Re: [Paddlewise] Distress Signals

>From: Whitesavage & Lyle <nickjean_at_speakeasy.org>
Big snip
>Where do you all carry flares?  They get wet in my PFD pocket.  I use a
>seasock, so it's awkward to carry them in the boat where I can get to
>them easily.  Why don't kayaks have a glove compartment  in front of the
>cockpit?  Those behind the back dayhatches are tough to get to.
>
>Nick Lyle

I carry my three Skyblazers in my PFD pocket, on the theory that if I get 
seperated from my boat and am bobbing around on my Sea Seat (a sort of 
mini-liferaft) or washed ashore somewhere, I might want them.
I used to attempt to protect my old model Skyblazers (supposedly the new 
style are more watertight) by knotting them in condoms (I'd suggest the 
non-lubed kind:-). However, I found they tended to turn brown and brittle 
within a few weeks - and if you think about their actual designed purpose, I 
supposed the engineers only comtemplated them having to withstand air 
exposure for a few hours at most.
However, you can have a "glove compartment" on your kayak. I use a Voyaguer 
(brand) deck bag that has a full dryzip. It's a great place to carry the 
semi-submersible camera, binos, sunscreen, back-up Power Bars, and other 
stuff you might want during the day. (Don't carry too many of your Canadian 
Ballast Rocks (TM) in it, or you'll make the centre of gravity too high.)
A friend of mine, who is handier with fibreglass and whose kayak has more 
room under the cockpit deck, has glassed-in a seperate box under the deck in 
front of him that is accessed by a 6" screw-in hatch (available at boat 
supply stores).
Both our solutions allow you to access stuff in conditions where you would 
not want to pop the sprayskirt and risk flooding in the cockpit.

Philip Torrens
N49°16' W123°06'

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