DIY: replacement carbon-fiber seat in Valley

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Seats in kayaks seem to be often a deal breaker: some folk won't buy a kayak if the seat is not comfortable for them. Some kayak seats seem to fit more paddlers than others but there are also some seats that cause a lot of grief and paddlers go to great lengths to fix them.
The most common complaint I hear and read about from sea kayakers is the dreaded dead leg syndrome; after a while on the water (sometimes as brief as half an hour) some paddlers start to feel pins and needles or loose the feel of the legs altogether.
I am one of them: I find a lot of sea kayak seats not suitable for me. Maybe is my chunky thighs that force me to extend my legs lower to make them fit or something but I find most seats too short and too "peaked" (high up front) for my anatomy.
One seat that I have removed from more kayaks than any other one is the Valley plastic seat and the current model seems to be just as aggravating as the previous one.
In Adventuretess' Nordkapp LV I removed the seat and replaced it with a DIY fibreglass one removing the back band and replacing it with a foam block.
Steavatron recently borrowed Adventuretess's Nordkapp LV (Sialuk) and was amazed by the difference in feel and stability of the kayak.
Within half an hour of paddling Sialuk, he politely asked me if a similar seat was possible to be had in his own Nordkapp LV.
I agreed that with his help we could fabricate one for this kayak too, and we might as well go "bling".



The plastic VCP seat is easy to remove: 4 bolts on the outside of the coaming hold the seat in place.
Once the fsteners were removed the seat came right out but revealed a little problem; the edge of the seat has been "shaving" the hull and a few layers of fibreglass have already been carved away by the motion of the seat slightly swinging when paddling. If not caught in time it would have holed the kayak from the inside out (the same problem occurred in Sialuk).
Patching that divot was dead easy and we restored the hull to full strength.



The new seat is made from a laminate of glass fibre, double bias carbon under the sitting area and a veneer of the oh-so-sexy twill carbon fibre on top, for looks of course :-)
The edges of the seat have been reinforced with Kevlar to prevent the typical cracking that I have experienced in other factory chopped-mat kayak seats.



The new seat does not hang on its own but I used "L" brackets to support it. The original VCP hardware was re-utilized and new stainless steel bolts are anchoring the carbon seat to the bracket.



Stevatron was happy to reuse the original back band and hip pads. The back bands sling is attached to the seat with a short piece of webbing and a "D" ring. Existing straps firmly secure the back band to the rear bulkhead to prevent dislodgment when entering the cockpit.
After the maiden voyage Stevatron was happy with the position and height of the new seat and it was then finally secured to his kayak with a few dobs of polyurethane (Sikaflex) sealant to prevent any swinging and deliver a solid feel. In the event the seat would have to be removed for any reason a spatula will be inserted under the seat to break away those few spots of sealant.
Stevatorn finds the new seat a vast improvement on the stock VCP plastic one. The centre of gravity has been lowered and he finds that the Nordkapp LV has changed personality.
He is more confident on putting his kayak on edge and has gained stabilty when in textured waters.
Since the change and after a few paddles of several hours he no longer experiences the dead legs.

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VIDEO: sailing to fend off cabin fever

The June long week-end (Australia) proved to be a bit wet and windy for SE Queensland.
My initial plan to spend two nights on Moreton Island had to be changed due to a strong wind warning forecast.
Instead of festing indoors and risk of getting cabin fever myself and Stevatron headed out in a relative sheltered location to experience the fun of sea kayak sailing instead of paddling.
It has been a while since Stevatron had a sail on his kayak and he had forgotten how much fun one could have with just the wind.


select 720p if you have fast Internet connection
It didn't take long to get the feel for the new Flat Earth Sail and despite the gusty conditions there were no capsizes.

Details on the new mast base mount here
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SHOP: removable sail rigging

In my previous post I have detailed how I install cat rigged style sails (Flat Earth Sails for example) onto the deck of my kayaks.
The anchors, cleats and mast base are permanently secured to the deck and require several holes to be drilled through the fibreglass deck to have the bolts secure the items.
Some people cringe at the idea of drilling holes in a brand new kayak especially when experimenting with equipment that they are not familiar with.
My early sail rigs had the cleats mounted too close to where my hand would occasionally brush when paddling in a low angle style.
A few hits of the knuckles on the sharp edges of the cleat made me relocate them and plug the holes left behind by the fasteners.
My friend Jim has not done a lot of kayak sailing before and was unsure if he would like it on his Nordkapp LV.
He decided to minimize the damage that an ill fitting sail rig would do to the deck and devised a system that would keep his deck clean when he did not want to use a sail.

For the mast he used the existing recess where normally a 70P compass would be fitted. He fabricated a base out of fibreglass that has the identical hole location as a compass. He does not use that type of compass but he believes the recess and the complex fibreglass profile of the deck in that area is a very solid location for the mast base. He did not need to reinforce the deck since no flex is detected when the sail is deployed, even in heavy winds.


Jim had to drill holes for the stay anchors; unfortunately a Nordkapp LV does not have perimeter-line anchors suitably located to double as stay anchors.
The rest of the cleats and pulleys (blocks) are mounted on a custom made piece of fibreglass that contours the deck of the kayak.


He simply waxed the deck of his kayak with mould release compound (even grease would work in a pinch) and laid up several layers of glass cloth and resin. Once the laminate cured he padded the underside with a thin layer of closed cell foam to prevent scuffing of the deck and installed the necessary hardware to secure the uphaul and trim the main sheet. He used sections of stainless steel welding rods embedded into the laminate to create guides for his lines but stainless steel saddles could be used as alternative.


His "plate" is held back by a thin line that loops around the coaming of the kayak, and in the front, under the deck bungee cord. The coaming line takes most of the load, the front bungee just keeps the plate close to the deck.

Jim's system can be removed in seconds when he does not use his sail. The base for the mast remains attached up front but there are no cleats and pulleys to clutter his deck.


PS 02DEC
Owen Walton has sent me these images of his sail set up.
It requires one more stay (back stay) but the sail can rotate freely 360 degrees.
The plastic cleats are low profile.

VIDEO: Feeling good in Moreton Bay

It ain't always gnarly paddling with MEI.
Relaxed Sunday outings in Moreton Bay offer plenty of opportunities to just kick back, enjoy a fun paddle and do some rolling.
Queensland summer heat can be oppressive, especially when there is little wind. We often prefer rainy days which also happen to be when most motorized crafts don't go out. Rain doesn't bother us and getting wet is a given. We regard kayaking a wet sport.

The softer side of G-Dawg

Opinions on sea kayak's maneuverability

I read with great interest a post from Douglas Wilcox on his Seakayakphoto blog.
In his pictures it is clearly demonstrated that a given kayak will behave very differently with a lighter or heavier load (read: paddler).
Obviously the biggest difference will be felt in kayaks that don't use rudders.
A skegged kayak is often designed to be more maneuverable when edged.
When I transitioned from a ruddered kayak to a skegged one I initially observed how a skilled paddler could spin my kayak so quickly around by edging it aggressively.
No amount of extended sweep strokes (without edging the boat) could make it turn as fast as what I observed.

Instructor Craig McSween aggressively edging
If I was not edging my kayak the stern would firmly remain deep below waterline preventing a quick turn.
Eventually I learned that for effective fast maneuvering of a skegged kayak edging was essential.

However that is not always true.
If a kayak was designed to optimally perform for a given load, a heavier kayaker might hinder the maneuverability when edging.
As demonstrated in Douglas images it seems that a heavier kayak will not allow that stern to release and spin.
The same could be said about a too light person/load in a kayak.
The stern might be not buried enough in the water creating a "loose tail".
Weathercocking could be a typical consequence of a larger kayak that is not loaded sufficiently.
I know of some kayakers that deem a Nordkapp hard to paddle when empty.

Could be that the their weight is not sufficient to fully engage the intended waterline?
Therefore is a Nordkapp LV less maneuverable for a heavier person?
I believe so.
The Nordkapp LV is designed with a particular weight in mind.
A heavier person will be pushing that hull deeper in the water and when the kayak is edged maybe the stern is not released as much as with a lighter paddler.
Two different kayakers will give the same boat a very different opinion!
Needless to say that skill level will probably be a very important factor when hearing a report on a given kayak but weight should certainly be just as an important element.

testing edge maneuverability
And just because your friend says that his/her kayak is really good for him/her, will that boat will be as good for you?
If you weigh substantially less/more then him/her, chances are that the kayak in question will behave very differently.

Hollow core Greenland paddle

Yet another masterpiece from Greg Schwarz: a laminated Greenland paddle.
Greg has been rolling avidly for some time now.
His favorite DVDs are on Greenland style technique and he challenges himself all the time with a new way to roll.
His rolling is really gentle and beautiful to watch.
He has been using a Werner Ikelos that gradually has unfeathered from a hefty 60 degrees down to 0.
For most of his rolls he prefers his blades parallel so he always knows where the face of the paddle will be when underwater (Ken Whiting advocates that in his instructional video).
Also, some of the rolls require blades to be unfeathered, like in the butterfly roll.
What amazed me though was that Greg despite his love for Greenland style paddling was however not using a Greenland paddle.
While I have witnessed most kayakers that roll (using a Euro style paddle) muscle through the water to bring themselves back up, Greg never uses much blade support when rolling.
Unlike some very good paddlers that can’t roll with a Greenland paddle (are they relying on the resistance that a big bladed Euro or wing paddle offers?) a good roll should be more rotation of the kayak with your hips/thighs than arm muscle.
Lately Greg's interest in the Greenland paddle was rekindled when he borrowed one of my sticks for a few weeks.
Not surprisingly he suddenly saw the light and after a short transition period now advocates GP for finessing a roll or for general paddling.

Greg however was not just happy with the commercial offerings that he saw; he knew he could do better.
Admittedly the sturdiness and lightness of the Werners are hard to beat but Greg saw potential in an easily worked material: Western red cedar.
Some GPs tip the scales at a hefty 1.2Kg (41 oz.) if durability and strength are a factor.
Surely there are some light Western red cedar GPs out there but it’s not unheard of a few of them failing when used with force like in a hard high brace or while surfing.
Greg decided that a laminated paddle would offer most strength and thin strips of reinforcement of Silver Ash were used for additional strength.



Using wood that adds strength usually translated to a denser material that consequently will be heavier.
The only way you could end up with a paddle that is strong but does not weigh too much is to shave away material where it is not needed.
Since the GP’s shape should not be altered too much externally, the option is to remove wood that adds little strength: internally.
On the same principal that the foam core of his Werner carbon paddle adds little strength to the whole paddle, Greg knows that the wood inside the paddle does not offer a great deal of sturdiness.
He therefore hollowed the guts (core) of his Greenland paddle.

Painstakingly removing unnecessary material from the loom sections of wood before lamination, Greg shaved away a significant amount of weight (150 gr) without compromising the integrity of the paddle.
Once the various pieces of Western red cedar and Silver Ash had the core routed out he laminated them together with epoxy.
From there he carved away the surface to achieve the desired final shape.

The finish on his paddle is epoxy first with a light coat of boiled linseed oil.
The results are amazing, something these images can’t give credit.
The joints are superb and the look is outstanding.

The paddle offers incredible buoyancy and despite its light weight has a great sturdy feel (very little flex, unlike some light weights I have tried).

For the record, Greg shaved away 150 gm of wood (hole of 20 mm diameter the length of the loom) from a 220 cm long paddle.
The loom measures 38x35 mm (oval diameter), max blade width is 87mm and tips at the scales at 865 gr (29.8 oz.).

It took him 45 hours to complete the paddle and if this paddle would be commercially available would cost a bomb.
Greg has made a second paddle for his wife Moira.
At 210 cm long, with a slightly smaller loom diameter of 35x32 mm (hollowed out at 16 mm) her paddle weights an insane 677 grams (23.4 oz.)!
Greg is confident that his paddle is as strong as any commercial offering despite being light but as any Western red cedar paddle it needs to be treated with care since it damages easier than a carbon one.

Closer to a work of art than a tool, Greg’s Greenland paddle is superb and the performance while rolling and sculling is noticeable superior to any GP I have tried.

SHOP: leakproof through bulkhead hose

In a previous post I have described a solution for a hydration system.
The water bladder sits under the deck, on a “shelf”, and the drinking hose sits in front of me on the deck.
In the Nordkapp LV the deck is lower and less space is available in the foredeck.
Water bottles positioned under the bungees on deck just don’t cut it as they often end up in the sea, especially in rougher conditions.
While on short trips carrying water on the PFD is a possible solution (small amount of water) in the heat of summer in Queensland a liter of water does not get you far.
Hydration in a subtropical locale is a serious consideration.
The water bladder could not go behind the seat (Valley makes sure that the rear cockpit bulkhead is tight against the seat) so the best solution was to place it in the day hatch.
I wanted a positive seal between the drinking hose of the hydration system and the bulkhead.
A simple hole that is just undersized drilled in the deck might not do the job: small amounts of water could still get through and wet items that are otherwise totally dry in a Valley hatch.
I decided to position the drinking hose to the left of the cockpit.
On the right hand side there is the day hatch cover and the outlet spigot for the electric bilge pump.



After drilling a smaller hole with a high speed drill (Dremel_ I use high speed or gel coat chipping can occur) I enlarged it to a slightly undersized dimension for the clear PVC water hose.
I placed an “O” ring on the hose that is slightly constrictive and let it sit on the hose for a while.
The “O” ring would create a small indent in the hose making sure it will really seal well.


I roughened up a circle on the gel coat around the hole, clear off the “O” ring, cleaned the surface with acetone and inserted a slightly greased up (mold release) hose and “O” ring hard against the gel coat.

roughened-up circle on gel coat; hose and "O" ring inserted
I mixed up a small quantity of West System epoxy 105 with 207 hardener (UV stabilized), added some tint (I didn’t like the pale yellow color) and thickened it with microfiber (for strength and workability).
With a toothpick I carefully covered the “O” ring creating a full encasement of the ring.

After curing it overnight I removed the hose (it released easily since it was greased up) and shaved away the excess epoxy to make a smooth “fitting”

epoxy still needs polishing
The “O” ring is now encased in the resin with the rubber surface against the PVC hose making it really leak proof.

PS MAR'10 For a much simpler solution that does not require epoxy Kiwibird managed to source just the right size rubber grommet.

It apppears that her solution is just as effective as mine.

If you can get hold of a grommet that fits the hose tightly I suggest to follow her set up.

The hose can still be slid in-out to shorten or lengthen it according to the paddler's needs.

The hose end inside the day hatch has a quick release coupling that came with the bladder so removing and filling up the bladder is a breeze.
The hose is usually stashed under the deck bungees and can be easily reached when needed for a drink.

After trying different solutions for a drinking system this one seems to address all the shortcomings of the other(*) systems.

* other systems that I tried:

-1) water bottle on deck: not enough water, fall off and hinder some paddle strokes.
-2) water bladder on PFD: if enough water in bladder for a day’s supply PFD becomes rather heavy on the shoulders. Also hinders rolling.
-3) water bladder in cockpit and drinking hose threaded through tunnel of spray deck: bad idea in case of wet exit (rough waters) and inevitably pain in the butt when forgetting to remove before landing :-)

PS: Kiwibird simplified the drink hose system by using a rubber fitting that needs no epoxy work; details here

Nordkapp LV stability

stix or Euro paddles: it's all good
On a recent paddle of 25 Km we had two Nordkapp LV in our pod.
Adventuretess and Greg Schwarz love those kayaks for different reasons.
Tess loves how it performs in rough waters (video here) and she prefers it to other kayaks for surfing.
She also can roll that kayak very well (although she admits a Tahe Marine Greenland would be the ultimate roller, for her) and finds it very reassuring.
Greg Schwarz on the other side does not seek out the surf.
His preferred game is rolling.
He is happy to spend a few hours just playing around in the bay in front of his house.
He does that regularly. He also has admitted to me that he gets "pumped" watching Dubsides's DVD and he learns a new way to roll just about every other week.
Needless to say I ask him to show me his new tricks every time I see him.
Greg also is very happy to teach other kayakers interested in Greenland rolling technique, not formally but from the pure joy of spreading this amazing feeling when rolling.
But what I find interesting is that both Greg and Tess deem the Nordkapp LV as a "stable" boat.
I have tried to paddle the Nordkapp LV once (had to shoehorn myself into that tight cockpit) and did not find it excessively tippy.
I often hear and read that the Nordkapp LV is a kayak that a lot of paddlers find "demanding".
So, when Greg suddenly got out of his seat and stood up in the LV, I was amazed.

Therefore, I understand that what might feel very tippy for one person obviously is not for an other.
When a paddler would praise a kayak (often his/her own ride) and discard another one (sometimes one that they have not even paddled) I now view their opinion with caution.
If I want to value their opinion I ask them what other boat they paddle and what is their skill level.
What might appear as rather "tippy" to a novice it could be regarded as "dead" (too stable) by other advanced paddlers.
On that note I have to admit that a kayak that I purchased (sight unseen) a few months back and found very "demanding", is now warming up to me.
Not sure if I will even have the balance to be able to stand in a narrow kayak but practice can only make me a better paddler.

PS: a very good article on understanding stability was found at Hunter Kayak Klan.
Article here

British style kayaks

One aspect of sea kayaking that excites me at the moment is playboating.
It offers all the right elements to keep me interested: skill building, adrenaline rush and fun with friends.
While the immediate waters of Moreton Bay usually don't evoke thoughts of rough waters on occasions you can come across some clapotis where, with the right kayak, a lot of fun can be had.
As most sea kayakers, I was introduced to the sport without knowing much about kayaks.
I am not the type of person that would endlessly research something before I commit.
I learn along the way.
If at the time I would have had a mentor or an experienced person to guide me I could have gained my skills faster and probably I would have avoided learning bad habits that later take so long to change.
I might have even started with a rudderless kayak so I would be forced to understand that a kayak is steered with the whole body, not just the pedals of a flimsy rudder.
Eventually I realized that for sea kayaking in demanding waters using my rudder was not the best solution. ("boner" on paddling.net comments: ....My previous kayak had a rudder, which hindered me from learning good paddling skills; very much like training wheels...)
I was intrigued by the virtues of a skegged boat but held back too afraid that it was all too hard.
Little I knew that the learning curve is not as drastic as feared.
Slowly I started to use my paddle not just for forward travel but also for directional adjustments. Eventually I started to lift the edge of my kayak and lean the boat when surfing down a wave.
How much more fun it all became once I understood what sea kayaking in rough waters was.
Kayaks were meant to go in all direction, not just forward.
Broached by a wave, skidding along sideways, spinning around and going backwards is now all part of the endless fun that the surf zone can bring me.
While expedition kayaking is just one aspect of my time in the sea I really like to play in confused waters.
Just like this:

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