Re: [Paddlewise] 1-10-1

On 11/3/07, Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> wrote:
>
>  I'm probably the weak link with my leaky boat and
> my 6 year old nylon spray skirt that I just realized has giant holes in
> it.


When I bought my first sea kayak (second hand) after spending years on white
water  it came with a nylon spray skirt and some sort of paddle. When we
bought my wife's sea kayak (also second hand) it came with a better nylon
spray skirt and a much better bent-shaft paddle.

I paddled a lot with those nylon spray skirts but was never happy. They
didn't fit well around the cockpit, they made noise when I rotated, but
worst of all those stupid suspenders kept sliding off my shoulders making me
feel like a 13-yr-old girl with her first bra.

This season I resurrected my favorite white water (neoprene) spray skit
(with no bra straps, thank you very much) and never looked back. My god it's
nice to have a spray skirt I can count on again.

Try one before you go buy another nylon thingie. After all, your paddling
resembles white water kayaking more than most. You might find a w/w spray
skirt will work better for you.

And give a w/w paddle a try too. They make them pretty strong for obvious
reasons. I'd be willing to bet you can't break my old Werner 90-degree
feather paddle.

If it looks like white water, piles onto you like white water and sounds
like white water it might be time to try white water gear. Except for the
kayak, of course.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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