entry climbing up with your stomach on the back deck behind the cockpit with the paddle secured under decklines/bungees.
• Standard paddle float re-entry using a stirrup/sling deployed on the paddle shaft.
• Heel Hook paddle float re-entry with the paddle secured under decklines/bungees aft of the cockpit.
• Heel Hook paddle float re-entry while holding the paddle against the coaming with your hands.
• Heel Hook paddle float re-entry using a stirrup/sling deployed on the paddle shaft.
• Do a re-entry and roll with the paddle float on the working end of your paddle.
• Do a re-entry and roll using just a paddle float in your hands (if you lost your paddle).
• Doing a cowboy scramble rescue with a paddle float on your paddle for a little extra “just-in-case” stability as you move up your back deck.

Assisted Rescues: Assuming you have some friends at the pool session, or make some new ones, you can always practice some assisted rescues.  Make sure you practice being the swimmer in the water as well as the rescuer.  You learn a lot from being in both roles.

Preparation for Learning to Roll: For those beginners who do aspire to learn how to roll, I strongly suggest you get copies of two DVD’s – Ben Lawry “Dr. Ben’s New and Improved Rolling Elixir” and “Simplifying the Roll With Helen Wilson”.  You can also look over my older archived blog posts.  I have several posts that deal with getting started with learning how to roll.

In addition to the skills that you can practice, taking your kayak into the pool can be a good way to test out the watertightness of the bulkheads and hatch covers.  After playing around with your kayak, doing wet exits and rescues, and flooding the cockpit, check the inside of your hatches.  If you are seeing a lot of water in those hatches, you need to think about what would happen if you used your kayak (in its current condition) out in the real world of wind, waves, and cold water.  This should be your wake-up call that you need to think about how you can improve the flotation of your present kayak or get you thinking seriously about upgrading into a better kayak.  I’ll have more about this subject in a future blog.

As you can see, there are plenty of skills besides rolling that can be practiced in a pool.  Take the time to find the pool sessions in your area, and if you can’t find any, perhaps you can organize something for your local paddlers.  It can be a really fun social event right along with the skill-building.  Have fun and get wet this winter!

Sherri

I just finished building some racks to hold kayaks in my new garage.  This is a simple project that requires very little in the way of tools, minimal carpentry skills, and about $30-$35 worth of materials.   I was able to complete the project on a Saturday morning – less time than it took me to write this blog.  You need to have access to the studs in the wall of your garage as you can see in the photos.  I built my racks to hold 3 kayaks with room for one on the floor below the bottom arms, but you can customize your own racks to hold more or fewer kayaks.

Materials Needed: Two 4″x4″ boards.  The length of the boards will depend on the number of kayaks you want to store and the height of the side wall of your garage.  I used 10-foot long 4″x4″ lumber.  You will also need 1″ inside diameter steel conduit pipes (from the electrical department).  At my local home center, the conduit comes in 10′ lengths.  You can cut four 30″ pieces from a 10-foot length of conduit which is enough to hold two kayaks.  I bought two 10′ sections of conduit.  To attach the racks to the studs in your garage, you need 6″  long  3/8″ diameter hex bolts, with 2 washers and a nut for each.  (The bolts need to be long enough that they can go through a 4×4 and a 2×4 with enough threading sticking out to hold a washer and nut.)  I used 3 bolts for each rack for a total of 6 bolts, 6 nuts, and 12 washers (the materials photo only shows 4 bolts).  To pad the arms on the completed racks, use 1″ pipe insulation foam (plumbing department).

Tools: a drill with a 1-1/8″ and a 3/8″ bits  (these bits need to be long enough to go completely through the 4×4 posts), saw (power or hand), hacksaw, tape measure, sledge hammer and regular hammer, wrench to tighten nuts and bolts, one or two large clamps, scissors or razor blade to cut foam, pencil, and permanent marker.

1. Measure and mark the length of your 4×4’s using a tape measure and pencil.  Both need to be the same length.    I cut mine 104.5″ long.  This was longer than I needed them to be, but it gives me the option of adding an additional set of arms in the future to hold another kayak.
2. Cut the boards with a power or hand saw.
3. Lay the two boards side by side and determine where you want the arms to be positioned.  I have made three sets of these racks and have positioned the arms at slightly different  heights on all three.  I recommend leaving about 24″ between the arms.  If you have plastic sea kayaks, this will allow you to easily roll the boat up on its side on the arms which is a better way to store the kayak to prevent deformation of the hull.  I have a large tandem sea kayak that I am storing on the floor below the first set of arms on my rack, so I positioned the first set of arms about 18″ up from the bottom end of each 4″x4″.
4. Mark the location of the other two sets of arms leaving 22-24″ between sets.  You will want the arms centered from each side of the board, so measure in 1.75″ in from each side of the 4×4 and mark the center of the line.
5. Once you have determined the location of each set of arms and have marked them on the 4×4’s, then you are ready to begin drilling.  Put the 1-1/8″ bit in your drill and place your 4×4’s on sawhorses or propped up on a couple of boards as you will be drilling all the way through the 4×4’s.  I prefer to have the arms on the finished rack angled upward slightly to prevent the kayaks from sliding off, so I angle the drill slightly towards what will be the top end of the rack while drilling the holes.  If you don’t use a drill much, you may want to practice drilling some holes through scrap wood to make sure you can hold the drill steady at the angle you want.  (You can use a drill press, but most people don’t have one in their home workshop.)  When you are feeling confident, drill all the holes in the 4×4 posts.
6. Measure and mark  off 30″ lengths on the conduit using a permanent marker.  This will leave you with 26″ arms on your rack after the conduit has been pounded into the 4×4’s.  Cut the conduit with a hacksaw.
7. Once you have the metal arms cut, pound them into the holes on the 4×4’s using a sledge hammer or maul.  If you don’t have one, a regular hammer can be used, but it will take longer and require more arm strength.  Pound the conduit arms all the way through the 4×4.  To protect your concrete floors, put another board or piece of scrap lumber under the 4×4 while you are pounding.  I didn’t do this and I have a few dents in my new concrete garage floor.  You can use a file to smooth any metal burrs off the ends of the arms that will be sticking out into your garage although the foam padding should cover the ends.
8. Once the arms have been pounded into the 4×4’s, drill 3 bolt holes through each 4×4 using a 3/8″ auger bit.  The bolt holes will be drilled through the 4×4 going from side to side (perpendicular to the direction that you drilled the holes for the arms).  These are the holes that will be used to bolt the racks to the studs in your garage.  Put a hole about 6″ in from the top and bottom of each 4×4 and one somewhere near the center.  Do not put any of the bolt holes within 6″ of the arms. Note: It is important that you drill these holes as perpendicular as possible to the length of the 4×4 as you will need to match up the angle of this hole with the hole that you will be drilling through the stud wall in step #11.  If these two holes do not line up straight, you will not be able to get the bolt to go through both holes.
9. After drilling the bolt holes, clamp the racks to the studs on the garage wall.  The bottom end of each 4×4 should be resting on the sill plate of the garage wall.  That way most of the weight of the kayaks and racks will be carried by the building’s foundation.  For storing 16-18′ sea kayaks, I positioned my racks about 64″ apart (assuming your studs are located 16″ on center).
10. Take a pencil and push it into each of the bolt holes to mark the location on the studs.  Rotate the pencil and push firmly to make sure that you leave a good mark on the stud.
11. Take down the racks and find the pencil marks on the stud.  Then drill through the stud at each pencil mark with the 3/8″ drill bit.  I needed to use a shorter 3/8″ bit for drilling through the studs as my drill would not fit between the wall studs with the longer 3/8″ auger bit.
12. Put one washer on each bolt and push the bolts through the holes in the 4×4 and position the rack next to the stud.    You may need to use a hammer to finish pounding the bolt all the way through the corresponding hole in the stud.  Once the bolts are all the way through the studs, you can place another washer on the end of each bolt and tighten down the nuts with a wrench.  (Use a clamp to hold the racks in place until you get all the bolts pushed through.)
13. Place a length of pipe insulation over each arm on the rack.  Use a razor blade or scissors to trim off the excess foam from the end of each arm.  Cut the foam about a half inch longer than the metal arms so that you don’t scratch your boat or body against the end of the conduit.  I usually put a couple wraps of duct tape near each end of the foam to keep it from splitting open since pipe insulation is pre-scored along its length to make it easier to install around the pipes in your home.

I have included some photos of the different stages in the construction of the racks in case my written explanations aren’t clear.

Holding drill at a slight angle

Center the hole from each side of the board

Saw the conduit after measuring and marking it.

Position conduit on the hole before pounding it in.

Clamp racks to studs.

Mark position of bolt holes on the stud.

Pencil mark on the stud where bolt hole will be drilled.

Tap bolt and washer through hole in the 4x4 and stud.

Place washer and nut on each bolt where it protrudes from the stud.

Place foam insulation over the bars and cut to length.

Fiberglass kayaks can be laid flat with the hull directly on the arms of these racks with no deformation.  For plastic kayaks, you may want to position the kayak on its side to prevent indentations from developing on the hull.  To keep a kayak from tipping over, you can put lag screws into the studs and use 1″ webbing to make slings to hold it on its side.

Lag screw and webbing sling holding kayak on its side.

Homemade boat rack using 4x4 post and conduit pipe

I have been using racks like this for well over 15 years with no problems.  I have a 90 lb plastic sea kayak on one of the racks (I use the webbing sling to keep it positioned on its side) and a 70 lb fiberglass boat.  The arms have remained solid and strong.  The foam covering the arms acts like a roller which also makes it a little easier for me to put boats on the racks by myself.  The ends of each arm make convenient hooks for hanging my damp sprayskirt and life jacket to dry out between trips.  This rack can be easily customized to fit your particular storage needs.  The arms can be positioned high enough to allow you to store a lawn mower under your kayaks, or you can maximize the space for your boats and store up to five kayaks and canoes on one wall of your garage.  If you need to temporarily lengthen the arms on the rack for loading a kayak or to store a wider boat, you can easily insert a wood dowel or length of conduit with a diameter smaller than 1″.   These will easily slide down inside the arms of the rack.  Using bolts to install the racks allows them to be easily removed, moved, and reattached.

Extend the length of the arms by inserting smaller diameter conduit or dowels into the arms.

So for all of you paddlers whose spouses are concerned about the amount of space your boats are taking up in the garage, I hope this rack can help keep you from having to sell one of your kayaks.    : )

Sherri

For anyone interested in traditional Greenland-style kayaking, especially the rolling and bracing skills, University of Sea Kayaking (USK) has come out with a new DVD featuring two of the best Greenland rollers on the planet, Maligiaq Padilla and Dubside.

I watched the first a 2-part series of DVD’s on Greenland kayaking technique, “Greenland Rolling With Maligiaq & Dubside – Part 1″.  This first DVD covers the basics of Greenland rolling along with safety issues and then goes into demonstrations and explanations of 14 of the 35 rolls that are currently required to be performed in the the Greenlandic National Championships.  Part 2 covers the remaining 21 competition rolls in a separate DVD which I will review in the future.

As is the case with all USK DVD’s, there is a helpful printed outline included so that you can easily find a section that you may wish to watch instead of having to scan through the whole video to find the information you need.  Demonstrations of the rolls are performed by several different paddlers, although the bulk of the demonstrations appear to be done by Maligiaq.  Most of the narration and instructional portions of the video are handled by Dubside who has a clear and pleasant speaking voice and nice pace in the presentation making the audio easy on the ear.

While the bulk of the skills are performed in traditional skin-on-frame kayaks with Greenland paddles, there are discussions of how these skills can be performed in the more commonl hard-shell sea kayaks and Euroblade paddles that most of us typically use.

While I have always been quite impressed with the instructional videos put out by USK, my one complaint has been that the narration and verbal instruction is usually non-stop.  The information being given is always very useful and informative so I don’t want to miss any of it, but I found it difficult to watch the skill demonstration and focus on what was being said at the same time.  I longed for a pause by the speaker so I could just ‘watch’ the demonstrations and digest the information.  I was thrilled to see that Wayne Horodowich has rectified this one deficiency in his most recent video.  Each roll is shown several times, usually from four different camera angles, with no speaking or narration going on in the background.  Key points are reinforced with on-screen captions after the demonstrations have been performed.

The DVD covers sculling and the balance brace first as a precursor to the layback rolls as is also the case in Helen Wilson’s video on Greenland rolling which I have previously reviewed on this blog.  After covering several of the more basic layback rolls, Dubside shares a progression for learning the forward ending rolls.  I am anxious to try this progression as I have always struggled with the forward ending rolls.  The DVD recommends moving on to the forward ending rolls soon after learning a layback roll so that the layback position does not become too strongly ingrained making it more difficult to learn the forward ending position.  I suspect that this is my problem as I had been doing layback rolls for over 10 years before trying the forward rolls.

For those of us who are familiar with Dubside having seen his demonstrations in person or watched his previous rolling video, he is a strong advocate for using the traditional Greenlandic names for each of the rolls.  A nice touch in this DVD for those interested in following suit, the traditional Greenlandic name of each roll is shown on-screen along with the English name.  The traditional name is pronounced, followed by the English name, and then the traditional name is repeated once more.  The traditional names are also written down in the outline that is included with the DVD.  Personally, I still found it hard to imitate the pronunciation of the traditional names as the words are long and the sounds are rather subtle.  I would suggest including a phonetic spelling in the outline along with the traditional written names of each roll for those who really want to learn to pronounce them correctly.

Although I don’t use a Greenland paddle for paddling, I do enjoy using one for rolling.  As an instructor I have frequently recommended that students learn to roll with a Greenland paddle first and then transition to a Euroblade paddle afterward.  This is often a more successful method for older paddlers who may lack the flexibility and abdominal strength needed to perform the C-to-C roll commonly taught in many rolling classes.

If like me you have family members asking you to provide a “wish list” for Christmas, I would highly recommend this DVD as being a worthwhile addition to your video library.  For those of you hoping to learn how to roll in the coming year, watching this new USK DVD along with “Simplifying the Roll With Helen Wilson” would be a good way to get started.  While I always recommend personal instruction from a qualified instructor as the best way to learn how to roll, visualization is a helpful tool in learning any physical skill.  Watching these videos will help an aspiring roller to visualize the movements that they want to perform.

Merry Christmas!

Sherri

On a cold, rainy fall day at the end of the paddling season, here are a few things that a canoeist/kayaker can be thinking about.

1. If you’ve worked on improving your skills all summer, perhaps it’s time to consider purchasing a dry suit to extend your season.
2. If you prefer not to paddle in anything but warm, sunny weather, maybe you need to plan a vacation or two to warmer, sunnier destinations between now and next spring.
3. Since you most likely won’t be using your boats for awhile, it’s time to do your fall maintenance and put them into storage for the winter.
4. Order the DVD’s and books you want to watch and read over the winter.
5. Do some research to find open pool sessions so you can keep practicing your rescues, rolling, and bracing skills.
6. Sign up for yoga (or other fitness classes) to work on your core strength, balance, and flexibility for next spring.
7. Start making a list and assembling the items to create or improve your first aid and repair kits.
8. Make out your Christmas list with all the paddling gear you want to receive as gifts.  : )
9. Make your hotel reservations for Canoecopia 2012.
10. For more ideas, check out my blog on “Staying Sane Through the Winter”.

With all these things to do, it hardly seems like 5 months will be enough time!

Enjoy the fall and winter!

Sherri

We’re quickly coming to the end of the paddling season for most people here in southeast Wisconsin.  Just thought I’d throw out a reminder that I still have a few kayak trips scheduled between now and October 15th.

This coming weekend (which by the way is supposed to be warm and sunny) I have a trip on Wind Lake from 2-5pm on Saturday and a trip on the Root River in Racine from 12-3pm on Sunday.  I also have a “Recreational Kayaking Basics” class on Saturday morning from 10am-12:30pm.  On October 14th, I have another Root River trip from 12-3pm, and on Saturday, October 15th, the final trip of the year will be on the Fox River from Mukwonago to Big Bend.

If you’re interested in getting in one more paddling trip this fall or still want to learn how to kayak this year, you can send me an e-mail or give me a call at 262-895-2008.  Space in all of these programs is limited so don’t wait.

Sherri

Just a heads up for those of you who are new to kayaking and may have just purchased your first polyethylene plastic kayak – don’t drag your kayak to and from the water, and don’t get in your kayak on shore and then push yourself over sand and gravel to get your boat floating.  Whenever possible, the kayak should be fully floating before you get in.  If you don’t like to get your feet wet, buy waterproof, knee-high boots.  And when you land, try not to run the bow of your boat into the shore.

Rotomolded polyethylene plastic kayaks are extremely “impact”-resistant, but they are not particularly “abrasion”-resistant.  The plastic is very soft and easily scratches when the kayak is dragged on hard surfaces like gravel, pavement, and even coarse sand.  When I sold kayaks at a paddle sport shop, I saw at least a handful of kayaks that were brought in by the owners because they had worn a hole under the very back of the hull from dragging the kayak around on shore.  Needless to say, the manufacturers do not consider this a defect in materials or workmanship and is therefore not covered by the warranty.  Don’t expect the store where you bought the boat to take it back, either.  They can’t return in to the manufacturer, it is difficult to do a satisfactory repair on this kind of damage, and a store can’t afford to eat the cost of a kayak that you destroyed by careless use.  A kayak with a hole worn in the hull generally makes a good planter or sandbox and not much else.

Don’t let this happen to you.  Take care of your kayak properly.  When you are moving the kayak from the car to the water, get a friend to help you carry it by the handles or learn to do a solo shoulder carry.  If you aren’t strong enough to do the solo shoulder carry, buy a cart.  Even an expensive cart is cheaper than buying a new kayak.

Sherri

I just bought a new kayak a couple weeks ago.  I had it on the water 10 times including some paddling in 2-4 foot waves on Lake Michigan in just the first week.  I wasn’t really intending to buy a new kayak, but I was swept away and infatuated by her good looks and her light weight (it weighs 15 lbs less than my old kayak).  We had a lot of fun together initially while my old kayak sat in the garage.

As is often the case in whirlwind romances,  I have arrived at the point in the relationship where I’m starting to see the flaws in my partner.  I’ve noticed some gelcoat cracks in the hull.  One was probably impact damage while being moved around and could be easily repaired, but the other crack is right along the rear bulkhead going across the bottom of the hull.  I’ve seen these kinds of cracks before, in my old kayak, and I’m not very excited to see it developing in the new boat.  Even if I repair these cracks, they will likely just redevelop along the bulkhead again.

The biggest flaw, and the one that has the boat in for warranty repair right now, is a leaking day hatch rim.  When I bought the boat, it was missing the cover for the day hatch.  I was given a hatch cover for the boat, but it was one of the “lightweight” Kayak Sport covers.  It is a lot easier to pop this cover on and off than the typical rubber hatch covers, but I was concerned that the cover was leaking when I noticed that there was water in the day hatch.  I ordered a replacement rubber hatch cover, but was dismayed to see that there was still water getting into the hatch.  I suspected that water might be leaking in through the pressure equalizing hole that was drilled through the bulkhead since I had done some re-entry and roll and paddle float rescue practice with the boat.  However, that would not account for water in the day hatch on the days when I wasn’t practicing rolling and rescues.

I had noticed a bit of wetness along the underside of the rim and began to suspect the hatch rim was leaking, although I couldn’t see anywhere on the exterior of the rim where it looked like it was not firmly attached.  I finally took the time to test this theory by putting the kayak on its side and pouring water inside the day hatch until it came up to the level of the bottom of the hatch rim but not high enough to be able to pour out of the hatch opening.  It only took a few seconds before I could see water oozing out from between the hatch rim and the deck of the kayak.  When I put the hatch cover back on and turned the kayak upside down, water poured out all around the rim.  I wondered if the hatch cover was leaking at that point, but when I removed the hatch cover, the area on the outside of the rim that had been covered by the rubber hatch cover was completely dry, so the leaks were all the way around the rim.

The kayak manufacturer has agreed to repair the hatch under warranty, it remains to be seen if the repair will be satisfactory.  In the meantime, I’ve gone back to my ex.

Sherri

In over 20 years of canoeing and kayaking, I did something recently that I have never had to do before – I had to retire a life jacket from service due to equipment failure.  As I was getting my equipment ready before a class, I noticed the tear in the fabric around the neck.  I took some photos and then went to grab another PFD’s that I could wear for class.

The very first life jacket that I bought back in 1988 was a cheap fishing boat kind of life jacket that fit just terribly.  I quickly put that one in the storage shed at my mom’s house where it could be used as a spare for visiting guests.

My second life jacket, purchased later that same summer, was a light blue ExtraSport PFD made of bulky foam segments sewn vertically inside the nylon fabric of the jacket.  It was vintage 1980’s canoe-wear.  I passed that life jacket on to my mother-in-law when my in-laws bought a canoe for their cabin in Canada.

I was really excited to get my third life jacket.  It was a low profile Stohlquist jacket with thin, flexible foam that contoured comfortably around my body.  Unfortunately, it only had one tiny mesh pocket.  As I was getting more serious about my sea kayaking and needed places to put all the “kit” that was required in my BCU training, I set that jacket aside as my “pool practice” PFD – a vocation it continues to fill today.

It is my fourth life jacket, purchased in 1998, that finally tore last week.  Truthfully, I had already retired this jacket from active service on “big water” like Lake Michigan several years ago due to obvious fading of the fabric.  However, I continued to use it for teaching on inland lakes and rivers since it still had all the fabric and closures intact and floated me comfortably during rescue practice.  I was actually kind of curious to test just how long this life jacket would last as I had never taken a PFD all the way to material failure.  Here in the Midwest where we don’t have to contend with the corrosive effects of saltwater, so it is UV exposure that is the biggest destroyer of fabric.  You can see how hard UV exposure is on a life jacket when you compare my jacket on the right to the same brand of life jacket that I purchased for my son at the same time I bought mine.  These two PFD’s were originally the same color. My son quickly outgrew his jacket and it spent most of the time unused in our basement out of the sun.

So what’s the point of this little trip down memory lane?  First of all, it should be obvious that a life jacket is a pretty durable piece of equipment that will give you many years of hard service, so don’t be afraid to spend some money to get a good one.  I wasted money on some of my early life jackets.  Although they were less expensive, they either weren’t comfortable or didn’t do what I needed them to do.  As a result, I was buying a new jacket every few years during my first decade of paddling even though I was paddling a lot less than I do now.  Even if you end up spending $150 to get a good life jacket that fits well and has all the bells and whistles you need for paddling, that will probably break down to less than $20 per year over the life of the jacket for most paddlers.  When you consider that according to boating fatality statistics wearing a life jacket is the single most important thing you can do to prevent a drowning death, that’s pretty cheap life insurance.

The other important point to take away from my experience is that you need to be inspecting your gear closely before, during, and after every paddling season.  I knew this jacket was going to fail eventually, and towards the end, I only used it in very benign conditions on inland waterways.  I also carried a spare life jacket available to use as soon as I saw the tear that marked the end of this jacket’s useful life.  After reading a recent article in Sea Kayaker magazine about a rescue that resulted in no small part to a series of equipment failures in old, worn out gear, it’s important to remember that your life may depend on the condition of ALL your gear including your life jacket.

If your PFD is starting to look as faded and worn as mine, it’s long overdue for you to retire it to less demanding service like winter pool practice and get a new life jacket for use out on the water.

Sherri