[Paddlewise] Foster Legend

I was down at the kayak store the other day to pick up the latest revised
version of Snowden's Gulf Island paddling guide, wanting to plan a kayak
trip for my wife and I that would include a B&B one night. I was also eyeing
up the Seaward produced Nigel Foster Legend, dreaming about Alaska some day.
I noticed the Foster line has a new type of KajakSport hatch with what
appears to be a better seal system. Anyone had experience with them (the new
hatches)?

I also see there have been (from memory of a previous Legend I saw awhile
back) a tweaking on the deck fitting recesses, with a pronounced "ramp" at
the rear of each recess to shed pockets of water more easily. All around, a
very well executed kayak (and I assume some of the other Foster kayaks may
have been tweaked too). Guess I'll keep dreaming in the mean time. My wife
wants me to save for a trip to Disneyland instead. Some people just don't
have the right priorities.

My Nordkapp suffered some major reef damage in Nootka Sound in July, with a
primary hull breach on the original hull, including penetration through the
first "redundant" inner-hull supplemental layer (6 ounce cloth/epoxy). The
secondary redundant hull layer (also 6 ounce cloth/epoxy) added subsequent
to the first layer) did keep the barnacles from penetrating fully, but just
barely. A huge stress riser fracture has occurred on the side hull at the
front bulkhead. Anyway, a full rebuild/ repaint is in order, so the kayak
should be over 100 pounds after this next rebuild, including the electric
pump I wish to add. All this damage isn't my fault: a large Moonsnail
drilled a hole in my skull and sucked some brains out of my frontal lobe
while I was asleep one afternoon (which I blame on my friends who convinced
me to laze around on the beach almost every day reading Clive Cussler
novels), rendering my navigational skills insubordinate to by boat
preservation skills.

As my wife's Scottish made kayak still isn't repaired after I fractured the
stern in the surf (reverse endo into rocks), can anyone lend me two kayaks
for my little wife-oriented excursion in a couple of weeks. Okay, maybe not.
Okay, maybe I know why my good wife doesn't want me to buy a new kayak. :-)

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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