Re: [Paddlewise] Sea Seat

I carry a SeaSeat, as does my wife and kids. They are especially invaluable 
for open crossings in the canoe, where my kids could easily be placed onto 
one each respectively if the canoe was swamped.

For solo sea kayaking, the SeaSeat, other than the mini-rubber raft idea, is 
a theoretically fantastic idea for preserving core temperatures. It does 
take practice though, and the inflate time is really about 2 - 3 minutes as 
I never fully inflate my Seaseat. The last batch made by Pacific Canoe Base 
was a much more robust product, not prone to delaminating failures, etc. It 
should never replace a paddlefloat, but as a backup to loosing your boat its 
not a bad idea. I have used one in a real life rescue detailed in SeaKayaker 
magazine a few years ago, in gale force winds and heavy current.

I remind paddlers that paddlefoats can contribute to shaft breakage if you 
are not careful using them in heavy seas.

I carry a SeaSeat in a custom pouch on my inflatable Mustang; a 
single-chamber paddlefloat for rapid deployment on my foredeck; and a 
dual-chamber paddlefloat on my rear deck. Both the latter have cord 
attatchmnets. I have a heavy duty paddleshaft.

The Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club may have a lead on the fellow who bought 
the stock from Derek Bamforth's estate after he passed away and the Canoe 
Base closed. I lost the contact name. I bought a few at the time, but 
wouldn't sell them to anyone for any amount of money, save for a Zodiac and 
attendant rescue crew to follow me whenever I go paddling - but that might 
cost you a pretty penny.


Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC



> Someone e-mailed me:
> Dear Matt/Cam,
>    What ever happened to the Sea Seat?  How can I get one?  The Pacific
> Canoe Base phone number is no longer good...
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