[Paddlewise] Kayak Radar visibility

A group of us once paddled in heavy fog among islands on the coast of 
Maine.  A Coast Guard boat loomed up from the mist and suggested we 
stay out of the channel.  They said we were only barely detectable 
with their hotshot radar, and would likely be entirely undetectable 
by average marine radar systems on private yachts. We encountered 
this patrol in an area of dead flat calm water.  We were not 
"obscured by waves".   We were studying navigation at the time.

I recently received a request for information about making kayaks 
detectable on radar.  

I don't have a useful response.  On those occasions that we paddled 
in heavy fog (visibility 100 yards), we stayed in a tight group, 
listened for other boats, sounded horns upon hearing other boats, 
heard their horns in reply, and listened as they veared around us. We 
never saw them.  We stayed out of boating channels except to cross, 
and crossed rapidly when we heard no traffic.  We mostly avoided 
traffic in this way.

Can anyone provide  some useful advice or experience on making 
sea kayaks visible to radar when paddling in heavy fog ?

Thanks,
Chuck Sutherland
e-mail:   <skimmer_at_mail.enter.net>  
http://www.enter.net/~skimmer
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