Technique: pitching a tent on rocky slabs

My favorite natural environment is rock; granite to be precise.
I am not a rock climber these days but I have always gravitated to locations where exposed granite forms the landscape.
Last season I traveled to the  High Sierras, to a familiar area.
This season I chose to undertake a sea kayak trip instead where thousands of little island gently emerge from the sea and create incredibly smooth landscapes.
There is a strong similarity between the High Sierra and the Stockholm archipelago; both have glacially polished granite, the latter at sea level.
For the Sierras I chose a very light shelter since I knew I didn't need an inner tent to protect myself from insects.



For Sweden I chose a tunnel tent: a known design able to shed wind well.
I chose a non-freestanding tent over a more pitch-friendly free standing one because of weight and bulk. I dislike travelling with heavy gear and flying across the word to reach my destination usually limits my choice of equipment; there is an incredible difference between car camping and international travel.

Tunnel tents however pose some problems when pitching on hard ground.
Staking out the ends of the tent is essential  to keep the tent erect (unlike in a freestanding tent).
Since polished granite offers too much resistance for conventional pegging (like rock-hard ground!) a little tinkering on my part is usually necessary to have a secure shelter for the night.



Instead of relying on pegs at the stake point I collect a stick and a couple of decent size rocks.
I insert the stick into the stake loop of the tent and place it horizontally on the ground where a large rock will secure it in place. I find that a rock on top of a stick is generally a way better anchor than a typical tent peg pushed into soft ground.

Furthermore, where the ground is a polished slab there are usually a few cracks.
Here is where I like to place a little wired metal wedge designed for rock-climbing  (aka stoppers, nuts, rocks etc).
A carefully placed wedge is bombproof and no amount of wind will rip that anchor out.


Black Diamond stopper
In locations where there is little to no trees, or large boulders to create a wind break, I am confident that my tunnel tent will stand  up to strong winds, even without any pegs secured into the ground.




Omega Pacific wedgie

DIY: repair a cracked paddle

It had to happen: I cracked the carbon fibre paddle.
Since I have been appointed ambassador for Northern Light paddles I have trying hard to see what that paddle can take.
From gingerly taking off in textured waters in a sprint first to becoming more aggressive with my rolling, I eventually took the NLP Greenland in the surf. To me it feels the most comfortable blade when paddling in waves but I had my reservations that it could take the surf and my ungraceful tumbles when tossed in a kayak.
But no matter what I subjected my paddle to it always delivered with no sign of problems.
Paul from Northern Light Paddles said that there was no reason I should hold back with the 3-piece Greenland and he really wanted to see what his paddles could do when treated rough.



I obliged.
Pushing off from the shore when beach launching I would dig deep into the sand to propel myself before I hit the water. On rocky shores my timing would be out occasionally and I found myself pushing off rocks to prevent ending against them.
My previous wooden paddles were reinforced with epoxy to minimize tip damage but there was no way I could abused them like that.
Not to mention my high-end carbon foam-core Euro paddles where inserting them in the sand and then pry off would simply result in snapping the blade.

I was enjoying myself in shallow waters getting tossed around by the waves washing over a bank of sand. I was bracing to keep myself upright occasionally touching the bottom when suddenly a larger waves tossed me sideways and I instinctively braced and pushed down hard to keep myself upright.
My full body weight plus the force of the kayak sideways was leveraged on the Northern Light paddle.
I heard a creak and looked down. Nothing seemed to be wrong; paddle looked fine but I didn't want to push my luck and called it a day.
Later on at home I wanted to inspect the paddle and see what that noise was.
That's where I found the hairline crack.



The insert on the loom of the 3 piece paddle had almost failed.
I was not too upset since a loom is fairly easy and inexpensive to replace but then I remembered the short insert that comes with every Northern Light paddle that transform it into a "storm" paddle.
It was the exact dimensions of the cracked insert bonded to the loom.
I knew that epoxy's melting point is not that high and a heat gun can soften the resin enough to make it loose its grip.
I would lie if I say that it was an easy job but 15 minutes later with the aid of the heat gun I managed to separate the insert from the loom tube.
I cleaned up the residual resin and used a bit of epoxy glue (epoxy resin and microfibre) to bond the new insert into the loom. I bolted the blades together making sure things were aligned.
The next morning the paddle looked solid and after testing everything looked kosher.
I was paddling with the same paddle the next day not showing any signs of damage or mismatching.
One thing is sure: no Euro paddle of mine can be repaired at home with such incredible ease.
As for the Northern Light Greenland paddle, I now play in deeper waters.

REVIEW: the best roof rack

I was shopping for a new car and since my current one had factory roof rails I was hoping that the existing roof rack could be transferred to my new wheels.
My search for a replacement vehicle was pointing towards a car that had no rails and I almost discarded that vehicle because of it.
I wanted the security of a seriously well anchored roof rack since I have seen one too many flimsy and ill fitting clip-on style roof racks fail. Transporting a kayak or two on a rack that is just secured by some kind of friction mount against the recess of the car's door is NOT my idea of safety.
Having kayaks come off the roof at high speed on the highway, where up lifting forces are greatest, is a terrible scenario, with possible consequences of causing somebody behind me to crash and possibly die.
Nah, I wanted a bolt-on serious racks.
The vehicle I eventually settled on offered no factory rails but my search for a decent roof racks revealed that some brands offer anchors that pierce the sheet metal of the roof and are permanently bolted to the car; I like that idea.
Some brands required drilling several holes into the roof of the car and installing a long flush "rail" to then accept a tower and roof rack.
Not exactly unobtrusive and maybe a bit esthetically questionable on some vehicles but the rail solutions allows for quick removal of the roof rack assembly.
On my previous car I had Rola roof bars that were clamped onto the elevated factory car rails.
The solution was good allowing me to transport two kayaks side-by-side in a lay-down position.


Rola clamp-on bars on car with factory rails
I prefer that option since in the heat of summer a light high-end kayak (epoxy lay-up) can deform if transported on its side on a "J" cradles.
The contact area of the standard swiveling cradles is so much greater that the J cradle base, not to mention the security and sturdiness (no wobble).
One thing that really annoyed me with Rola rails was the noise that the rails created at highway speed.
When not transporting kayaks, to make my rails quiet, each time I would have to remove the kayak cradles and replace the rubber strip to cover the T slot in the rail: not exactly a swift and easy operation. I did that only twice when I planned a long drive (1000 miles) but, since I used the cradles weekly, I just left them on other times and put up with the noise.
Now, having to purchase a new rack system, I wanted something quiet.
Whispbar from Pro Rack seemed the best solution guaranteeing a noiseless ride.
The rails are wing shaped to eliminate turbulence causing noise and they don't effect gas mileage, the feet are low profile and tapered to eliminate whistling.



I still remember those agricultural offerings that I used to sell when I managed a bicycle shop in USA: they remind me of a Meccano set where parts were just bolted together with no consideration to noise or aesthetics. They might have looked OK on a Jeep but I thought that they were so out of place on a streamlined modern car.
Whispbar was offering a permanent drill and bolt-on base for their modular rack system but my car was too new (and uncommon); there was no mention of compatibility.
I searched on the net for rail installs on the same car in USA and found some samples of similar set ups. While I was risking setting off the side curtain air bags I  drilled the roof of my car.
All went well and the small anchor pads were riveted solidly to the edge of the car's roof.


anchor pad and stud for roof rack mount
The rivets are high strength stainless steel and require a commercial style pop-riveter (tore apart my light duty one trying to pull the heavy duty rivets).
The base is now super solid and the rack can not accidentally come off no matter how fast I drive or how much crosswind there is.
There is no noise while I drive and I don't have to remove the cradles: the T slot rail has a built-in rubber strip that seals the void around the cradles. Simple but ingenious.


end of rail flap open to reveal T slot detail
The overhanging rails are wide enough to fit most vehicles and when the time will come to get a new car I will not need to shop for a new rack system. All I will need is 4 small metal pads to rivet onto the roof (also modular with door clips).


small anchor pad riveted to roof (rack removed)
The bonus part of riveting the pads is that the spread can be way greater than the typical between-the-doors clip-on racks. The kayaks sit much more securely (less pitching). I purposely spaced the bars to the length of a bicycle's wheel base. When I transport a bike I don't need a bulky (and expensive) bike carrier. I secure the fork to a simple block with a T bolt fitting that slides nicely inside the roof rack rail, The rear wheel is secured by an old school toe strap. Simple, light, quiet, aerodynamic and cheap. However I can't boast to the world: look, I am a bike rider :-)

While I was not satisfied with the Rola roof rails I was pleased with their kayak cradles.
I have tried several brands (Thule, Thule J cradles, Rhino, "no brand", custom foam blocks, Yakima) No other cradle offers me the ability of the swinging Rola cradles and the hinged pad that contours the hull better than a fixed one.


swiveling Rola kayak cradles
Rola cradles self adjust and never create a hard spot that can lead to hull deformation (in the summer heat).
Where Rola come short with their kayak cradles is the simple nut that is housed inside the thumb wheel. While their T bolt  is made from stainless steel the actual nut on the adjusting thumb wheel is mild steel. Not the best choice of material for hardware designed to transport salty kayak. Needless to say the mild steel nuts rusted and froze onto the studs. I had to split one plastic wheel and remove the frozen nut with a spanner.
When contacting Rola for a replacement part (thumb wheel) their  reply was:
"... You will need to purchase a new cradle. Part number 25-0069 - RRP $41.00..."

I felt insulted and I want point out here Rola's poor customer service policy.
Not only the rusty nut is a design fault but I find the way the problem was handled is sub standard. It seems that it was too difficult to send me a single thumb wheel and, if Rola manufacturing is done in Australia, how hard would it be to reach for one in the bin and ship it?
I am used to a different style of customer service where a design fault is addressed and remedy is offered.
I ended up sourcing the simple thumb wheel somewhere else ($2).
I generally prefer to deal with companies that offer to repair the faulty/damaged item instead of forcing me to buy a whole new unit while the old would be still perfectly functional with just a small part replaced.
I think that companies like Patagonia for example, where repair is high on the priority list, no matter who is at fault, base their success on an ethical approach to manufacturing and customer service.
Needless to say that they are also the leading brand when it comes to REAL green manufacturing policies and practices. But that will be a future post.

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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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GEAR: sea kayak sail_update

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Several years of using sails on my sea kayaks has lead to refining my initial set up.
I no longer sew my sails but I still create my rigging, using custom made carbon masts.
On some narrower kayaks my sail set up was not as bombproof as I would like it to be where in a strong breeze (above 20 knots) the mast would not keep vertical and the little polymer base would deform under the lateral pressure of the wind. In a beam wind I would like to have my mast in a vertical position, making the sail more efficient and increase a bit of speed.
Mick at Flat Earth Kayak Sails has developed a brilliant way to reduce the down pressure on the flexible joint and is now shipping his sail with a new system where the mast contacts directly the removable fitting.
I want to use carbon fibre masts but I have been unable to find an off-the-shelf mast that would replicate Mick's system.
Not wanting to bond aluminum to carbon to create the oversize sleeve for the mast, the only way I could achieve what I wanted was to modify my existing masts to create the sliding foot sleeve.

mast uphauled
Instead of having a larger diameter mast running the whole length, I just made a short sleeve out of glass fibre tape wound around a tube of slightly larger diameter than my carbon mast. Once cured I bonded a the sleeve section to the base of the existing mast and covered it with carbon cloth for strength, and looks :-)
The sleeve section slides over a stubby base with the flexible polymer allowing the mast touch the actual hard surface of the red plastic base.
No load is now exerted on the polymer so it will no longer deform when the mast is uphauled and cinched down hard.

mast lifted for demo purposes
Of course the mast can still be lowered as before and when the sail is folded onto the deck the mast slides back up just enough to allow the flexible polymer do its job.



To prevent the sliding mast and the stubby base come apart I have used a short piece of shock cord threaded internally holding the two together.



I have also improved my anchor point for the stays on the mast.
I no longer use a stainless steel ring riveted with a saddle to the carbon tube but I prefer the use of soft Dyneema core line bonded directly to the mast with a section of carbon fibre cloth.
The load is distributed better and there is no risk of cracking the thin carbon tube with the pressure of installing (pulling) a stainless steel rivet.

mast rotated to show the carbon cloth anchor for the Dyneema cord
I have been using the new recessed anchors with great success, locating them right on the seam of the hull/deck to achieve a wider stance and a better load angle.
The stainless steel shackles are now heat shrunk (see warning below) to the Dyneema stays so they don't rotate when the sail is lowered on deck.



The whole assembly, viewed from the bow.


WARNING:
update 04JAN13
Richard Sharp from SEQSK has this to say:
"I had the sail up in 20knots and got hit by a gust which tipped me in. It
was at that point that I noticed the sidestay had snapped. Finding it hard
to believe that this was possible given the breaking point of spectra, I
examined the break closely. It was then that I discovered that where it had
snapped the internal spectra cord was melted together. See the enclosed
photos."





It appears that the core has melted while the outer sheet remained OK.
Using a heat gun at close quarters causes the Dyneema/Spectra fibres to fuse and become very weak.
The melting point of Dyneema is much lower than the outer polyester (pictured here black) and no noticeable damage was visible from the outside.
He now prefers to use the heat shrink only over the loose end of the rope, not over the entire knot and apply very gentle heat for longer to allow the tube to shrink.

REVIEW: Kokatat MsFit and OutFit life jackets

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After 6 years of paddling with a Kokatat MsFit Tour it was time to look for a new life jacket (aka PFD).
The MsFit Tour served me well but there were just a few little things that slightly annoyed me.
Instead of replacing the MsFit with an updated version of the same I went for the OutFit Tour, the men's version.
So what's the difference/impovement between the two jackets?



The MsFit (yellow) is designed specifically for women even tho a lot of guys fit that PFD well.
The pocket arrangement is similar but the position of those is slightly different.
The OutFit locates the pockets more towards the centre of the chest while the MsFit has the pockets slightly more to the sides.



I find that the new OutFit clears my arms better than the MsFit for my relatively low stroke paddling.
The side pockets on the new OutFit have two zippered compartments and they are just big enough to carry my compact camera so it's always accessible while paddling.
On the MsFit the camera would occasionally interfere with my paddling.



On the OutFit the pocket designed to house a VHF radio is now totally in the centre of the chest. I would not know if that is a better position since I don't carry a VHF there (not enough room to contain a dry-bagged radio).
Inside the front zippered opening there is a pocket for flares or a strobe light.



The shoulder straps have remained mainly unchanged and the heat moulded foam still pads the top excellently. The excess from the adjustment webbing is perfectly tucked into it's own sleeve and there is no annoying flapping of webbing hitting my face in a breeze.



There is no pocket on the back for a water bladder since Kokatat prefers to offer it as an add-on. I find carrying water on my shoulders a nuisance (and tiring) and I prefer to stow it below deck with a drinking hose.


rescue knife lashing point has now a neat pocket to prevent catching it inadvertedly

The torso length on the OutFit is longer and while it fits me well I think that paddlers with a short torso would be better served by the MsFit.
The fabric is first class Cordura (the real deal, not a look-alike). This high tenacity fabric has proven to be extremely abrasion resistant in my backpacks and works just as well in salt water.
All the webbing is bar-tacked making a pull-out a rarity. Friends I paddle with also have Kokatat PFDs and so far no webbing failures.
What has failed in one jacket is the fabric fraying in one seam where the edge of the fabric has pulled out. It didn't compromise the jacket but a few stitches saved the fabric of unravelling further.
I try to keep my life jacket free from mould by rinsing it in fresh water after every outing. A salty jacket left in a warm and humid place like Queensland attracts moisture (hygroscopic effect of salt) leading to deterioration of the fabric by mildew growth.
I also avoid using greasy type sun block cream that seems to make the matter worse around the face/neck area (real grunge mouldy look). I prefer using a UV blocking sunscreen that is clear liquid and leaves no residue on my clothing or PFDs.
I never use my jacket as a padding to seat on at the beach or camp. Closed cell foam does get compressed by the body weight (even more so in my "hefty" case) making the jacket less buoyant.
Last but not least I don't consider my life jacket a Xmas tree. Adorning my PFD with all the possible gadgets and trinkets would make it hardly positively buoyant offering me very little help when I would need it most: keep me afloat!



PS before some readers get their panties in a bundle again may I point out that this review involved no "free samples" from Kokatat, no money into my Swiss Bank account and even less no free services from an escort agency. Geez, somebody at least buy me beer...
Yep, bought the PFDs with my own dow and nobody prompted me to write this. So, free samples or not, why do I bother to write this shit? coz I like this gear and somebody else might benefit from my review.

PSS sorry, the above was uncalled for... or was it :-)

GEAR: SEA-LECT Designs hatch covers

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I regard sea kayaking a wet sport and getting wet is just part of the game.
Water inside the cockpit is often inevitable since I have not found yet a spray deck that really seals 100% (quality tuilik excepted). While I have leaned to live with a bit of water in the cockpit after rolling or heavy seas , I can not understand why so many kayaks have leaking hatches.
A hatch that leaks badly and takes on a gallon of water on a rough paddle it downright dangerous and should be immediately attended to and repaired. What bothers me also are the little leaks that occur in the hatches that apparently have a good hatch cover. I might be anal or OCD but I think there is no need to have sloppy workmanship or design to deliver a kayak with hatch covers that don’t seal well.
Recently one of my not so old kayaks (admittedly I buy new kayaks quite often) the day hatch started to leak. I swapped the cover with another kayak (same size lid) and reduced the leak but never really eliminated it. It annoys me to have wet gear in my hatches: why could not my spare clothing be dry when I need it? why do I have to keep everything in good dry bags to keep it safe? why do I have to wash with freshwater the hatches because they accumulate brine? There has to be a better way.
I managed to rectify the problem on my Zegul 520 with replacement rubber lids from Kajak-Sport (the dual density leaked badly in the heat) but it is also my Valley day hatch that leaks. Some of my paddling friends have noticed their VCP day hatch covers have started to deteriorate and crack; prompted by their concern I checked mine and I noticed the same: cracking of the foam-rubber. After hearing reports from so many kayakers that VCP covers had to be replaced too often and too soon I searched for alternatives. SEA-LECT Designs seems to be the only viable alternative to the factory replacement Valley hatch covers.


Sea-Lect day hatch cover: no edges to promote unintentional opening
Paddle Sport is the Australian importer for SEA-LECT Designs and Bruce offered me to test some samples. He sent me a day hatch and an oval hatch for my Valley kayak. The SEA-LECT covers are very different than the VCP ones, in material and design. Since I have previously had a bad experience with dual density hatch covers, where the inner hard plastic material would expand too much in the heat and become so loose to let water in, I was a bit concerned with the SEA-LECT one too. SEA-LECT Designs covers are also dual density material (injection molded polycarbonate and TPU material.) but the centre part is much stiffer and the lid shape is domed.

3 solid anchor for a lanyard
The underside of the dome has 3 hard plastic tabs where a lanyard can be attached to. Theses tabs are solid and won't get ripped out anytime soon, unlike the VCP ones.
The hatch cover is installed by depressing the dome firmly to make it expand on pop onto the rim. The action is extremely swift and positive.
Watch video below:

click to view video
The day hatch cover is too easy to install: center it and press down. Done!
It sits very tight on the rim and can not be dislodged unless pulled by the tab. No longer can the lid be popped open when doing a rescue since there are no edges to grab or catch. There is no longer the risk to flood the day hatch by inadvertently removing the hatch cover when you need it the least. The oval hatch cover needs a bit more pressure to pop onto the rim so dumping surf will not implode it. The biggest advantage on the SEA-LECT oval hatch is the thinner perimeter lip.


notice the clearance between hatch cover lip and deck recess
VCP hatch covers need to have the flange of the oval hatch pushed carefully into place or a tight seal is compromised. On some Valley (and other) kayaks I have noticed the black rim not aligned well to the deck recess making this sealing process really difficult. With a  SEA-LECT oval hatch there is plenty of clearance and there is no need to follow the flange with your thumb and press into place.
This feature alone makes me want to replace all my hatch covers with SEA-LECT.
Beside the "slimming black", the covers also come in red, yellow or blue: perfect for the kayaker fashionista.

PS as promised to Steve G (see comments) here are a couple of images of detoriorated VCP day hatch covers

UPDATE 10DEC12
GDN reader Frank Baron from Florida, USA had a much more serious case of VCP hatch covers deterioration; his lids literally crumbled away...


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GEAR: Greenland spare paddle on rear deck

With the recent shipment from Northern Light  I now have a high quality spare paddle on the rear deck of my kayaks.
I paddle exclusively with traditional style paddles and so far I have been forced to carry a Euro paddle as a spare.
I rarely had to use my spare but it would be unwise to venture out at sea without one; after all if I lost/broke my main paddle I would be left using just my hands or having to be towed.
My DIY split Aleut paddle was never tested in rough waters but I am not sure if it would have held up.
Some paddlers (Greg Schwarz for example) carry a full size GP on the front deck of their kayak.
I tried to configure a way to carry a full size on my kayak but the deck is shaped differently and just would not work. A full size paddle would not sit flat and would protrude too far outside the deck risking to catch a wave in heavy seas and possibly dislodge.
My Zegul 520 doesn't lend itself to have a split paddle up front either; really the best place it the rear deck.
Northern Light sectional carbon paddles seem to almost have been designed in conjunction with that kayak; the split NLP sits incredibly well in the recess of the deck.




No other paddle that I have tried sits as secure and has such a low profile.
Retrieving the NLP is much easier than my Euro paddles, that must be secured by a tight bungee wrapped around the shaft to prevent dislodging in heavy seas.
While the carbon Greenland is a real strong paddle I was wondering what would happen if I had to retrieve and assemble one in bumpy conditions.
Would the inserted shaft really fit tightly enough to paddle for a while and, without being screwed together, not come apart?
Well, I never really tried it but I didn't want to find out by accident.
I kind of like things to be really secure and after discussing the idea with Paul from Northern Light I sourced a little plastic plug that can be just pushed into the metalthread instead of having to use the Allen key stainless steel screw.

Of course I will remember to have a few of those nifty plugs handy in my PFD.



After some testing, the plastic plug seems to really secure the paddle together and no amount of pulling managed to separate it.
The NLP approach to positively assemble the sections with fasteners instead of a snap-together style joiner is in my experience a better solution.
On my carbon Euro paddles the so beautiful tight joiner, that would fit perfectly together when new, soon developed a bit of slop; eventually the paddle would wobble so bad that it needed to be replaced, luckily under warranty.

An alternative to a full size paddle it to carry a Northern Light paddle in the "storm" format.
Every NLP comes with a joiner that transforms a full size paddle into a short one that has a very short loom. A storm paddle sits perfectly fully assembled on the back of my deck without much protrusion past the stern.

NLP on rear deck in "storm" configuration
 A storm paddle is a fully functional alternative to a full size GP but it takes a bit of practice to develop a solid sliding stroke.
A skilled paddler can use a storm GP as efficiently as a full sized one but for now I am not confident to use a storm paddle in the surf; my rolling however seems to be unaffected.

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TEST: waterproof camera drop

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I have convinced myself that there is no durable waterproof compact camera on the market yet. These so called waterpoof cameras don't last if used regularly for sea kayaking. Corrosion creeps past the pretty external metal shell and kills the internal electonic components.
I have however never tested if they are as tough as they claim to be.
Only one way to find out...


While the test was more for "effect" than a scientific experiment it appears that the two candidates can survive normal drops even on concrete.
A typical accident would be slipping the camera out of my hand and onto the ground. Most times the hight would be around 3 feet. But what happens when the camera hits the ground from 6 feet? or even higher like 10 feet and 20 feet?
Watch and be amazed :-)



Surprisingly these so called "waterproof" cameras did not explode like most other compact cameras would. Only the tiny sticker on the selector dial of the Olympus Tough came flying off (at 1:13); no other bits broke off the two cameras.
At 10 feet I managed to crack the lens cover on the Tough, after 3 drops.

glass lens cover cracked at 10 feet drop
At 20 feet things got out of shape, I mean the poor camera bodies compressed so badly that permanently deformed the case.

camera body defomed and no longer aligned with front plate

ouch...

metal corner compressed and deformed from repeated 20 feet drops
Unfortunately I was unable to veryfy if the cameras were still working after each drop: corrosion claimed their respective "ghosts" long time ago :-)

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FAIL: sail set up

I have noticed an increase in popularity of the single-mast sails for sea kayaking. I find the forward (of the hatch) mounted sail to be the easiest and most efficient sail to use while paddling.
I never liked the twin mast one and even less the step mast ones where the sail would interfere with my paddling stroke.
I believe that a collapsible mast is a safe sail too, taking only a split second to depower when the wind suddenly becomes just too strong to sail.
I currently use Flat Earth Sails and while they are more efficient than similar style sails (lateen) they require thoughtful mounting.
I have seen and read about sails that have failed when the breeze picked up above 15 knots; surprisingly those failures could have been avoided if the sailor would have set them up correctly.

A single mast sail should be kept as vertical as possible when sailing since tilting the kayak away from the breeze usually spills the wind and slows the boat down.
While often unavoidable, a paddler should counteract the heeling of the kayak to maintain proper balance and forward momentum.
When I set up a sail on my kayaks I take a fair amount of time to create the perfect-length stays. I  secure high quality line (always Dyneema) to a very solid anchor on deck.
My anchors are spaced widely apart on the edge of the kayak's deck. Using existing deck fitting for anchors only works if they are in the right spot.Early experimentation demonstrated that stays too close to the base will not keep the mast upright.
Proper length stays are a critical component to successful sailing.
As unsolicited advice can be met with contempt, I often refrain from commenting (on the spot) when I see a set up destined to fail.
I have witnessed stays attached to the kayak's perimeter lines because the owner didn't want/care to create proper anchors for the stays.
When perimeter lines do stretch under the strain of the wind the mast would then often collapse.


not so good set up
Needless to say the paddler would then blame the sail manufacturer and tout that his sails are rubbish.

So how do you set up the sail to keep up in strong winds?
I mentioned Dyneema line, in my opinion the crucial part. Nylon stretches when wet and elongates under load.
Secondly I make sure that the stays are just a bit on the short side. When the wind loads the sail the polymer mast joiner (base) deforms a bit and compresses. A stay that is a bit too long would then angle the mast precariously.

sail about to collapse
Lastly I make sure that the deck of my kayaks don't flex under the base of the mast.
Most kayaks' decks are not designed to take a concentrated load in one spot. Peaked decks are better but often still not strong enough.
Since I don't like creating metal plates externally under the mast's base, I prefer to reinforce the deck of the kayak internally. A few layers of quality fibreglass cloth (even carbon, if I have any scraps laying around) make a much neater set up than agricultural looking metal plates, in my opinion, and lighter.

sail set up with mast in upright position
I use quality cleats that keep the uphaul line in position. I hate nylon cleats that let the rope slip.
A tensioned uphaul will keep the mast upright.
And finally the fasteners that keep the stays attached to the deck anchors.
I don't use snap links and even less clasps.
Nothing is more solid, secure and unobtrusive than a proper small "D" shackle.
It might take a second longer to secure it but I am positively sure it won't let go.

So, if your sail set up has failed you consider checking the above pointers.
If any other cause is not keeping your sail upright I might be able to advise you on a solution.

JUL 2012: updates on sail set up here
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