My roll technique needs work, so I bought a paddle float for wet exit re-entry. Does Anyone have suggestions for secure storage on / in the boat? I'm concerned with making sure it stays put in an accessible spot but still allows cold fingers to easily un hook it from the boat. Thanks! Bill Chitty email: gwchitty_at_swissinfo.org website: www.geocities.com/gwchitty *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bill asks: <<Does Anyone have suggestions for secure storage on / in the boat?>> NOT ON THE DECK! I see sooo many pumps and paddlefloats part from the deck and wash out to sea. Not to mention waterbottles. I roll it up and slide it between the side of the seat and the hull or stuff it somewhere in the cockpit so it'll stay put until needed. NOT topsides! steve *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bill asks: >Does Anyone have suggestions for secure storage on >in the boat Steve commented >I roll it up and slide it between the side of the seat >and the hull or stuff it somewhere in the cockpit so >it'll stay put until needed. G'Day, I do the same as Steve but have also fibreglassed a stainless steel ring between the seat and side of the hull through which the strap for the paddlefloat goes so it can't be washed out of the cockpit during a wet exit. I've tried undoing the strap many times during practise rescue sessions with no problems. My old paddlefloat has now been replaced and the new one comes with a long cord attached so I'm about to try using it with the cord connected to this ring. The steel ring is also a useful attachment point for securing the boat against theft! And for attaching bags of vegemite, which is not only very good for you but tastes marvellous as well and will improve your paddlefloat technique and the Australian economy no end if only you eat enough of it!! All the best, PeterO (Who doesn't own any shares in Vegemite but is merely a very satisfied customer) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Flatpick warns against storing you float on deck, pump too. I use a Greenland paddle and so have only found 1 float to really fit the blade, and it has a strap with a plastic buckle to secure it to a deck line. That will probably stay attached but without it, I'm sure it would be 1 more piece of flotsam. Same with a pump. I try to store everything I don't want to lose below, except on flatwater where I know nothing will be stressed, (day trips). My jacket though is carried on the rear deck at risk. Kevin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I mounted a couple of small-diameter bungee cords on the after bulkhead of my Romany's cockpit. The bungees run vertically, and hold one or two folded paddle floats against the bulkhead quite nicely. I find it quite easy to remove the paddle float after a capsize and exit or by reaching behind me if somebody else needs it. To mount the bungee cords, I made fittings of fiberglass and tent pole sections. To make similar fittings, scuff up a piece of small-diameter aluminum tent pole about three or four inches long with coarse sandpaper, and lay it on a flat sheet of plastic -- a freezer-weight gallon Zip-loc bag will do. Mix up some West System or equivalent epoxy resin and brush it onto the pole section and onto the plastic for about an inch on either side of the pole section. Center a piece of fiberglass cloth about 3 inches long by two inches wide over the pole section, and gently prod it into the resin using a matchstick. Brush more resin on the cloth until it is saturated. Lay another plastic bag over the assembly and weight it down by placing a chunk of two-by-four on either side of the pole section, almost touching it. Let the resin cure, then peel off the plastic and slice the pole section and fiberglass into four pieces, each about 3/4 inch long, using a hacksaw or, preferably, a cutting disk on a Dremel Moto Tool or similar small grinder. Trim excess fiberglass with a scissor, and remove any burrs or sharp edges with a sharp knife such as an X-Acto knife with a number 11 blade. To mount the fittings on a fiberglass bulkhead, mark where you want the fittings, and then roughen the areas slighty with sandpaper. Also roughen the flat bottoms of the fittings. For holding a paddle float, the fittings should be mounted in pairs with the tubes of each pair in line, so that you could sight through them if the cockpit coaming weren't in the way. They should be at least an inch farther apart than the folded paddle float is wide. If possible, stand the kayak on end, bow up. Mix up more epoxy, apply it to the fitting bottoms, place the fittings on the bulkhead, and tape them in place until the epoxy sets. Now tie a figure-eight knot in the end of a length of bungee just small enough to fit through the tubes of your new fittings. Push the other end of the bungee through one of the two in-line pairs of fittings. Stretch it to the tension you want, and tie a figure-eight knot in the other end of the bungee. The bulk of the knots should be large enough to keep them from slipping through the fittings. Do the same with your other pair of fittings. Then insert your paddlefloat, check the tension of the bungees, adjust if necessary, and cut off any excess bungee. These fittings, which are fairly low-profile, also work for tethering a hatch cover to the inside of its compartment. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I use a paddle float that has Fastex buckles to fasten 'round the paddle shaft. To put it in the kayak, I made up short loops of webbing with matching Fastex buckles and some tri-glides and attached the webbing bits to the line that holds my seat back in the kayak. A bit of elastic keeps the float rolled up and I just clip it in behind the seat. No sewing involved. I threw this together to show the bits: http://members.rogers.com/michaeldaly2/paddleFloatAttach.htm Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Scherrer" <flatpick_at_teleport.com> > NOT ON THE DECK! I see sooo many pumps and paddlefloats part from the deck > and wash out to sea. Not to mention waterbottles. > > I roll it up and slide it between the side of the seat and the hull or stuff > it somewhere in the cockpit so it'll stay put until needed. I second this. In addition, I take the strap with the fastek buckles on it and clip it around the seat pillar so that the float stays in until needed. My pump fits in the same place, just underneath the paddle float. Kayaks in the ocean (where they truly belong) should have a clean deck. Junk on the foredeck interferes with both paddling and rescues. Steve Holtzman S. CA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have discovered that my paddle float is the key to keeping my long legs from getting numb. I put a little air into it so that it is semi-inflated, then put it just in front of the front of my seat. It provides some support for my legs. It works like a charm! However, I was concerned that sitting on it might lead to its failing one of these days, so I bought a second one. Mine have plastic clips on them, so the one I sit on clips to the strap holding the backband, and I put the other one on the aft deck, rolled up under the bungie, with the clip attached to the bungie. - G. Snapp *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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