Re: [Paddlewise] Split Deck/Hull seam--Again! What do you think?

Like Duane said, his seems have never split (yet). Seams like all that 
overlap doth a strong kayak make. Your unseamly experiences suggest rather 
strongly that seems - even in propriety, purpose/designed hull-to-deck 
joined kayaks, fail during water-in-boat surf capsizes. I'd submit that 
those capsized-boat-in-surf occasions with the ability of the boat to come 
out intact, should be part of a _sea_ kayak's pedigree. Nobody bashes around 
on their kayak like me (on a sea boat anyway, that is) and strong seems are 
an absolute necessity in my thinking. I haven't seen you in any really 
gnarly surf, so I hate to think what kind of damage might occur during those 
circumstnces. I did see a lot of your gear floating around though - no 
pieces of kayak yet. :-)

I don't know if being a larger paddler is harder on the kayak or if there 
are cumulative effects over time due to that or other circumstances. I'm 
still toying with buying a new Nordkapp LV (just bought a new fridge, stove, 
granite counter, so broke again), and the fisrst thing I would do with a new 
boat if these options wern't avaliable would be to take out the seat, 
reinforce the inner seams, put on an outside seem (wider than the factory 
one), and add a keel strip. Then it would be ready for (my) real world 
kayaking and in every way, be "sea worthy." Or I could join Duane's tribe of 
do-it-yourself boat-from-wood kayak builders, and build somthing strong, 
light, and easily fitted out to my own specifications.

Regardless, I'm disinchanted with the status quo of mickey-mouse 
factory-built kayaks, or at least thatse builders unwilling to offer 
alternatives or employ more space-age solutions/more elbow grease - 
whatever - to improve the weekest part of the kayak. The seems.

Doug Lloyd
post not edited

>A couple months ago, I sent QCC a CD of my "greatest hits" on the water. I
> call it Ka POW!!! When I emailed them about my current split, I sent them 
> my
> latest video from TAKS. So what I do in my kayak is well documented. I 
> admit
> I swim a lot, but there haven't been any nasty contact with rocks that I
> would think might cause this kind of failure. Seems to me the pounding 
> surf
> is the most I subject my boat to. I just wanted to get other opinions 
> before
> I actually call them to hear theirs.
>
> It is rather ego lifting to think that my macho paddling is just too much
> for any kayak, but I think there are people doing a whole lot more macho
> stuff out there who have intact seams.
>
> I want to be fair and get what's reasonable.
>
> Mark
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