I was able to launch my daughter and her Perception Umiak this past Saturday. Just wanted to report back on our opinions of the boat. My daughter seems to really like it a lot, but being 11, can't articulate the reasons why. So, here are my observations of it. We were in protected water with no chop, waves, swell, wind or anything. We paddled for 55 minutes and went a total of 1.78 nm, but that included stopping to eat skittles, stopping to look at birds, stopping to just raft up and talk, and so forth. She had no fears of it whatsoever. She never seemed to be off balance, and she never made any mention of the boat being "tippy". A few times, she'd lean over to pull a bug off the water surface, and I'd cringe, but she'd be fine. I need to get over that :-) She said that it fits good and the seat is comfortable, but she's got nothing to compare it to, so take that with a grain of salt. We haven't done any outfitting with hip/knee pads, etc, and I may not for quite some time unless she continues to build skills and use this particular boat as more than an initial "starter boat". The boat turns so easily that I'm curious about tracking in wind, but we'll have to examine that later. Her paddling form is the pits, and yet she was still able to paddle at a good little clip when we were "going" instead of "meandering". With better form, I think she'll have no problems keeping up with bigger, faster boats. All in all, I see no issues with this boat, coupled with her size and level of paddling skill. Seems like a good choice for a paddler of her size (65 pounds) and skill (complete novice). Now, she wants me to take her to Granny's pool and teach her self rescues. COOL!!! Thanks all who offered opinions (pro and con) before the purchase! Rick - Poquoson, VA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Now, she wants me to take > her to Granny's pool and teach her self rescues. COOL!!! I was going to suggest you find some warm water and have her practice falling out of the boat and getting back in. It will give her confidence if you ever get out into bigger water. You don't worry as much about falling out of your boat if you've already done it a few times for fun. When we take 6th graders kayaking, at first they are nervous about falling out (of sit on tops). Then we mention that, if they're good and there's time, we might let them fall out of their boats before we go back to shore. All of a sudden they're singing a different tune. "Can we fall out yet? Are we going to be able to fall out of our boats? Please???" Are you going to try to find her a farmer jane wetsuit? Happy paddling. It sounds like a wonderful situation! *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
>With the gelcoat worn away aft of the skeg box, it is reasonable/OK to lay >a glass keel strip over the area, including over the gelcoat on either >side of the worn area. No fiber damage, but putting a bit more gelcoat >down doesn't seem like more than a temporary fix. Thanks in advance, John " At this time I seem to have been only like a boy, playing on the sea shore whilst a great ocean of truth lay undiscovered before me" ---Sir Isaac Newton ********************************************************* John S. March, MD, MPH Professor and Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Duke Child and Family Study Center 718 Rutherford Street Durham, NC 27705 919/416-2404 (P); 919/416-2420 (F) Email: jsmarch_at_acpub.duke.edu Website: http://www2.mc.duke.edu/pcaad ********************************************************* *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
John March wrote: >> With the gelcoat worn away aft of the skeg box, it is reasonable/OK >> to lay a glass keel strip over the area, including over the gelcoat >> on either side of the worn area. No fiber damage, but putting a bit >> more gelcoat down doesn't seem like more than a temporary fix. There's nothing wrong with putting a layer of glass over it, but the epoxy layer will have to be protected from UV. Not much of a problem with normal paddling, but transport/storage could mean more UV than it should get. Varnish or another layer (gelcoat?) with UV inhibitors would help if exposure is anticipated. However, the glass will eventually become exposed due to wear and tear. Another option is to cover with a layer of high density polyethelene (HDPE) and use it as a low-friction layer and as a sacrificial layer. The trick here is to find a suitable adhesive. You'll possibly have to repair the gel coat one last time to provide a base for the HDPE, depending on how lumpy the surface is. One option I'd prefer is to try mixing some Cabosil or other silica powder into an epoxy (or gel coat?) mix and put that on. This will produce a hard wearing layer. You have to get the stuff on right, since sanding the stuff after it hardens is a pain. Personally, I'd replace the gelcoat. Quick to do, low in risk and it will last long enough to me - I touch up the gel coat every year or so anyway. As a sailing friend once said - that's what gelcoat's for. 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/ ***************************************************************************
Michael said (snip): >There's nothing wrong with putting a layer of glass over it, but the epoxy layer will have to be protected from UV.< I also know kayakers who glass on fiberglass tape (either 2" or wider) using white gelcoat as the resin. This generally matches the hull, seems a bit thicker than regular GP resin, and if you use wax paper on top with pressure, can come out fairly smooth. As the gelcoat is not as easily absorbed into the glass tape, one needs to be careful to soak things fairly well. One of the guys on that trip where we were rescued off the Storm Islands had his hull broken up badly during the over-the-rail transfer to the fishing vessel. He repaired the hull using the above method, and reinforced the worn keel line in the same manner - so I know it holds well. Anne also asked on a similar theme: Subject: [Paddlewise] FW: Kayak fiberglass repair ? (snip)>This weekend the epoxy and a layer of the fiberglass came off - the exact size and shape of the fiberglass repair. (rectangle) I'm looking for some good advise on how to redo this repair and also wondering if I can use stronger materials (kevlor, polyethelene.?) for the patch and for a new skid strip that might be tougher - not sure if I can marry these materials to fiberglass.< Doubles do get their fair share of dragging. I think someone already responded regarding proper drying of the hull, initially. I usually dry my kayak hull for two days in the direct sun if glass is exposed. I'll use a light bulb two to three inches away from the surface for better drying in the off season, before attempting repairs. Where water has transmigrated, I'll sometimes give longer drying times. You must also feather the edges a bit, lest something get a hold of the glass strip and "zipper" it off. It is also crucial to prep the repair area properly. I mask off the repair area, and sand with 60 grit, then follow with 100 grit if shinny areas remain, then vacuum up debris and dust. You also need to remove contaminants, so acetone can help. Denatured alcohol (a few drops) set to fire with a match can be effective at cleaning up fuzz and drying a spot more quickly, but I don't recommend this to entry-level repairers. I've seen some amazing repairs to surf boards, and in all cases, only top quality resins were used, and hardeners were all fresh product. There can be a number of reasons for failure, and most often it is poor prep work/ dated materials, or in some cases, too much of a certain mixed substance or even incomplete or stirring. Doug Lloyd Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> > Are you going to try to find her a farmer jane wetsuit? Do they make them that small? She only weighs 65 pounds. I was thinking I'd have to cut some arm holes out of one of the thighs from a XXL Farmer John (kidding, of course). Seriously, probably not anytime soon. Mom's not real comfortable with her in deep (over her head) water, anything other than flat water, and cold water (the place I took her was shallow, and the water temps were already into the low 70's). I'll have to work "with" Leanne to build her skills and "on" SWMBO to get her to lighten up a bit. I've gone the route of explaining to mom that she'll be safer in calmer water after she's gotten comfortable in rougher water. Otherwise, she'll be at the top end of her experience and skill level, and that's not the absolute safest place to be. So far, she's not buying it. Cautious and concerned is good, but she's over the top IMHO. Can't blame her - I guess it's ingrained in motherhood. Rick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 08:16 AM 5/13/03 -0400, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: >> >> Are you going to try to find her a farmer jane wetsuit? > >Do they make them that small? She only weighs 65 pounds. I was >thinking I'd have to cut some arm holes out of one of the thighs from a >XXL Farmer John (kidding, of course). LiquidFit, the outfit I got my oversize wetsuit from, will make custom wet suits to any size, and on their web page shows a small kid in one. www.liquidfit.com. No relation, except for being a satisfied customer. -- Wes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wes Boyd's Kayak Place NEW URL! -- http://www.kayakplace.com Kayaks for Big Guys (And Gals) | Trip Reports | Places To Go | Boats & Gear --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
>>>Are you going to try to find her a farmer jane wetsuit? >> >>Do they make them that small? She only weighs 65 pounds. I was >>thinking I'd have to cut some arm holes out of one of the thighs from a >>XXL Farmer John (kidding, of course). Mountain Equipment sells a lightweight one for kids for about $44-48 Cdn. GaryJ -- Director, Family Canoeing Centre Recreational canoeing courses for the whole family. +--------------------------------+ | /"\ | | \ / | | X ASCII RIBBON CAMPAIGN | | / \ AGAINST HTML MAIL & NEWS | +--------------------------------+ *************************************************************************** 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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