[Paddlewise] A mish mash of comments on recent posts

Of course the body adapts some to cold water exposure. Ever notice the
difference in body surface fat between top level swimmers and other top
athletes in say track and field. Of course some of this is genetic
variability that favors the sport (and that's why the best long distance
cold water swimmers are women) but I'll bet that the surface layer of fat
will increase on almost anyone swimming in cold water regularly.

Another adaptation the body makes to those who regularly immerse their head
in cold water is commonly called "surfer's ear". The bone near the eardrum
is stimulated to grow by repeated exposure to cold water, presumably to
protect the eardrum. These bone growths are known as exostoses, untreated
they can totally close off the ear canal over time. Those who immerse their
head often in cold water should wear earplugs to prevent having to have
their ear canals being re-bored later by a surgeon. Ear plugs also help
prevent vertigo.

Riiight. The speed of the river water the two drownings took place in was
later corrected to 9 mph.

Back-paddling through the wave and then racing forward just behind the crest
will work outside of the break zone to keep from being involuntarily surfed
into the break zone but eventually you will end up in the break zone anyway
and if the waves are small and your rudder is well secured it might even
work then. It also works in the waves of translation (translation-soup)
tumbling over the level waters nearer the beach (again only if these waves
are not too big and also only if you back straight into them). If the waves
are larger you will either have the kayak spun into a side surf or start to
surf forward until the bow buries and you end flip or spear the bottom
(depending on water depth and the kayak you are using).
A kayaker familiar with surfing knows that the odds of getting to shore
without taking one big hit in the break zone are small. They will most
likely surf in on the green face of a wave and then turn before it gets
steep enough to trap the bow and then survive the "Maytag" for a few seconds
until it settles down into a more consistent "soup" that pushes you in
sideways. Very few kayaker/kayak combinations can then get themselves out of
the sideways position until the soup has diminished to the 1 to 1.5 foot
high range or less. Once the soup has settled down you can move yourself
(and sea kayak) a little back and forth on the soup but you can't get behind
that soup without capsizing (possibly resulting in injuries in shallow
water-wear a helmet and hug the boat). Just what boat did someone say has
ends turned up enough to act as a roll-bar? When side surfing keep your
elbows in close to your body, There is so much water upwelling in the wave
that you don't have to reach out far at all to get a good brace for leaning
into the wave. Reaching out too far risks a shoulder dislocation (high
brace) or a torn rotator cuff (low brace). For those interested in the
subject lots more surfing tips can be found in the Paddling manual on
www.marinerkayaks.com.

Alex wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>I've heard that fibeglass and kevlar degrade much more under UV
exposure, than polyethilene.

Who told you that? Kevlar degrades much like nylon but if protected by an
opaque (or other UV resistant) gelcoat it won't be degraded quickly (except
maybe in the cockpit area, if that is not covered). I have a Kevlar WW kayak
with no gelcoat that is still in good shape that I bought new in 1977. I
have stored it indoor all its life though. It is a little darker color now
than when it was new. More brown than golden. Polyethylene is much more
subject to UV degradation than fiberglass composites (or Kevlar) protected
by opaque gelcoat (as most is). Glass itself is much less affected by UV
than is plastic. I suspect that is one reason why better greenhouses use
glass and not polyethylene. Of course, the translucent plastic resin in the
glass composite is more affected by UV exposure than the glass fiber parts.
But even if it were not covered by gelcoat it would loose durability far
slower than Poly which depends on its flexibility for toughness. Of course
you could rub either with 303 Protectant (which acts as a sun-block) on a
regular basis but I'd prefer storing any kayak in the shade if possible.

I would much prefer to paddle a hard shell than a folding kayak. Because of
that preference I took a 3-piece 13' 5" Coaster to Baja once. The oversized
baggage charges (for just two bags-the bow and stern fit into one bag and I
loaded my gear in the boats) was almost as much as the cost of the airplane
ticket. It could have been a lot more because when you transfer airlines
they can get you again. United (1986 I think) charged $30 per bag per each
boarding. Aero-Mexico could have charged me a lot more but only charged me
$18 on the return leg. You still had to keep the bags under 70 pounds each
or (if I remember correctly) they would get charged twice for oversize once
for dimensions and once for weight. Several years ago I know United upped
the oversize charge per bag to $50 each leg of the trip when baggage had to
be handled. I don't know what it is now. Since that experience and mainly
because of the hassle of transporting the big bags (and the Coaster is a
small kayak) and padding them against freight damage on all the 90 degree
corners, I've either flown with folding kayaks and kept the weight just
under 70 pounds per bag or rented a kayak (if reasonable kayaks could be
found at my destination). Of course with rentals, what they tell you they
will have on the phone may not be what they have when you get there, so make
sure to get it in writing. and take your own paddle (that is if you can even
get it on the plane these days.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************