VIDEO: kayak sailing in the bay

A few years back I would cherish the days when the forecast would call for little or no wind; these days I prefer a bit of breeze to ripple the waters of the bay and occasionally produce a few small waves. And there is nothing like popping the sail on a beam wind to make paddling so much easier.


A common misconception is to assume that a sail on a kayak is only good for downwind sailing.
With a well designed sail like the Flat Earth Sail I find that I can sail out and back with very little effort from my paddling; the wind does most of the work for me. When the breeze is not strong enough (below 10 knots) a few strokes often help to catch a wave.

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REVIEW: SEA-LECT Designs footbraces

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I paddle kayaks without rudders that use skegs for directional stability.
Most of the kayaks I own came with footbraces that are mounted on rails attached to the hull.
The footbrace pegs have sliding adjustment fore and aft to allow different paddlers' leg lengths fit correctly.
I find most footbraces' surface rather small offering me limited support for my feet, often creating a pressure spot. In trying to maintain a good paddle stroke I tend to have a positive pressure against the pegs, that after an hour or so results in discomfort.
Wiggling my feet around and repositioning them frequently indicates that the footbraces are under engineered for my requirements. In some of my kayaks I have modified the pegs where I have added a bar spanning from side to side creating a much larger platform with infinite foot positions.
The bar works very well for me but when it comes to adjust it for a different paddler it is pretty tricky.
The bar needs to have some adjustment in the mounting holes since the hull of the kayak is tapered.
Pulling back the bar for a closer fit usually requires a bit wiggling, hard pulling and occasionally cursing to get the corroded mechanism (aluminium against stainless steel fastens)  to slide.
In my latest kayak I have not installed my modification since several people borrow that boat and adjustment of the brace would be a pain.

When SEA-LECT Designs offered me to test their footbraces I was very excited.
The design on their website looked good and I awaited the arrival of a set of replacement footbraces.



As described on their website the SEA-LECT Designs footbraces are a direct swap for most brands.
I removed my Yakima rails bolts and installed the new fasteners in the same existing holes, no modifications needed.
I was even very impressed with the detail of the fasteners; the bolt comes with a cupped washer that is backed by rubber to ensure a positive seal so no leaks will occur.



SEA-LECT Designs offers also footbraces that will mount on hull-bonded studs, not just through bolts.
There are a couple of fundamental differences with SEA-LECT Designs footbraces.
The adjusting mechanism is all corrosion free and is accessible from the cockpit, while seated in the kayak.



If I need adjustment (bring the pegs closer) I just grab the tab on the rotating rod, flick it 90 degrees upwards and relocate the peg, all on-the-fly, while on the water. I can do that with Yakima footpegs too, wiggling my foot behind the peg and hopefully finding the release tab, but only works when new. After a few months corrosion sets in and the adjusting mechanism becomes very sticky.
The surface area of the SEA-LECT Designs pegs is larger and gently curved to spread the load of the feet-pushing action.
Despite wearing paddling shoes I still find Yakima's sharp pegs edges dig into my feet a bit; SEA-LECT pegs are much nicer on my feet.


SEA-LECT Design on the left, Yakima on the right.
There is one thing I don't like about the SEA-LECT Designs pegs: the angle relative to my feet.
Maybe it's a personal taste but I found the pegs oriented too much forward: I kind of like them more square.
In the process to test them thoroughly and offer the manufacturer comparison feedback I added a little plate that I bolted onto the pegs surface, angling it backwards.
After an initial paddle of 10 miles I found the modified angle more to my liking.

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Photo: sailing in rough waters

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Sunday morning paddle in the warm Queensland winter sun...  then suddenly got bumpy.



A fun outing with just 12 knots of wind.
Flat Earth sail with Northern Light Greenland paddle.
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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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Naming that boat

There are very few other things that have evoked "personification" more than a sea going vessel.
Throughout history owners of all kind of boats have been naming her (yep, apparently boats are female... alluding at the changing moods? :-) with captivating, suggestive and exotic names.
Not sure if all paddlers share my attachment to a kayak but I feel being part of "her".
Is it the tight confined space that almost wears my body or is it the medium to deliver so much pure enjoyment that personifies an inanimate object made from fibreglass and resin?
Nevertheless I have named all my kayaks even if our "love" was brief at times.
From "Wet Dream" (a name almost R rated) to Kadzait there have been 14 "girls" in my shed...

I think it's more personal to have a name to refer to, instead of the model that the manufacturer gave her (at one stage I had two of the same model).
I like to display the name of my kayak on the bow, just under the seam line.



In the past I have come up with the logo for the name myself; using the imagination and electronic tools I would fashion graphics that would work on a sea kayak.
My designs have been so far monochrome; I would cut the logo out of cast vinyl and apply it to the gel coat.
Self adhesive cast vinyl is used for sign making and I would source mine from a local supplier but "flea Bay" seems to be a good source too.
I would trace the logo over the vinyl and with a very sharp hobby knife I would neatly cut out the desired shape. I limit my designs to be rather simple with few pointy edges and no fine lines. A cut-out vinyl sticker needs to have some body if used on the bow of a sea kayak or peeling of the material will occur.


I used clear vinyl to cover the complex shape of this logo
Recently I have had the urge to spice-up a bit my logos and with the recent purchase of (yet) another kayak I held back for a while. I could design my own logo in full color, maybe even with a drop shadow or something but the quotes I got to print a one-off were rather expensive.
Then I stumbled across Kayak ID, a guy that specializes in making just the very thing I wanted: logos for kayaks in "airbrush" look.
On his website he offers a very simple way to design your own logo in a few different styles.
I asked Bob for a sample and he was happy to supply me one, with exact instructions on how to apply it without messing up.
The decal took a while to make and ship (California based company) but it was delivered in a very protective stiff cardboard envelop to prevent shipping damage.
Cleaned up my kayak as recommended and carefully applied the decal.



I think that these graphics look a lot more professional than my amateur efforts.


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Photo: sunset sailing

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Two weeks off kayaking and I needed a fix of salt water, badly.
Mid afternoon I packed my boat with the essentials for an overnighter and headed to my favorite spot just hours away.
Wind on my back, the crossing to my island was easy. Middle of winter and there wasn't a soul around; all I could hear was the breeze in the trees.
Sleeping under the stars restored my spirit.
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REVIEW: Shred Ready and Nutcase helmets

Undeniably looking goofy, just like bike helmets were on cyclists when they first appeared, helmets for sea kayaking are not very popular in my part of the pond.

A helmet for sea kayaking? really? what will they think of next...

And that’s what I thought when I used to paddle the sheltered waters of the bay.

Admittedly I can’t see much use for a helmet in an sea that has no surf and where the chance of bumping you head is rather remote.

The game changed once I realized that for me the real fun in a sea kayak is in white water and luckily most of the shores in my area where the ocean meats land are sandy with rarely I rock in sight.

While the chance of banging my noggin on a reef is remote, I have made contact with the hull of my kayak, and that of others.

As wise paddlers say: "we are just in between swims", I regard my roll as proficient but not bombproof and, despite all the rolling training and play in the surf zone, I still come out of my boat.

Tossed out of my boat, my head and my kayak sometimes decide to be in the same place at the same time.

Just like I embraced bicycle helmets years ago (way before they became compulsory) I now don a helmet when going out in conditions that might see me contacting the head with something hard.

In sea kayaking the increased risk factor over bicycles is that a knock to the head, that would make me unconscious even for a very short time, would probably spell disaster.

I was lucky to not have drowned a few years ago when crashing my windsurfer I passed out. Maybe wearing a helmet would have prevented me seeing stars even tho not sure if it would have saved me from ending in hospital for shoulder reconstruction.

In my shed I have two helmets for sea kayak surfing: the Shred Ready Shensu carbon and a Nutcase Watermelon.

The Shensu is a carbon fibre and Kevlar lid with closed cell foam interior padding. Unlike EPS foam in bicycle helmets this foam has a bit of flex and does not dimple if pressed hard but returns to its original shape. The helmet comes with pads of different thickness that attach to the bottom perimeter of the interior padding with small Velcro tabs. A fully customized fit can be achieved for a perfect feel with no pressure points.




What sets this brain bucket apart form the rest is the extremely good retention strap system. The typical under-the-chin plastic buckled strap is complemented with HOG occipital lock: a tensioning system that grabs the back of the head and keeps the helmet perfectly in place even during the most head banging spills.
I have seen this type of ratchet system on bicycle helmets and shoes and they have proven to work well.




The Shensu fits my large head well. I have struggled to find a helmet that could offer me comfort and security at the same time. Most other helmets I have tried just felt like a bucket on my head often putting pressure on the temples. If however your head is shaped differently Shred Ready offers a more elongated style that fits smaller heads: the more budget-conscious Super Scrappy is injection molded ABS shell that won't break the bank.

The Nutcase has a more conventional helmet look with its shell shape shared with many other sport helmets for skateboarding and bike riding.
What sold me with this helmet was the funky graphics: it's not like I can hide wearing a helmet so I might as well stand out :-0
This water version has an ABS Shell with the same closed cell foam (EVA) lining that cradles the head but doesn't absorb water.



Additional comfort open-cell padding found on top of the head keeps this helmet comfortably seated.
There are removable heat molded foam ear flaps to protect me from lateral light impacts but I found those flaps pressing down on my non-Dumbo ears after a while. With some careful gentle heat-gun action I slightly reshaped the flaps and domed them to create the perfect fit.



Nutcase uses one size shell for their adult helmets but increase the inside EVA padding for the S-M size.
The Nutcase comes with additional small soft pads that can be used for a custom fit but I didn't need them in my L-XL one; the fit is smaller than the Shensu.


Now the question remains: does everybody need a helmet when paddling?
Probably not. The fat chance of banging one's  head while paddling on a Sunday morning millpond condition outing doesn't really warrant one but somehow I feel safer wearing my helmet when the waves get steeper and the surf traffic wanting to share the same space increases.



PS: no shwag and no kick-backs for this review either. Bought the helmets with my own money and no prompts from the manufacturers. 
Heck, I don't even sell or monetise nothing on this website... 
One downside: I receive almost daily offers from totally unrelated Chinese manufactures asking me to become their agent for electronic parts , carbon  fibre or plastic goods. I even had offers from website design managers in USA and India offering me to maximize my "profitability" :-)
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VIDEO: Zipper Zone Futzing

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I like it bumpy, always have.
From bicycles pedalled on rocky terrain, motorcycles ridden off road to bushwalking cross country I recognize a passion for the challenging conditions.
Mindless rhythmical power exertion of my body does not interest me and I usually seek locations where skills and balance are more important than muscles. The same goes for sea kayaking: I seek waters that offer a bit of excitement and unpredictability, where I have to use my body and bracing to keep myself upright.

select HD if you have fast Internet connection

 My local paddling location is a sheltered bay away from ocean swell and lacking a rocky coastline I don’t have anywhere to practice my balancing skills in clapotis rebound. Moreton Bay however has a decent tidal flow with 6-7 feet of height variation at spring tides creating shifting banks of sand a few miles from the shore. Power boaters avoid the area and take a different route to travel to the big sandy Moreton Island. I instead seek those locations where tidal flow, residual ocean swell and small wind waves, from the opposite direction, meet over shallow waters of sand banks. The opposing forces of the two waves collide and at the right moment peak high with a great splash. With the confidence offered by the Northern Light Greenland paddle, I play in the area hoping to get caught in the very spot of collision to get tossed high in the air.

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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.

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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